Childhood obesity can be curtailed by limiting how much junk food children eat and by increasing their activity levels, says a US Wake Forest University School of Medicine nutritionist and registered dietician.
Advertisement
If your children eat a bit of junk food one or two times a week, there's no need to worry. But if it's a regular habit, then you need to start slowly changing that habit as soon as possible, Mara Vitolins says in a news release.
Give healthier food
She suggests a number of steps that parents can take to help their children eat healthier foods. Don't buy junk food, even for yourself. Parents need to set the standard of healthy eating in the home, Vitolins says.
Make sure you have fruit and vegetables cut and ready to eat as snacks. Children won't take the time to wash and cut fruit and vegetables.
Let your children select a healthy food to try. Many times children won't even try healthy foods because they weren't involved in selecting the food, Vitolins says.
Get them moving
Improving diet isn't the only way change necessary in fighting childhood obesity. Children also need to get more active. Vitolins offers these suggestions for parents:
Reward good behaviour with trips to the park, rather than with snacks.
Engage your entire family in regular physical activity.
Set limits on the amount of television your family watches. If the television is turned off, it's more likely your children will go outside and play.
Limit the amount of times your children spend playing computer games or surfing the Internet.
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?