It is no secret that childhood obesity is a huge problem in the US and it is a tricky thing to tackle because helping a child lose weight is different than helping an adult lose weight. Something that this country needs to become better at is to help parents, grandparents, teachers and any other influential adults to become better informed about what childhood obesity really is and how they can help their children be as healthy as possible.
Health should be the biggest influence when it comes to helping a child lose weight. It is important that children do not think of themselves as fat because this will lower their self-esteem at a time when it is critical to raise their self-esteem. Therefore, adults should refer to their weight loss as getting healthier and help them to make better food choices.
The first thing for the parents to do is get the junk food out of the house, if the junk is there than it will be eaten. Stock the refrigerator with healthy snacks, such as fresh fruits, carrot sticks, low fat string cheese, trail mix and baked chips. The other important thing for kids to learn is about portion control. If they are going to have some whole wheat crackers or baked chips for a snack, then make sure that you put some in a small bowl instead of just letting them eat from the bag. Switch their milk from whole or 2% to 1% and skim and make sure that they are drinking a glass each day. It is extremely important for young females to stock up on calcium and vitamin D early in life so that their bones grow nice and strong. Finally, get the white bread out of the house and out of your vocabulary. Never, ever buy white bread, even if it claims to be whole grain. Bread should be brownish and hearty with a lot of yummy grains.
Secondly, limit children’s screen time each day and make sure that they are getting at least an hour of playtime every day. This can include going to the park, playing a sport, or playing an active video game.
If you follow these few guidelines your children will become healthier and ultimately grow into their weight. For more information check out this link to Michelle Obama's Lets Move campaign.
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