With the growing incidence of childhood obesity, many kids are at risk for being overweight or are overweight. Here are some healthy tips to combat excess weight gain in kids:
- Eat as many family meals per week as possible, sitting down, with television off.
- Limit fruit juice to no more than 6 ounces a day. Ideally choose water, milk, or 100% juice over artificially sweetened beverages. Avoiding liquid calories is a good choice for an overweight child; although low-fat milk can still be included as a good lean source of protein and calcium.
- Be a good role model by not bringing too much junk into the house and choosing healthy foods for you as well.
- Talk positively about food and achieve balance, for example, “choosing the fruit salad over the cookies today will help you have more energy so you’ll feel good at dance class and can study for your test.”
- Limit TV and video games to no more than 2 hours a day. Don’t put a TV in a child’s room; research has clearly demonstrated that it’s correlated with obesity later in life. When choosing video games, consider dance revolution or games that involve movement. Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity a day for healthy growth, muscle and even brain development! And did you know exercise helps with improving your memory?
- A serving of fruit can be included at each meal time to help curb sweet cravings and fuel up with a good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Fruit consumption is also associated with better overall health.
- Discover 5 Simple Steps to Combat Childhood Obesity
