Dr Rekha Sharma, a former AIIMS nutritionist, said this while talking about the importance of healthy food at a fitness and nutrition workshop at VLCC in Sarabha Nagar today.

She added that about 25 per cent of urban kids, belonging to the middle socio-economic group, are obese.

“If not controlled through proper diet and lifestyle by the parents, children born to fat mothers are more likely to be obese in childhood or as adults,” she said.

“Since kids are physically active and may keep the balance between input and output of calories in childhood, as soon as adulthood sets in and as the physical activity reduces, they are more prone to obesity due to the presence of fatty cells,” said Dr Sharma who has served in the department of dietetics, AIIMS, for 28 years. She is presently the senior vice-president of VLCC Health Care.

She added that the percentage body fat might also vary on the higher side in people with normal height and weight so everyone should take care about what they eat. “What we eat is like what we wear since both reflect on us and determine how we look,” she said.

According to Dr Sharma, educated people with a sedentary lifestyle in the country are highly aware of their health and want to look better and healthier.

“But those who want to lose weight should not think of losing it all in one go. The weight-loss process should be taken slowly but regularly and even after losing weight, the healthy lifestyle and regular exercise should be continued,” she explained.