According to Kids Health, one out of three children is considered overweight or obese. The rising numbers of children with weight problems can be contributed to more time spent doing sedentary activities such as watching television or playing video games---and the consumption of too many unhealthy foods such as cookies, candy or processed snacks. If your child is overweight or obese, there are ways to help her lose weight and begin to lead a healthier life.
Offer Healthy Snacks
Most children will snack on whatever foods they can find in the pantry or refrigerator, writes Chantel Hobbs, author of "Never Say Diet: Make Five Decisions and Break the Fat Habit for Good." If what you offer is full of fat, calories and sugar, your child can gain weight. Try offering low calorie, low fat snacks---your child is likely to eat them when he gets hungry. Hobbs recommends leaving your child's favorite fruits and vegetables cut up and ready to eat. Offer your child peanut butter or hummus as a dip to help encourage them to eat produce for snacks. Other options include air-popped popcorn or low-fat cheese melted on a whole wheat tortilla. Keep junk food out of your house and your child will likely start dropping pounds and developing healthier eating habits.
Stop Serving Processed Foods
Processed foods are often high in unhealthy fats, salt and sugar, writes Suzannah Olivier, author of "Healthy Food For Happy Kids," which can translate to weight gain. A diet high in processed foods can also sap your child of the energy she needs to be active and maintain a healthy weight. Stop serving prepackaged foods such as macaroni and cheese or canned pastas, and try cooking healthy meals with your child, suggests Olivier. Boiling a package of whole wheat pasta and serving it with a variety of cooked vegetables can be just as tasty as the canned version---without the added fat, salt and sugar. Let your child choose a few new recipes and cook them together for a healthy meal that will help jumpstart the weight loss process.
Serve Your Child A Healthy Breakfast
Olivier writes that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it replaces your child's blood sugar levels that tapered off during the night and can set the stage for the entire day of healthy eating. A healthy breakfast should fill your child up so he is not tempted to snack on unhealthy foods to sustain him until lunch. Whole wheat toast with peanut butter or oatmeal sprinkled with chopped nuts have the right blend of fat and fiber to give your child energy and keep him satisfied until his next meal. Olivier also recommends serving milk and fruit with breakfast for a well-balanced meal full of essential vitamins and minerals. Whole grain cereals low in sugar are another option for busy parents.
References
- Kids Health: Overweight and Obesity
- "Never Say Diet: Make Five Decisions and Break the Fat Habit for Good"; Chantel Hobbs; 2008
- "Healthy Food For Happy Kids"; Suzannah Olivier; 2004
Member Comments