Puberty Panic

As a mother of two boys, and someone who deals with kids regularly, I have a serious concern on the reproductive health of the current gen kids and I want share why !

How to Prevent Early Puberty and Hormone Problems

Make sure you are doing all of these things yourself – our kids model what       they see more than what we say!

• Cut out the soda and juice completely! (Water is the best beverage)

• Cut portion sizes in half

• Do your best to reduce maida, food cooked in restaurants, potato overdose and white rice from the diet: emphasize good quality proteins and vegetables as the mainstay of their diets

• Cut the amount of TV/gadget watching in half (and adding exercise will make this even better!). Physical inactivity triggers sedentary lifestyle.

1.Avoid flame retardant products, namely perfumes and deodorants. ( As adults we are forced to use them but kids don't need to smell good...Sweaty Kids are a sign of healthy kids !

Talk to Your Children – A Lot and About Everything You Can to Help them Understand Their Body

Prevent Exposure to “Environmental Estrogens”

For years scientists have disagreed whether early puberty was really an emerging phenomenon. Now there’s no doubt. Girls are getting their periods earlier and boys  hormonal changes are at an early onset too.Having seen many examples of children going through this issue , I keep reiterating to my friends, the problem hits you hard only when you face it...otherwise it is still an example and a story to listen to....and if at all it happens ..it hits you real hard especially if its our own child.Pediatrics Journal found that the average Indian Adolescent Health and development parameters have shifted considerably ,55% of Indian girls begin puberty by age 8-9. Their breasts are starting to grow at a younger age, too. And hence this leads to a growth suppression too...Boys on the other hand have started showing behavioral changes and sexual curiosity at an age group of as low as 8 to 9 years, 

Some doctors are calling this the “new normal,” according to Science News. But there is nothing normal about it and many physicians and scientists are quite alarmed. And even if your daughter isn’t showing signs of early puberty, she may still be exposed to the factors that cause it – so please read on…

Our daughters (and our sons, too) are unwittingly the canaries in our social and ecologic coal mine. We escaped the wrath , thanks to the little natural food habits that we had in our childhood and our mother's habits but unfortunately we are ditch holes of self-discipline. Also adulteration in almost anything and everything is a biggest contributor.

The 3 biggest contributors to early puberty are:

1.Obesity: About 20% or more of Indian kids are now obese. This rate has tripled in the past 30 years, and this trend corresponds to earlier puberty.

2. Exposure to environmental toxins that act as estrogen in the body: Many substances used in flame retardant fabrics, cosmetics, plastics, pesticides, detergents and other common household and industrial products can mimic the effect of estrogen in our bodies. Regular dose of junk food, lack of vegetative presence in the diet, inadequate sleep hours and erratic sleep patterns are a major growth stunting and puberty causing agents. However clean and safe and food procured from outside may be it doesn't pass the litmus test of home made stuff. It is important that parents have a health choice for kids to follow. Remember ! we are already giving them a polluted earth and air. The least we could avoid is a bad lifestyle example. And it definitely is a continuous process and not a sporadic practice. 

3. Stress: Stress can wreak havoc on the endocrine system. And most of us suffer from stress starting at any earlier age than ever. Inadequate sleep, tantrum habits, child manipulation , peer pressure and bullying are just a few of the major stressors to which our kids are regularly exposed to. 

While government, food companies, and industry also need to tackle these issues on a global scale, the factors leading to early puberty and endocrine disruption in our children can be prevented or mitigated through the diet and lifestyle choices we make and teach them.

2.Encourage your girls to avoid cosmetics , and if they are going to use them, go natural. 

3.Encourage kids to avoid drinking out of plastic bottles whenever possible. or Eat food in plastic containers.

4.Avoid plastic wrapped foods and plastic food containers for reheating and storing hot foods as much as possible.

We’ve gotta’ take the stigma out of puberty so we can talk openly with our daughters and help them feel comfortable in their bodies no matter what.If your daughter has a medical condition or other reasons that she’s already gone through puberty, it’s super important to talk with her about what’s going on, and help her feel comfortable. Obese should also not be the new norm. Neither should early puberty. If we’re so worried about not making them self-conscious about their weight to the point that we don’t teach them how to eat well, we’re doing them a major disservice. There’s a difference between healthy food consciousness and awareness about best food choices, healthy serving sizes, and being fit, and being food and body neurotic.We can teach our children the healthiest possible habits from their earliest years  -especially by modeling these ourselves — without giving them food phobias and eating disorders! This means walking our talk.

Let’s start talking with our children today, and taking care of ourselves in ways that model self love, self care, and best health — so that they can emerge into adulthood confident and without preventable risks of long term emotional and health problems.