CHILDHOOD OBESITY:

EASY TIPS TO HELP ENCOURAGE
A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!

Childhood obesity is now officially out of control. 1 out of every 3-5 American children are now considered overweight! This alarming statistic has doubled in the past 20-30 years! It affects both children and adolescents, and all age, race, and gender groups!

Some common causes for childhood obesity include:

• genetics
• poor role models in the home
• fast food and convenience foods
• lack of activity
• too much TV, video games, computer time

Tips that encourage a healthy lifestyle:

• Make this a family project! Don't single out the child and draw attention to their weight. Don't deal with "diets." They tend to encourage the yo-yo effect of gaining and losing. Instead, to combat childhood obesity, teach and practice good nutrition! That's how lasting weight loss will be achieved!

• Learn to eat healthy as a family. This means becoming familiar with the food pyramid, the major food groups, and the recommended portions. Make a game out of teaching and reviewing this information in your home.

• Give each family member a food item and discuss how to read and understand the nutrition fact label.

• Use Easy Diet Labels to help your family make wise food choices on their own. Simply affix the labels to the products in your refrigerator and cupboards and help your children remove the guess work.

• Limit sugar or artificially-sweetened drinks as well as saturated fats!

• Have each family member keep a food log or weight loss journal. Use these to spark family discussions about wise food choices. Present a weekly reward to the family member that makes the best decisions! Competition can be healthy!

• Learn to recognize proper portion sizes. Discuss ways to compare recommended portions to common items. For example, a proper serving of peanut butter is the approximate size of a golf ball. Be aware of portion sizes in the home and even more importantly, when eating out.

• Save money and calories by sitting down weekly with the grocery ads and planning healthy meals for the week. Encourage your children to help you shop to spark their interest. They can use the nutrition fact labels to compare and select the healthiest product in the store. Sure it will take more time, and yes, I realize everyone is busy, but the rewards will be worth the extra time.

• Try to eat foods that are as close to "natural" as possible. Convenience foods, prepackaged foods, and ready-made foods tend to be packed with preservatives, sodium, and calories.

• Take a family walk after dinner each night. It will help your family bond and it will help in the digestion process. Have each family member keep an exercise log sheet and do a weekly comparison.

• Encourage activity by making "exercise" and "play" synonymous! Go swimming, biking, hiking, skating, etc. as a family. Rake leaves, wash the car, take the dog for a walk--any kind of movement is better than sitting in front of the television! Children over the age of 2 should have a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day!

• Remind your family often of the many health benefits that come from being active. Make a big deal when their numbers go down (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc.).

• Limit television, video games, and computer time. Did you know that kids with TVs in their rooms are more likely to be overweight?

• Keep motivation high by watching and discussing shows such as The Biggest Loser or reading and discussing various weight loss articles.

• And finally, be a good role model for your children. Take care of your own health because they learn more from watching you than from listening to you.
  

  Click here to determine your child's Body Mass Index!
  
  Click here to understand what your child's BMI means!
  
  
  
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