You may have noticed that childhood obesity is on the rise. Doctors across the country are concerned about this issue, as are many parents. Childhood obesity causes a variety of serious health issues, including Type II Diabetes, asthma and many other conditions. It also causes many psychological issues as children who are obese tend to be discriminated against and bullied by not only other students, but also by some adults as well. No parent wants these things to happen to their child. More importantly, the obesity that occure to children may stay with them for whole their life and it actually increases the number of fat cells which results in hardship for losing weight.There are a few steps that any parent can take to help keep their children at a healthy weight and to prevent them from becoming obese.
Steps
Give Your Children the Tools They Need to Develop Good Eating Habits
By giving your children the tools they need to develop good eating habits at a young age, they will most likely carry these healthy habits with them into adulthood as well.
Teach your children to balance calories. Help your children eat foods that provide them with the nutrition they need while keeping within the recommended guidelines for an appropriate calorie count.
Help your children to see the value in eating healthy foods that include plenty of whole-grains and vegetables. When giving them any type of dairy product, it is important to make sure you use low fat dairy options.
Encourage them to drink plenty of water. To add variety and boost calcium intake, provide them with low-fat and non-fat milk to drink as well. It is very important to keep an eye on what your children drink, as sugary liquids, even those that appear healthy, can be a sneaky source of hidden calories that add up. Eliminating soda is a great start, but make sure to also limit the amount of juice they consume as well. Soda and juices are the two biggest culprits for liquid calories.
Make sure you serve your family reasonably sized portions. This will help them to not overeat. Mastering portion control at a young age will likely prevent your child from overindulging when he grows up as well.
Look for ways to make healthy modifications to your family’s favorite meals. Be creative with their favorite dish. If you make a few healthy substitutions and adjustments to these recipes, you can still offer that favorite dish without sacrificing flavor. There are plenty of good websites available that can help you select healthier recipe options
Refrain from keeping junk food in clear view around the house. Try to only keep healthy snacks in sight, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain crackers, yogurt, raisins and nuts.
Remember that it is okay to offer your children sweet treats such as cookies now and then. If you don’t keep them readily available to your children and only offer them occasionally, your children will quickly start to think of them only as a treat and not as a food that is okay to eat daily.
Make Sure to Help Your Child Stay Active
In the days of television, videos and computer games, it is important to encourage your children to stay active.
Reserve a time during the day for your children to get in their physical activity. Children should receive at least one hour of physical activity every day
Model this type of behavior for your children and lead by example. Don’t just tell them to get active, get active with them. If your children see you exercising, they will most likely follow suit. Exercising together can also be a great way to get in some quality family time together.
Some good examples of fun physical activity that you can do together as a family are taking an evening walk around the block or a local park, playing outdoor games like tag and hide and go seek, swimming or biking.
Reduce the amount of time your children spend just lounging around the house, sitting in front of the computer or watching television. It is okay to set aside a specific time to do homework or to read, but your children should not just sit in the house from the time they get home from school until the time they go to bed.
Help Your Children Manage Their Weight by Making Sure They Get Enough
Sleep
Just like adults, children need a good night’s sleep to help them to stay healthy.
Sleep may not seem like the most important factor in maintaining a healthy weight, but if a child does not get the amount of sleep that is needed, a hormonal imbalance can occur. If hormone levels are off, then hunger levels can increase.
Make Eating Healthy a Family Affair
Children learn by example, so by making healthy eating a family affair, your children will be more likely to stick to the plan that you lay out for them.
Eat dinner together as a family. This may seem like a strange way to help your children stay healthy, but a good dinner eaten together will help your children to develop good eating habits and will help them to not to overindulge and not eat more than they should.
Family dinners also will help you and your family stay connected. When you are eating together at the table, your children will not have the option to take their food into their room or to eat in front of the television. Eating in front of the TV or in isolation in their room can cause them to overeat because their food intake is not being monitored and they are preoccupied with other things, so they may not be paying attention to how much they are eating.
Set your own menu for family dinners. Do not let your children set the menu for you. Letting your children set the menu could leave you eating unhealthy food every day. If you are in charge of setting the menu fir the family, you can incorporate healthy foods into your children’s diet. When trying these healthy foods, the children may actually find out they like them or at the very least, develop a taste for them over time.
Resist the temptation to create a meal especially for a child who doesn’t want to eat what you have prepared. It can be difficult sometimes, but by not giving in and making him try the food that you have made for the whole family, he will eventually get used to the limits that you have set and he will be more likely to eat the food that has been prepared for him.
Tips
It is very important to lead by example. Do not ask your children to eat any foods or stick to any diet regime that you would not do yourself.
It is also very important to take your children’s opinion into account when making their diet plan. It is okay to make them try new and healthy foods, but you should also find a way to incorporate their favorite foods into their diet as well.
Stay away from too much trans-fat and excessive amount of sugar. At least 60 minutes of play of everyday. Not too much video games.