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What can parents do ?
Many
parents today are concerned about childhood overweight & don’t want their
children to become a statistic in the obesity epidemic. Since weight issues are
a sensitive subject, parents need to be careful how they approach the matter
with their kids. Any weight management program for all but the most severely
overweight children needs to focus on healthy eating & an active lifestyle
rather than weight loss. The Coulee Region Childhood Obesity Coalition has these
tips to help you encourage healthy eating habits & an active lifestyle with your
children.
Be a good role model
It may sound simplistic but research shows it is the most promising way for
parents to encourage healthy eating habits & an active lifestyle in their kids.
Children imitate their parents. If mom & dad eat lots of sweets and chips and
drink several bottles of pop each day, the kids will follow their example.
Check out the “Fit Kid Role Model” survey in our Winter 2004 newsletter
to see how you fare as a role model for your kids.
Be active together
Limit screen time to less than 2 hours each day and do things together as a
family. Research suggests to maintain good health that we be active for a total
of 60 minutes each day. You don’t however need to go for an hour walk or ride
your bike for an hour straight—this can be broken up into smaller pieces. For
instance, kids could walk for 15 minutes to school and back home (total 30
minutes) then go for a 30 minute bike ride after dinner with the family. Need
ideas for how to get your kids moving? Check out the Ideas to Get Your Kids
Moving part of our web site!
Eat together as a family
Children eat an average of 1 in 4 meals each day away from home. Restaurant
meals are often larger and higher in fat than those prepared at home. So try to
sit down to meals together, with the TV off, as often as you can. Not only will
your kids eat a better balance of healthy foods in portion sizes that are more
appropriate for them, but it will allow you to stay connected to one another by
giving you time to share your day & your thoughts. Remember to keep the TV off
during meals—when you watch TV you aren’t talking to one another & you tend to
eat more because you don’t pay attention to what you’re doing or how full you
are!
Stock your kitchen with healthy choices
Snacking on candy, ice cream, cookies and salty snack foods can quickly add
pounds to both your waistline and your child’s. Since experts suggest that we
emphasize plant based foods in our diets Coalition members encourage families to
stock their pantries with whole grains, fruits and vegetables so healthy snacks
are readily available and its easy to quickly put together healthy meals &
snacks. At meal time, cover 2/3 of your plate with fruits, vegetables, grains
and beans leaving 1/3 for meat/fish or chicken. In addition, stock your
refrigerator with water, juice and fat free milk rather than pop.
Avoid using food as either a reward or a punishment
Rewarding kids with food teaches them that there are “good” foods & “bad”
foods. The foods often used as a reward—candy, cookies and salty snack foods
are looked on as “good” as they are their reward for good behavior. Avoid using
food as a reward and instead reward good behavior with hugs, attention or the
opportunity to do something fun that they have wanted to do.
Involve kids in both meal planning & activity planning
Kids eat better and are more willing to try new activities if they are
involved in the planning. Depending on their age let your kids help shop for
food as well as prepare meals. Let them decide one fruit they want to try this
week or let them cut up vegetables for the salad or toss the salad to combine
ingredients. As for encouraging an active lifestyle, try to set aside time each
week to be active as a family—then let each family member have a chance at
choosing what the family will do together.
Set goals & track your progress
Setting goals increases our commitment to do something. So—set eating and
activity goals as a family and or as individuals. Maybe the family’s goal is to
eat together once each day or 3 times each week and your individual goal may be
to eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal. Once you set your goals—track your
progress so you can celebrate your successes!
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