Indonesia’s chain-smoking baby has kicked the habit. Aldi Rizal, the 2-year-old Indonesia boy who picked up the horrific habit of smoking 40 cigarettes a day has picked up a new habit.

The now five-year-old boy has picked up a food addiction. His huge appetite has seen him gorge on junk food and fatty snacks. According to The Sun, Rizal weigh 56 pounds, due to his unhealthy

A new documentary series revisits the family two years later to find out how Rizal is getting on and reveals he has managed to stay off the cigarettes, but he’s still dangerously unhealthy. The young boy’s mother said her son begs for food in the same way he used to beg for cigarettes, and the family struggles not to give in to his tantrums.

“When Ardi first quit smoking he would demand a lot of toys,” his 28-year-old mother, Diane said. “He would bang his head on the wall if he couldn’t get what he wanted… Now I don’t give him cigarettes, but he eats a lot. With so many people living in the house it’s hard to stop him from getting food.”

Nutritionist Fransisca Dewi said the young boy is overweight and his ideal weight should be 17kg to 19kg. He’s 24kg already.

“I think it is difficult for them. The mother says Aldi is a spoilt kid,” Dewi said. “If she wants to forbid him eating, it will be hard. She will need the cooperation from the entire household. One obvious thing is they let him have too much condensed milk. He drinks three cans a day and eats too many carbohydrates.”

Loved ones are now trying, again, to steer the young boy in the right direction, by feeding him a steady diet of fruit and vegetables. Diane said she is trying to persuade her son’s siblings and the rest of the family not to give in and provide him with junk food when she is not around.

Rizal early smoking habits may contribute to his current weight problems, as nicotine affects hormone, insulin and glucose levels in the body.

According to The Mirror, Rizal quit smoking in a rehabilitation program set up by the Indonesian government. Rizal’s smoking habit even caused such outrage that the administration launched a nationwide campaign to end childhood smoking.

During his rehabilitation treatment, Aldi saw psychiatrists who encouraged his mother to keep him busy with playing and taught her about the dangers of smoking. Diane said people still offer her son cigarettes even though he has kicked the habit.

 

Source: Food World News