Here is a sure-fire list of diet dos and don’ts to help your family triumph over obesity:
1. Be a healthy?role model. The number one thing that parents can do is to be a good role model for their children, Parents so often unknowingly set their kids up for failure. If there are chips, cookies and Twinkies and no fruit or vegetables when your kids look for snacks, how can they succeed? Line your refrigerator and cabinets with fresh fruits, nuts, low-fat cheese, easy things for kids to snack on besides drunk food?
In a 2000 survey conducted by the CDC, close to 80% of adults reported eating fewer than the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily — not good role-model behavior.
2. Be positive. Don’t tell your child to lose weight?say, ‘Let’s be healthy and start taking care of our bodies? Focus on the foods you can eat, not the ones that you should limit eating. Say, ‘Let’s go pick out fruits and make a fruit salad,’ not ‘Don’t eat this or that.’ Instead of saying, ‘We have to exercise,’ say, ‘Lets go to the park.’ Use positive words and phrases when talking with your kid.
3. Make healthy eating a family affair. Create family meals together and for the entire family. Do not single out an overweight family member with special diet food. Your entire family can benefit form healthy eating regardless of weight. Read more…
Here is a list of the top 7 healthiest foods to feed your kid and why it’s so healthy:
1. Oatmeal: A fabulous breakfast food, full of B vitamins, iron, zinc and calcium. Old-fashioned oatmeal offers plenty of carbohydrate for quick energy and high fiber. Add berries and honey to make it a delicious perfect food for those fast-paced school day mornings!
2. Yogurt: Kick your child’s dairy consumption up a notch and include yogurt on the menu. A great source of calcium, yogurt is easier to digest than regular milk, and the cultures (check the label to make sure they’re in there!) are very beneficial to good colon health. Watch it on the sugar content though. A great idea is to buy plain yogurt and sweeten it yourself with fresh fruit!
3. Broccoli: it is one of the best vegetables for anyone, especially growing kids. It has loads of calcium, potassium, beta-carotene and a wide variety of the B vitamins. If your child is not a fan of plain vegetables include broccoli in a casserole or put a little shredded cheese on top to add flavor. Read more…
Try these 7 tips to foster optimism and resilience in your overweight child:
1) Believe in your Children. Assure your children that you are on their side and that you expect then to be the best person that they can be, although you don’t expect them to be the best at anything. No one is perfect.
2) Find other adults who believe in your children. Teachers, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends can help you make a positive difference for you overweight child. Other adults that can see beyond the weight and also believe in your child can help your child take control of their lives.
3) Encourage your children to stay interested in activities. Let them know that their interests are valuable and deserve to be developed, whatever it is.
4) Celebrate your children’s winning experiences and help them to accept defeats graciously. Let your child know that you appreciate their efforts and positive attitude win or lose. Positive attitude and effort is for more important than victory.
5) Encourage upbeat conversations about the future. Assume they are going to college and thinking about good careers. Let your child know that you believe they are capable. Read more…
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