Preventing Childhood Obesity

The World Health Organization reports a 400% increase in childhood obesity since 1982, meaning that 1 of every 3 kids is considered overweight. That accounts for 9 million obese children in the United States alone.

Maintaining a healthy weight for your child will help not only to prevent diseases such as type II diabetes (1 in 4 kids are already showing signs of it) and asthma, but also help them improve their overall lifestyle.

Fortunately, there are many ways of promoting healthy habits.

Exercise

1) Make physical activity a routine. Pick an activity that the whole family enjoys, such as riding bikes or playing tennis and be sure to incorporate it at least twice a week.
2) Walk to pick up your child from school, or if distance is an issue, walk around the track with them before going home.
3) Encourage them to be part of school or team sports.
4) Try to avoid allowing your child to play video games or watch TV for more than an hour a day. Encourage physical games such as tag or hide and go seek instead to keep them active.

Nutrition

1) Cook your meals together. Not only will you be teaching your child how to prepare healthful meals, but you’ll also be spending quality time with them.
2) Avoid serving portions that are too large.
3) Eat meals together around the same time every day.
4) Don’t use food as a reward or a lack of food as punishment.
5) Keep healthy snacks around the house such as fruits, vegetables and raw nuts rather than crackers and cookies.
6) Avoid watching TV or reading during meal times.
7) Limit fast food to no more than once every two weeks.
8) Make sure to implement the same health diet to the entire family, not just one child.