In our continuing Fasting and Beyond summer pediatric series (originally aired on July 23, 2019), I recently spoke with Dr. Amna Husain about teens, body image, and addressed lifestyle interventions without negative impacts on self-confidence! Some of the highlights of our conversation include:
- Going in depth on the health complications of children who are overweight. Children who are overweight tend to have self-confidence issues and lower academic performance than their peers.
- We talked about good ways to address body weight issues with children without making them feel bad. One tip Dr. Husain shared was to compliment them on the small victories (e.g. choosing a baked potato over french fries).
- We shared some practical lifestyle changes the whole family can implement. It’s important that the whole family is on board — if the children are eating a healthy salad, the adults shouldn’t be eating pizza.
- We talked about the importance of limiting screentime on phones, computers and other devices. I was absolutely shocked when Dr. Husain shared the numbers on how much kids and teens are using media devices nowadays. Also, parents might need to consider limiting their own screentime, too.
- Also, Dr. Hussain suggested that we stop using the phrase “obese children” and instead say “children who are obese.” She explains in great detail why this small change can be helpful.
If you have teens, will have teens, or deal with teens, this will be a discussion you will not want to miss!
ABOUT DR. HUSAIN
Amna Husain, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician who is truly passionate about her job. She is not only a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics but also serves the community as a lactation consultant. Passionate about nutrition, in addition to running her Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice, Dr. Husain also began a healthy weight clinic for school age children and teenagers who struggle with obesity.
DISCLAIMER: The advice on this page is not meant to replace or represent medical advice. This is nutritional advice, which is NOT the same as medical advice. Before any weight loss endeavor, the consultation of an experienced health care provider is a must. As a general rule, the following individuals should not participate in fasting:
- Diabetics-particularly those on insulin
- Lactating women
- Pregnant women
- Individuals with a history of eating disorders
- Children under the age of 18
This list is not
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