A lack of regular exercise and an excess of sugary cereals, high-fat snacks, fast food, processed foods and soft drinks all contribute to rising rates of obesity in kids and teens. The good news is that parents can help their kids lose weight and stay healthy by providing nutritious foods, working with physicians or nutritionists to develop suitable diets for kids and setting an example themselves.
Considerations
It's important for kids to get the variety of vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients their bodies need to grow and develop, even while they're trying to lose weight. For that reason, it can be useful for parents to have a talk with a pediatrician or nutritionist before establishing meal plans so that they can be sure their meals and snacks satisfy nutritional requirements and encourage good health. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid stresses the importance of daily physical activity for all kids. Meeting the minimum daily requirement of 60 minutes of activity can help kids and teens lose weight faster and stay healthier.
Nutrition Guidelines
The USDA's food pyramid recommends that meal plans for kids consist of foods that fall into five main groups: lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, low-fat and nonfat dairy products and grains. At least half of the servings from the grain group should be whole grains, which offer more nutritional benefits than refined grains and may help keep kids fuller. The Mayo Clinic also shares a general percentage breakdown to govern kids' diets: about 20 percent of their daily calories should come from protein, 50 percent from carbohydrates and 30 percent from fat.
Portion Sizes
Extra-large restaurant and fast food portion sizes are part of the reason that many kids overeat and gain an unhealthy amount of weight. Parents can help prevent that by preparing meals and snacks themselves and watching portion sizes. KidsHealth.org notes that a proper serving of meat should be about the size of a child's palm, and the size of a clenched fist is about equal to a proper serving of grains. When laying out a meal, half of a plate should contain vegetables, a quarter of the plate should contain starch or grains and the remaining quarter should contain a lean protein or meat.
Meal Plans
Meal plans for kids who want to lose weight should be varied and balanced. They should be high in nutrients, vitamins and minerals and generally low in saturated fats, trans fats, sugar and cholesterol. Breakfast options could be oatmeal, iron-fortified cereal, smoothies or fat-free yogurt and fruit parfaits. Salads and light sandwiches with fresh vegetables are healthy lunch choices. For dinner, consider a vegetable stir fry, lean-meat chili, lean-meat tacos or whole-wheat pizza with veggie toppings.
Tips
KidsHealth.org recommends that kids who are trying to lose weight limit the amount of soda and juice that they drink and stop eating as soon as they feel full. Snacking on small portions of healthy foods during the day might also reduce kids' cravings for high-fat or high-sugar foods between meals. Finally, kids might be more successful with weight loss if they choose diets that allow for special treats and favorite foods every so often, instead of eliminating them entirely.
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