Which Vegetables Prevent Childhood Obesity?
In order for the child not to suffer from obesity, his/her diet must contain two kinds of vegetables – carrots and broccoli. The research has shown that their use has a particularly significant preventive effect, which protects against excess weight.
The experts from the University of Texas and Southern California in the United States were the first to speak about the fact that it is useful for children to eat carrots and broccoli in order to avoid unnecessary overweight. Their results indicate that only two portions of vegetables per day significantly reduce the risk of childhood obesity. A minimal amount of eaten carrots and broccoli has a preventive effect against overweight in children.
The authors of the study explain that even small amounts of fresh or quickly cooked vegetables and greenery (just about 30 grams per day) can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing obesity in the child.
In addition, the researchers have discovered that carrots and broccoli are extremely useful for those children who already have excess weight. In particular, the consumption of vegetables by a plump child helps reduce the risk of such hazardous chronic diseases associated with obesity as diabetes, liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases.
According to the experts, the monitoring of the children with overweight (175 people took part in the study) showed that when such children ate daily servings of carrots and broccoli about the size of their fist, the levels of cholesterol in their blood decreased, allowing the body to better absorb nutrients from food. This also contributed to the fact that the level of health and immune defense in such infants became higher. A similar effect is achieved by introducing spinach and other fresh herbs into a child’s diet, but it is not as noticeable, as with carrots and broccoli.