South African women have the highest obesity rates worldwide, according to a scielo study, and the percentage of children in SA who fall into the obese category is also on the rise.
The higher the obesity rate, the higher the burden of chronic diseases for the future as well.
Understanding your dietary requirements and the importance of good eating habits cannot only help manage specific chronic conditions, it may prevent them too.
A good way to start taking control of your health and nutrition is by visiting a dietician, who can point you in the right direction and guide you onto a healthy path. Newtricion Wellness Dieticians shares a reason why you might need a dietician in your journey to a healthier life, as well as how you can help prevent childhood obesity:
Manage and improve health conditions
If you already suffer from common chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol, you need to learn to manage these conditions so that they do not spiral out of control, which starts by getting your diet right.
Let a dietician help you plan and conduct nutritional programmes to improve your health through what you eat. Remember, it’s not a quick fix, as they will review and monitor their patients’ nutrition plans and make necessary modifications to help them maintain their health and reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases.
Run nutrition education programmes
If you are a teacher or a principal, speak to a dietician about providing nutrition programmes to educate the learners about healthy food choices and lifestyles.
Educating children about how to improve their nutritional well-being, avoid nutrition-related diseases, promote food access, and improve personal health control will have a positive impact not only on the learners’ health and learning, but on the community as a whole.
