Helping your Obese Child
Aug 11, 2008 No Comments »
Healthy eating habits and proper exercises are as important for a child as for adults. Children may face greater health problems into their adult years as a result of their excess eating and less exercising. As a parent, you should endeavor to take an active role to help your child and the family as whole in inculcating healthy eating habits and physical activity that stays with them throughout their existence.
It is often difficult to realize if your child is overweight, as kids grow differently at different stages and times. If you get a feeling that your child is putting on excess weight, consult your health care provider to confirm if your child’s height and weight fall under healthy range.
Be Supportive. Children often base their feelings on their parent’s feelings about them. If they are assured of their parental love, they will not develop any inferiority complex. Accept your child at any weight and listen to their concerns about weight and provide them supportive guidance.
Promote healthy eating habits. Bombard your child with healthy fruits and vegetables. Make them choose from fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables to involve them in right eating habits.
Substitute high-calorie snack with healthy snack. Restrict your purchase of soft drinks, chips, cookies, or candies. However occasional indulgence in such things is acceptable but should not be frequented.
Encourage your child to drink low-fat milk and water more often. Low-fat milk and milk products nurtures a child’s development in a significant way. Fruit juice is healthy enough but contains high calories.
Prepare healthy meals and make it a point to eat together as a family. This allows kids to enjoy a variety of food items.
Promote everyday physical activity. Children need equal amount of exercise as elders. Help your child involve in some daily exercises.
Lead by example. Make your child observe you performing physical activities and enjoying the same. This will encourage your child to follow suit.
Make your child join some sports. Making your child involved with one sport or the other will ensure sufficient physical activity.
Be empathetic towards your child. Understand your child’s needs and accordingly choose a sport so that he/she is not embarrassed in any way and enjoy the sport.
Perform chores together as a family. Assign tasks for each members of the family where the child also has an active role to play. This will give a sense of belongingness to the child while exercise the body.
Last but not the least – discourage your child’s inactive pastimes such as watching TV. Instead get them to some reading or any creative play that kids find interesting. Further, be a good role model. Children often imitate their parents. So choose healthy foods and active pastimes and your children will copy cat you soon.
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