If your child is overweight, there are many ways to prevent further weight gain and help your child regain a healthy body weight and body image at the same time. Even if your child is in a healthy weight range, it is important to give children healthful, low-fat snacks and make sure that they take part in physical activity every day.
Many experts recommend that television, including video games and computer time, should be limited to seven hours per week. Older children should be taught to make healthier choices when selecting snacks and meals. It is important for children to avoid snacking or eating meals while watching television.
Parents set the standard for their children. Here are some suggestions for keeping your home child-health friendly.
Plentiful Pantry: Keep your kitchen stocked with delicious and nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products. By eliminating junk food from your kitchen, hungry children will automatically make the right choices at home.
More Mealtimes: Have meals as a family. Don’t place your child on a restrictive diet – just make sure that all the choices in the home are healthy for them. Food should never be used as a reward or a punishment. Make sure that weigh-loss meals are low in calories but not in essential nutrients. Any weight loss management program should be supervised by a physician.
Sweet Treats: Sweets are just that – a treat. By giving up sweets entirely you could alienate your child. Make sure that kids understand that sweets are something special, not to be eating every day. One suggestion is to go out for them as a special event and not keep them at home. For example, going out for ice cream, rather than keeping it in the freezer, teaches kids that it is something special. This can also be great family bonding time!
Fore go Fast Food: Studies show that overweight teens consume about 400 more calories a day when they eat fast food. Help you child appreciate the delicious taste of fresh, healthy food.
TV Turn Off: Make the home and family a time for activity, not sedentary TV-watching. Having a TV in the bedroom may encourage kids to spend more time in a solitary, sedentary environment.
If your child is already overweight, it is important that they know they are loved and appreciated, no matter what their weight may be. An overweight child will likely know better than anyone else that they have a weight problem and don’t need reminders of it at home. Encouragement and proper modeling from their parents is the best attitude to take.
Focus on your child’s health and positive qualities, not their weight. Try not to make them feel different – focus on gradually changing your family’s physical activity and eating habits and be a good role model for your child. If they see you consuming healthy foods and engaging in proper physical activity, they are more likely to do so themselves. If you are an active parent, subtly get them involved in your activities and you may find their healthy and body image improving along with your relationship growing.
The U.S. Surgeon General also reminds us that an appropriate goal for many overweight children is to maintain their current weight while growing normally in height. They also recommend 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children most days of the week, but even greater amounts may be necessary for sustaining weight loss. Make sure that these vigorous activities are fun for your child.
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