For Children: Never Say Diet!
Childhood obesity is on the rise, and we're all concerned about what we're feeding our children. We want to make sure that our children are well fed, for normal growth and development, but how do we know what's too much?
Should we set limits on our children's eating? What if they're eating too much? Should we say something? When is too young to put a child on a diet?
Watch the segment from TODAY
First, you should never tell your child they're overweight and you're putting them on a diet to lose weight. That's the kind of comment, even delivered in a caring way, that plagues a child for life, and affects their self-esteem and body image for life.
What you DO want to focus on is healthy eating for the whole family, so it is a "team" effort. Everyone needs to focus on healthier eating, more physical activity, and management of boredom and stress eating (yes, this happens to kids, too).
Here are my top tips for healthy eating and healthy living for families. Plus, if there is a weight issue in a child you can see a much more rapid improvement, since they're in active growth for many years.
1. Give repeated exposure to healthy foods. You need to try foods more than once, and vary the form (cooked versus raw).
2. Modify high-fat favorites. Choose a thin crust pizza, light on the cheese (or make you own with a low-fat version). Skip the fatty meats and top with onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
3. Provide appropriate portions. Use smaller plates, and down-size serving size. Your child will ask for more, if he or she wants something more. Include fruits or veggies as a side dish for every meal.
4. Keep healthy snacks in plain sight. With a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table, or small bags of dried fruit on the counter, your kids will eat what is available.
5. Allow sweet treats, but include sparingly. Moderate consumption of treats is a good way to avoid deprivation.
6. Encourage physical activity. This is item #6, but equally as important as all of the above tips. Both you and your kids have to move more. Increasing activity of daily living is key. Take a walk, play outside, hide the remote. Finding ways to increase your (and your chidren's) physical activity is key to a healthy lifestyle. New recommendations for children are about 60 minutes of activity a day.
I'd love to know your thoughts on this important and sensitive area!
Should we set limits on our children's eating? What if they're eating too much? Should we say something? When is too young to put a child on a diet?
What you DO want to focus on is healthy eating for the whole family, so it is a "team" effort. Everyone needs to focus on healthier eating, more physical activity, and management of boredom and stress eating (yes, this happens to kids, too).
Here are my top tips for healthy eating and healthy living for families. Plus, if there is a weight issue in a child you can see a much more rapid improvement, since they're in active growth for many years.
1. Give repeated exposure to healthy foods. You need to try foods more than once, and vary the form (cooked versus raw).
2. Modify high-fat favorites. Choose a thin crust pizza, light on the cheese (or make you own with a low-fat version). Skip the fatty meats and top with onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
3. Provide appropriate portions. Use smaller plates, and down-size serving size. Your child will ask for more, if he or she wants something more. Include fruits or veggies as a side dish for every meal.
4. Keep healthy snacks in plain sight. With a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table, or small bags of dried fruit on the counter, your kids will eat what is available.
5. Allow sweet treats, but include sparingly. Moderate consumption of treats is a good way to avoid deprivation.
6. Encourage physical activity. This is item #6, but equally as important as all of the above tips. Both you and your kids have to move more. Increasing activity of daily living is key. Take a walk, play outside, hide the remote. Finding ways to increase your (and your chidren's) physical activity is key to a healthy lifestyle. New recommendations for children are about 60 minutes of activity a day.
I'd love to know your thoughts on this important and sensitive area!
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I love the recommendations. I'd also add that preventing the sweet tooth by not giving kids sugary drinks, etc. when they are young is helpful as well. One of the reasons First Juice created their products was to help prevent this addiction and sugar cravings that children have. The juice is certified organic and has half the sugar, and more nutrients, than other juices. More info is on http://www.firstjuice.com if you'd like to learn more.
Hi! I'm doing a thesis on childhood obesity, I'm actually a student from the Philippines, and I'm taking up on the topic that childhood obesity is not only prevalent in western countries but also in Asian countries such as ours. In my campaign, I'm focusing on the FUN, FOOD and FITNESS part for both kids and parents :D