The percentage of overweight children and adolescents has more than doubled in the United States over the last 30 years. Television, Computer Games and easy access to movies is partly to blame for this sedentary lifestyle.
Many factors contribute to this trend. Fun foods like chips, soft drinks, and candy are readily available. Advertisers barrage us with visions of healthy, thin models and actors chowing down on fries, chips huge burgers, and pizzas constantly. It is doubtful that these models really eat any of this stuff. Most models closely watch what they eat and exercise daily. Serious athletes are careful to eat foods that build muscle, not empty calories like sugary sweets, sodas, and chips.
As parents it is our responsibility to educate our children on making healthy choices and to lead by example. Start by making healthy choices for yourself.
The harsh reality for overweight children and adults is that they are at risk for serious health problems, not to mention psychological stress, poor body image, and low self-esteem.
Read labels. Healthy foods can become a hazard when manufacturers add too much sugar or fat.
Buy some fruits and vegetables that can be easily snacked on. Most kids really like vegetables with ranch dressing or try some hummus with those veggies, you might be surprised when they gobble it up!
You can buy baby carrots, celery, and broccoli that are packaged for snacking. Keep fruit handy. Have some healthy snacks ready to serve. You don’t have to cut out “fun” foods entirely, but save them for special occasions.
Watch portion sizes. This may be the area that trips us up the most. A serving size of meat is the size of a deck of cards. A serving size of butter or margarine is the size of a dice. Picture a light bulb as a serving size of fruit or vegetable. One piece of bread makes one serving. Pasta? One half of a cup. When eating out, skip the megasize and supersize options.
Watch the amounts of soda, milkshakes, and even juices that you drink. Sipping on drinks with sugar all day stretches your stomach and gives you a hungry feeling. Drink water when you are thirsty. This is also important in keeping their teeth healthy.
Serve some milk every day. It fills you up and gives you energy. Skim milk and zero fat milk have the same amount of calcium and vitamins and minerals as whole milk and is way less fattening than a soft drink.
Play ball or Frisbee, dance, swim, or just walk around the block with your kids every day. Dust off the bikes and take a ride. Just a 20 minute brisk walk will work wonders. You will look better, feel better, and get a chance to really talk with your children.
When all else fails.. Send them outside and lock the door behind them. It’s what my Mom used to do!
