There is an epidemic of overweight kids - and you don't have to read the newspaper or
watch the news to find that out. Just take a look at kids at the mall or in the schoolyard. You can also see a
shortage of kids outside playing, biking or running. What can parents do to make sure their kids are not part
of the statistics? Here are some answers from Bridget Swinney, author of "Healthy Food for Healthy Kids"
(Meadowbrook Press).
Exercise together as a family. This shows your kids that you think exercise is important enough to make it a
family activity. That doesn't mean you should necessarily head to the gym together! Fun family activities
that you can also work up a sweat with include biking, hiking, skiing, kayaking, tennis, basketball, and
skating. If your family hasn't done a lot of physical activity before, take it on as a family adventure.
Research easy hiking trails, or simply take a half-hour walk in the neighborhood.
Take a look at your family's eating and snacking habits. The meals your family eats may be perfectly
balanced. But what do your kids eat between meals? If foods with concentrated fat and sugar also fill your
pantry, it may be time for "snack makeover":
Avoid buying soft drinks, juice drinks and flavored teas. It's
often what we drink, not eat, that pack on the calories extra pounds. Encourage your family to drink water,
tomato juice, milk or fresh tea (with a teaspoon of sugar if necessary) instead. Even 100% fruit juice should
be limited since it has roughly the same number of calories as a soda.
Keep a lot of fresh fruit in the house
at all times - and keep it on the counter where it will be seen and hopefully eaten. Ditto for raw baby carrots
and celery. If a parent is home when kids come home from school, have fresh fruits and vegetables ready to
eat - apples sliced, oranges peeled, etc.
Kids love the crunch of chips, but there are many healthy
alternatives. Pretzels, cereal, snack mixes, and baked potato or corn chips can all be a great substitute, but
without all the fat. Remember that salsa is actually a way for your kids to eat their vegetables!
Limit your kids' "screen time". Research shows that the time spent watching TV and on the computer is
directly related to being overweight (as well as to other negative behaviors). In fact, kids who watch TV
with meals have diets that may include fewer fruits and vegetables and more pizzas, snack foods, and
sodas. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to one or two hours a day.
Give your kids "active" chores every day, such as walking the dog, running an errand on their bike, raking
leaves, sweeping the porch, etc. Encourage active games with children in the neighborhood such as
basketball, tag, red light/green light. Children often need direction in their free time. Left to their own
devices, they will almost always gravitate toward the TV.
Motivate your kids to eat healthy by teaching them about nutrition. Using the food pyramid as a guide,
even a young child can count the number of foods he has eaten from each group. For older kids, the
motivation for eating right can be having more energy for a sport, for doing better on tests, or for being able
to fit in outgrown clothes. You can teach older children to begin looking at commercials for sugary foods
on Saturday morning cartoons with a wary eye.
Get the whole family involved in meal planning and preparation. Kids who help cook are more likely to
eat! Preschool children can make choices about what's for dinner. For example, ask "Should we have
carrots or broccoli for dinner?" School-aged children can help plan a balanced meal from looking at the
food pyramid. Have children make a balanced meal out of their favorite entrée. For example, how can
macaroni and cheese be part of a balanced, healthy meal? Third graders and up can prepare most of the
meal with a little help. An adult should always supervise children in the kitchen.
Eat more green. As kids are bulging in weight, they are also showing early signs of heart disease, such as
high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Including more vegetarian foods in your family's diet can
decrease saturated fat and also include a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that can help prevent
cancer and heart disease. Some ideas for meatless meals that are kid friendly include:
Bean burritos or
tostadas with low fat cheese. Even nachos made with baked chips can be the main dish - just don't tell your
kids they are healthy!
Vegetarian lasagna. Instead of meat, use eggplant, other vegetables, tofu or soy
crumbles.
Veggie burgers. Forget the drive-thru when you need a quick meal. Many frozen vegetarian
burgers can be popped in the toaster or microwave.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce and soy crumbles. Soy
crumbles can be purchased frozen and TVP (a dehydrated soy product) can be bought at a health food store.
They are both great substitutes for ground beef.
Here is a guide preparing healthy meals your kids will love to eat. It tells you how to teach your children healthy eating habits and shares hints and recipes tfor happy mealtimes.
Breastfeeding when going back to work;
Shopping smart and setting up a healthy, kid-friendly kitchen;
Developing healthy eating habits now that can prevent heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis later;
Managing food safety, food allergies, and vegetarian eating;
Dealing with food jags and food battles;
Sneaking veggies into your kids' meals in a way they'll love.
It also provides over 100 kid-tested recipes that include complete nutrition analyses.
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