Teaching kids healthy eating habits and motivating them to exercise is challenging. Junk food is a common temptation, and television and video games lure children to stay inactive and indoors. If you believe your child's habits are leading him toward a lifetime of being overweight and unhealthy, there are ways to make changes before it is too late. Parents in New York have several options for helping their children develop healthy habits.
Potatoes and Tomatoes
The One Potato Two Tomato Healthy Kids Camps are offered during summer months and year-round. The program is located in Albertson, New York, and provides education for children and families with kids ages infant through 19. Healthy Kids Camp is specifically designed for children ages seven to 12 years of age. At camp, kids learn how to feed their body so it will feel its best. This includes lessons on nutrition, food science and portion size. Kids also learn how to read food labels and understand what ingredients create the healthiest foods. Every day at camp, kids taste new foods and have a chance to exercise. Camp runs daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Designed for Young Women
Wellspring Camps are some of the most popular weight loss camps for teen girls in the nation. Wellspring NY offers young women the opportunity to get healthy the Wellspring way. The camp is located in upstate New York on the campus of Union College. Girls have a chance to use the fitness facilities on campus, which include tennis, basketball, squash and racquetball courts, paved biking and hiking trails, an indoor track, a pool, a gymnasium and an aerobics studio. There is 24-hour security on the campus and girls sleep in air-conditioned dormitories. The camp is open to girls ages 11 through 24, but young women 18 and over will be separated from the younger girls.
Medically-Supervised Program
Park Avenue Medical Weight and Wellness is a physician-supervised program that helps children of all weight levels. The program specializes in kids suffering from weight-related diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, pain and high cholesterol. Each program is individualized and participants meet in small support groups run by a licensed psychotherapist. The program was designed by Dr. Jamie Kane, who is a graduate of Yale University and a trained medical weight-loss specialist, a Certified Sports Nutritionist and a Board-Certified Internist. Park Avenue Medical Weight and Wellness is located in Manhattan, right on Park Avenue.
Traditional Summer Camp
Camp Shane is a well-known weight loss camp because it has been featured on a number of television programs. The Camp Shane program provides education in portion control, exercise, healthy cooking and food journaling, so kids develop healthy habits that stay with them after camp ends. Healthy cooking classes teach children how to turn their favorite meals into healthier options by altering ingredients and controlling portion size. Kids also participate in traditional summer camp activities like arts and crafts, swimming, dance and horseback riding. Programs are available for boys ages seven to 19, girls ages seven to 17 and young women ages 18 to 25. Camp Shane is located in Ferndale, New York.
Stop and Go Foods
Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, M.D., created a weight loss plan designed to help overweight kids change their lifestyle. Each child's weight-loss plan is personalized and the goal is to encourage lighter eating and a more active lifestyle. The program begins with a medical assessment to determine each child's metabolic rate, or how many calories they burn when inactive. Next, children are given information on the "Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right! Program." This helps them make smart food choices and avoid unhealthy, or "Red Light" foods. Participants in Dr. Dolgoff's program have access to gyms in the New York area that are normally adults-only facilities, so kids can incorporate exercise into their weight loss program. Dr. Dolgoff has offices in Manhattan on Madison Avenue and in Long Island.
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