Studies suggest that differences in food consumption and activity patterns accumulate over time so that kids with unhealthy practices slowly become increasingly overweight and obese. Children who are overweight or obese tend to eat larger portions, eat higher calorie foods and spend more time watching television or playing video games. Help your child develop healthy eating habits. Take command of food purchasing and design meal plans that are tasty, healthy and calorie-wise.
Make Healthy Plans
If you have a child that is overweight, you need to review the food and meal plans of your entire family. The University of Michigan Health System reports that if one parent is overweight or obese, there is an 80 percent chance that a teen child will be overweight. If a child is overweight, then the entire family needs to become dedicated to a healthy lifestyle that includes nutritious, low-calorie meals and snacks. Teach your child through word and deed that eating a healthy diet is satisfying and rewarding.
Nutrition Awareness
As a parent, you need to enhance your own and your family's awareness of the nutritional and caloric value of the foods you consume. Lead discussions with your child and other family members about your healthful eating goals. Read labels on food packaging and use the Web to learn about the calories in the food you eat. As you learn about what kinds of food to eat, and what to avoid, seek out and then try new recipes, meal plans and snacks with your family. Find options that people enjoy and add these choices to your stable of "go-to" foods.
Foods to Avoid
Scour your cupboards, refrigerator, grocery list, meal plans, family recipes and menu routines and eliminate foods that add empty calories, including fast foods, high-calorie snack foods, such as cookies, ice cream and potato chips, pastries, fatty, sweet, fried, and processed and high-calorie foods. Replace high-calorie beverages, such as soda and whole milk with low-calorie alternatives, such as skim milk, ice water, and low or no-calorie drinks. Avoid butter, fat, heavy oils and creamy sauces. Instead of butter or cheese, use spices to flavor your vegetables.
Diversity and Balance
Create enticing, snack and meal plans that draw your child and family into healthful eating habits. When planning meals, strive to represent all the food groups including grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meats and beans. Create a visual party by making meals colorful. The different colors in fruits and vegetables mean that different vitamins, minerals and nutrients are in the food. One third of the dinner plate should be covered in vegetables--preferably a mix of vegetables with different colors. Include a serving of whole grain pasta, whole grain bread or brown rice, and a 3- to 4-oz. serving of low-fat meat or beans, along with non-fat milk or yogurt. Then add a mixture of fruit for dessert, and you have a virtual festival of flavors, colors and nutrients.
Make Snacking Healthy
Guide your children into healthy snacking by making healthy snacks available, such as fresh fruit, canned and frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt, raisins, fresh-cut vegetables, frozen fruit juice bars, fig bars and graham crackers.
Serving Sizes
Many people develop distorted conceptions of what a serving should look like. Start measuring food to retrain everyone's brain about how much food you should serve and eat. Consult sources such as MyPyramid.gov or FreeDieting.com (see Resources) to get guidelines on serving sizes based on age, sex and height. These same sources have example recipes and meal plans, based on specified daily calorie targets. Search these and other sites for inspiration and serving size guidelines for specific healthful snacks, recipes and meal plans.
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