JT: Impressive. That is a big accomplishment.
GG: Because he wanted to. So what we did was, we addressed his food sensitivities. We looked at foods that he was most sensitive to. And he had such a craving for bread, and cake and pastas. And so we eliminated all of the gluten containing foods of which he was sensitive to. We streamlined his diet so that he would have more fruits and vegetables- less sweets, less high caloric meals, more nutrient dense meals. We gave him some simple nutrients, some simple supplements, not many, but you know some simple whole food supplements.
We gave him an exercise regimen. He enjoyed basketball; he wanted to be on the basketball team in school. But when he first came to me, he couldn’t move out of his own way because he was too heavy; he was too slow. Once he lost the weight, he was one of the best basketball players on the team. So he went from a state of not being even able to make the team, because he was too slow, to being one of the best people on the team, when he lost the weight and he changed his lifestyle.
JT: Dr. Gero, any final recommendations as to the one thing or a few key things that overweight children, and of course we have to include their parents, have to consider to be successful?
GG: To be aware number one, I mean if we had to make it simple, I would say be very conscious of all of the hidden calories that are in the snack foods. It’s very easy to add an additional thousand calories a day. And if you’re figuring an extra thousand calories a day, because you’re adding sauces or sweets and sugars and fats into your diet, it’s easy to add a thousand calories a day to your daily consumption. if you think about that, a thousand calories a day is seven thousand calories a week. And if we look at 35 hundred calories as one pound, seven thousand calories is two pounds gained per week of fat.
Now the other problem is lack of activity. Children should be out playing, that’s when they have the greatest amount of energy. Try to keep up with a twelve year old who’s active. At 67 I’m pretty active but I can’t keep up with a twelve year old. But these children should be out playing, they should be playing ball, they should be exercising, they should be doing things on a regular basis. To consume, to expend, I’m sorry to expend the calories. So you’ve got this combination of let’s reward our children with snacks to make them happy, and let’s keep them indoors and protect them and have them do video games, or computer games. And the opportunities for kids to go outside and play are not as robust as they used to, because there’re fewer kids doing it.
So encouraging our children to do physical activity and to encourage our children to eat healthier and reduce these high caloric snacks and goodies, sauces and creams and all of this other stuff, we can make a difference.
JT: That’s great advice, thank you so much.
GG: This is what I do every day, and more than twelve percent of my practice are pediatrics, children.
JT: That is a significant number.
GG: Yes, that’s a big part of my practice as a Naturopathic doctor; you could look on my website.
JT: Yes, I noticed that and I was impressed, but I didn’t know what the percentage was.
GG: Yes, it’s actually a pretty high percentage. Do I get parents to bring their children in for obesity and too much weight? Yes, but the biggest thing parents bring their children in for is attention issues, hyperactivity issues, and in many cases they’re very much aligned. The same issues that cause obesity are the same things that cause inattentiveness and hyperactivity, even if the child doesn’t have a weight problem, it’s the same manifestation that in many children cause obesity.
JT: Yes it’s fascinating, and unfortunately a big problem. You have provided some great solutions. I thank you for your time Dr.Gero.
To learn more about Dr. Gero and the Holistic Naturopathic Center visit http://holisticnaturopath.com
