High Blood Pressure in Kids is on the Rise
When it comes to the health of kids across America, the facts can be a bit scary. More children have higher blood pressure levels than ever before. Many people have to worry about their blood pressure, but usually that worry comes with age. It isn’t something that children should have to deal with.
So why are more children facing higher blood pressures now? There are a lot of elements to blame. Higher sodium diets, sedentary lifestyles, and an overall increase of childhood weight are all factors of the elevated blood pressure.
The thought of kids with high blood pressure and possible issues with their kidneys and hearts because of it is downright frightening. Thankfully, most of the issues can be reversed with healthy lifestyle changes. Here are some ways that you can protect your children:
Watch out for the hidden salt: The hidden salt in processed foods is the biggest problem for all people. Even though a frozen meal may have 2,000-3,000 milligrams of sodium, it doesn’t always taste extra salty. Children should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day. The study showed that more than 80 percent of children had a sodium intake of more than 2,300 milligrams.
Furthermore, the study also stated that 80 percent of a person’s sodium intake comes from processed foods. The easiest way to fix this problem is to cut out the big offenders in processed foods, such as chips, crackers, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and other frozen meals. Even many packaged baby food and toddler food has an astonishing amount of sodium. It takes more time to make fresh food, but it will be better for the whole family in the long run.
Retrain your child’s tongue: There is a vicious cycle that happens with childhood obesity. Children start eating more processed foods, sodium, and sugar. In turn, they crave more of these foods and their bodies have a harder time determining that they are full. Therefore, they gain weight. The more weight they gain, the more they eat and the weight and health problems just keep piling on.
It will be hard to get your child to pick an apple over potato chips, but the point is to make these choices for them now so that they will have better health in the future. Give it time and let your kids see that eating healthier is a whole family ordeal.
Tackle the weight issues: The best thing to do for your kid’s health is to help them overcome obesity. Don’t make it hard work, but instead help them see that adding more physical activity can be fun. Encourage them to join a sports team and play with them for 30-40 minutes before dinner. The physical activity will be great for both of you.
It may seem harmless to feed your children chicken nuggets and such for lunch or dinner, but America has a processed food problem. The health consequences that come with consuming more processed foods and sodium are scary, especially when our children are involved.
Always consult your chiropractor or primary care physician for all your health related advice.