Lack of exercise, sitting around playing on computers all day and bad eating habits are creating a global tendency to obesity in children. While getting your children out into nature and exercising more is not always an easy task, getting them to drink more water will also help and should be easier.
Various studies, including a German study published in the journal Paediatrics state that installing water fountains in schools impacts childhood obesity rates positively. Children who were given water bottles and encouraged to fill them from the water fountain each morning drank more water, performed better at their academic subjects, had more energy and were less obese.
Drinking water regularly is important for children because it ensures that they stay hydrated, have more energy, snack less on unhealthy food because they are full from the water, and also drink less carbonated, sugary drinks.
Children will be children, which means that they will always opt for the sweeter things in life, including sugary juices and fizzy drinks. Studies have found however, that when children are offered other options such as easy access to clean drinking water, especially if it is chilled, they will drink more water.
Training our children to cultivate healthy drinking habits from a young age will help prevent obesity in childhood and even later on in life. This is important because obesity is not just about being overweight; it is also about the damage that is done to both the physical and emotional health of a child.
Obese children are often bullied and called names, which can lead to self-image problems. Obesity can also result in many life-threatening health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, skin infections, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, insomnia, liver disease, high blood pressure, constipation, heart disease, stroke, and even cancer.
Investing in a home water cooler that will ensure that your children always have easy access to chilled water that has no impurities or toxins in it is a great way to ensure that they develop a good water-drinking habit.
