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 Healthy Lifestyle tool kit 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 for maintaining good health we need to 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 Healthy Lifestyle Toolkit for ideas to activate your lifestyle!

·       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 3/4 of your plate with fruits, vegetables, grains and beans leaving 1/4 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.  Rather than using food for good behavior try hugs, giving your undivided 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!