Weight Loss Plans For Children

Children form eating habits from a young age that last into adulthood. Your child will mimic your eating habits, which can affect their weight and health now and in the future, according to the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. Choosing to eat a healthy balanced diet that is low in saturated fats for yourself will help guide your child to healthier food choices and a healthier weight. Putting your child on a calorie restrictive diet should only be done under your doctors advice, because if children do not eat enough it can affect their growth and their learning capability, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Healthy Sugar Swap

Many kids love sweets that are high in calories, sugar and saturated fats. One way to promote healthier eating is to teach children how to swap high calorie sweets for foods that are naturally sweet, according to "The Eat Clean Diet for Family and Kids" author Tosca Reno. Keep fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes and cantaloupe cut up in small containers that are convenient to grab out of the fridge. Drizzle a small amount of honey onto cut up fresh fruit for a sweet treat, or make healthy popsicles by freezing a combination of 50 percent pure fruit juice and 50 percent water. Replace sugary drinks with water that is flavored with 1 to 2 tbsp. of your child's favorite fruit juice.

Sneak the Veggies

Consuming more vegetables provides more nutrients and fewer calories and fills you up, but getting children to eat healthy veggies isn't always easy. The sneak-the-veggies plan focuses on adding vegetables to foods your child already likes, notes Science Daily. One easy way to add broccoli and kale to your child's diet is to puree it in with marinara sauce, or you can add a veggie puree to soup.

Eating Every Two to Three Hours

According to FamilyDoctor.org, your child should eat three meals and two snacks every day for proper growth, since kids often don't eat enough at one meal to keep them full for more than a few hours. Offer nutritious snacks such as fresh fruits, cut veggies with peanut butter, low fat string cheese or whole grain crackers. Balance your child's meals with healthy proteins such as fish, turkey, chicken and lean beef and complex carbohydrates such as wild and brown rice, whole grain pasta, bread and cereal and oatmeal.