How to Keep Children at a Healthy Weight

Childhood obesity is on the rise in the U.S. There are ways to keep this trend from affecting your children. Obesity is not only unhealthy, it can lead to diabetes, heart and kidney problems. Help keep your children at a healthy weight and start them on the road to a healthy life free from obesity.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Use time. Give your child a 20 minute rule. Once they have had smaller portions of a meal, tell them to leave the table and wait 20 minutes before returning for seconds. The child will tend to find something else to occupy their attention by the time their 20 minutes is up. This rule, when followed by the entire family, can help to keep children at a healthy weight.
2. Limit fast food to once per week. When you do go out to eat with the family, ensure that there are healthy choices full of veggies and grains. Portions tend to be larger at restaurants and local eateries. A portion of meat is the size of your fist, and the same goes for pasta. Control portions and it will help keep children at a healthy weight.
3. Take the entire family out to ride bikes or hike on the weekends. Make sure your family has adequate activity, keeping the heart rate up for 20-35 minutes every day, and it will help to burn the calories they consume. The proper balance of lowering calories and burning calories will help to keep children at a healthy weight by building muscle and revving up energy.
4. Keep an eye on the amount of television viewing your child takes part in per day. Limit the lethargic activity to no more than 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, and discourage snacking while watching television. Studies have shown that people tend to overeat calories when mindlessly snacking in front of the tube.
5. Kick soda out of their diet. Sodas are being consumed by children today in astronomical amounts. These sodas are empty calories, and 3 to 4 sodas per day will add up to over 1,000 calories. If you have to buy them, buy diet sodas, but encourage water to help keep children at a healthy weight.
6. Communicate. Parents are told day after day to talk to their kids about sex and drugs. Talk to your child about food as well. Though it is needed to survive, food can become a different kind of addiction, which can lead to eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Tell your children about good foods and bad foods. Give then the tools necessary to lead a healthy life with a healthy relationship with food.