Over the past 20 years, the number of obese youngsters in the U.S. has risen steadily. Child obesity has negative effects on the kids’ health both in the present as well as in the long run.
Children can be encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight by their parents, guardians, and instructors who can support them in their journey towards a healthier life that includes a healthy and sustainable dietary behavior that limits the amount of unhealthy food and snacks that offer no nutritional value.
Children should also be encouraged to engage in physical activity, limit television viewing or the time spent in front of their computer, and get enough rest.
However, without seeking advice from a medical professional, kids should never be forced on a weight-loss diet. But how can the kids’ parents or guardians help them maintain their weight?
This article has some advice on how you can make it easier for your kid to stay at the same weight as they are now, so keep on reading to find it all out!
Establish Healthy Eating Practices
Your influence over your children’s eating and drinking choices as a parent or other caregiver are significant.
Once you make it a habit to eat foods and drinks that are a good source of fiber, low in sodium, unhealthy fats, and processed sugars, your children may pick these things up as well.
Do not become irritated if a kid in your care does not enjoy a new meal straight away. It takes time to grow into liking broccoli when you are used to eating pizza.
Stay Physically Active To Motivate Your Kid Too
Your influence on your children’s physical activity as a parent or caregiver is equally significant.
No activity requires you to be a master. Get up, walk about, and prove to them how enjoyable staying active can be. They will come to appreciate it as well.
Rather than watching Netflix, playing video games, or searching the web, you may set a positive example by taking a walk or riding a bicycle. Find a joint activity that both of you will enjoy.
Discuss Health
Communicate to your kids how a certain diet or exercise may benefit them as you educate them on how to prioritize and boost their health the way you do it. Bring your kids along when you go on a stroll, for instance, and let them choose the path.
Talk about how going for a stroll together makes you feel healthier and happier to make them realize what an enjoyable activity it is for them too.
Use Your Kids’ Food And Drink Preferences As Educational Opportunities
When you notice poor choices, let them know what they are doing wrong nicely. Offer healthier alternatives to kids or tell them, “You may have a bit of that, but not too much.”
Tell them why it’s not a good idea to choose a food that’s too salty or sweet. Don’t make them feel bad about their meal or drink selections.
You can also encourage your kids when they select a fruit or other healthy option. Tell the things like:
“Wise choice!”
“With that bite, you’re providing your body with all the right nutrients!”
Use positive statements like the following when engaging in physical exercise to keep your kid engaged:
“You are so quick, well done!”
“Let’s walk for another 15 minutes to refresh ourselves.”
Monitor Your Kid’s Sleeping Patterns And Sleeping Quality
The cognitive, psychological, and bodily health of your kid can all be enhanced by adequate rest. Obesity is only one of the health problems that can result from not sleeping enough.
Have Faith That Change Is Possible
Recognize that improving your health starts with eating well and getting more exercise. Together with your kid, establish wholesome behaviors.
Promote Wellness In Their Everyday Life
Apart from your kid’s adult relatives, there are other grownups in his/her life that may influence his/her lifestyle. Have a chat with them to see how you can work together to create healthy habits for your kid.
For example, a lot of parents hire nannies or ask a friend to look after their kids when they are at work. Ask them if they provide nutritious food, snacks, and beverages.
Confirm with the caregivers that they are reducing the kid’s sedentary time that is spent watching TV, playing video games, or using other gadgets and that the kids are spending most of their time playing and staying active.
There are many different ways you may encourage healthy behaviors if your child is enrolled in school.
First and foremost, you can learn more about the faculty’s meal offerings and decide whether you should pack some healthy snacks from home too.
Then, you can also ask about the physical education curriculum offered at school and see if there are any other classes or workshops where the kid can stay more active throughout the day.
Think About All The Other Influences Around Your Kid
Your kid’s peers and the media may influence healthy decisions, in pretty much the same way they affect your opinion and choices.
In fact, given the kid’s undeveloped critical thinking, especially at younger ages, being influenced by a TV commercial, for example, is very easy.
Children are targeted by some TV, web, and other typed of advertisements to consume high-fat meals and sugary beverages. You may aid your kids in understanding these influences.
When you watch television together or browse the internet, or go to the cinema with your kids, have a conversation with them about choices.
Discuss how media sources and influencers use well-known sports, kid superstars, comic and movie characters, and made-up imagery to market things or promote ideologies.
Start conversations about your principles by using Tv programs and advertisements as food for thought. These discussions might assist your kid in making wise decisions whenever they are away from home.
How Can I Encourage My Kid To Eat Better?
The short answer is that you should cut back on the sugar, salt, and fat your kid consumes by cooking or baking food with a low amount of these components.
Here are some suggestions to assist you and your kid is maintaining a balanced diet:
Use fewer solid fats when cooking. Rather than using butter or margarine, use olive oil or canola oil. Rather than cooking fried food, use baking or roasting as your preferred method of cooking. If you use little to no oil when “oven-frying,” you can get a crispy texture that will make your food taste fried!
Reduce the use of salt in meal preparation and serving. When sitting down to eat, don’t leave the salt on the table.
Rather than storing salty snacks like crisps or crackers in the cupboard, cup up some fresh fruits and veggies to snack on whenever your kid wants a treat.
Encourage your kid to consume less sugary foods. Pick bran flakes with little or no sugar added.
Include fruits and veggies with every meal.
Learn about what serving sizes are suitable for different ages so as not to overfeed your child.
Do not make them feel bad about themselves, but rather try to implement the tips we shared with you above to help them maintain their weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle that can change their life!
Hi, my name is Jim Yi and I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist / Respiratory Care Practitioner.
I have been earning experience within these fields for over a decade, learning all there is to know about cardio-pulmonary medicine and how to care properly for the body. Alongside my studies, I also trained to become a Fitness and Weight Management Expert.
I have created ShapeDown.com to teach anyone who is willing to listen how to take care of their body. This can be through exercise, nutrition, lifestyle changes, or supplements. We’ll look through it all here.
You can strengthen your body, enrich it, improve your energy levels, and boost your immune system by making some simple lifestyle changes. If you want to make a change and start honoring your body instead of weakening it, let’s start right now. I promise you won’t regret it!
