Cognitive development occurs at different stages of growth parallels the development of eating habits of eating skills and nutritional knowledge. Food and eating habits mean more than the supply of nutrients for growth, development and maintenance body.

Many factors, some are obvious and subtle, influence food intake and habits of children and adolescents. Among the many factors we find the family environment, peer influence, illness, social trends and messages from the media. The latter two are critically important for the modern lifestyle in which the preparation and selection of food is increasingly less important for being in other activities that further increase the selection of quick meals (for lack of time) and with more calories, cholesterol and animal fats.

To this you should also be added the fact that the least physical activity is generally replaced by other activities like watching TV or playing video games.

These two facts, inadequate food selection and less activity, predisposing the child and adolescent disorders such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure that directly affect their health, reducing the quantity and quality of years to live.

Obesity is a multi-causal disease, as seen in other articles. This involves various factors many of which can be prevented and treated.

Certain behaviors during childhood may predispose to this disease, for example, is often the administration of bottles or chest to calm him when he cries. This triggers a habit so that children get food to eliminate feelings such as frustration, fear or anxiety. Another common behavior found in the parent when the child is young is the introduction of solid foods of high caloric density (foods with a lot of calories per gram) early, which can cause rapid weight gain.

In the adolescent’s independence is enhanced by greater social participation and their busiest times influence the selection of food and habits. They tend to eat out, and quickly.

Overweight, obesity and poor food choices of young people is associated with negative effects on physical health that are independent of weight in adulthood According to studies the increased risk of morbidity and coronary atherosclerosis is present in both males and females who were overweight in adolescence.

Obesity in children occurs in many cases by increased food intake. But this must be added various features of this disease that contribute to the picture such as reduced ability to burn fat, it becomes more easily ingested fat, they eat inability to refrain from unduly, have less movement or physical activity and altered body image. All these features can be treated and reversed to carry that obesity is not prolonged in time.

On the other hand one should think to obesity, beyond a cosmetic problem, as a predisposing factor to many diseases like heart, diabetes, cholesterol, high uric acid, hypertension, stroke, depression, phobias, etc.

The importance of rapidly detecting, treating and interdisciplinary (physical education teacher, doctor, nutritionist) are obese children and adolescents to achieve an improvement in their health, physically and mentally. A multidisciplinary care that includes your family will allow the child obesity and food habits of healthy living, which will prevent the emergence and subsequent diseases.

Other diseases associated with bad habits and inactivity is hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. While no data linking cardiovascular risk with blood pressure, was concerned about the possible relationship between small pressure elevations in youth and the subsequent development of hypertension in adult life with its risks of heart attack and accidents stroke. Hence the need for systematic and act preventively on factors that may change.

Hypercholesterolemia accelerates the Atherosclerotic process begins in childhood and progresses during adolescence and early adulthood, although no serious manifestations usually appear until middle age or beyond. Some of the factors that influence of hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease are unalterable as age and genetic differences. But there are other potentially modifiable factors during childhood and adolescence as sedentary lifestyle, obesity and eating habits, which can easily be corrected at this stage that after coming to adulthood, where these factors are more entrenched.

It is known fact that the habits, likes and dislikes are established early in life and are carried into adulthood, at which time the change to healthy habits has more endurance. These habits are eating and activity must be right to achieve the end of the growth and development of a healthy adult with a lower probability of suffering from diseases related to inadequate habits.

Weight is one factor that determines the nutritional status is largely determined by the habits of the individual. Evaluated, along with others such as the percentage of body fat and cholesterol will allow the results to transpolar living and eating habits that lead these children and adolescents.

It is important to remember that an important factor in establishing eating habits and activity where the family is often already installed incorrect habits. This requires, in addition to educating children in the correct habits and should be reported to the family that she also arise from the necessary changes for better health.