Decades ago, parents were worried that their children would not be able to eat, but now obesity has become a child health problem that cannot be ignored. In big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, even about a quarter of preschool children face the problem of being overweight or obese.
Children are growing and developing. They are well nourished and cannot be hungry. Parents are worried. How can they help their children lose weight healthily and safely?
STEP 1 Abandon [Magic] Diet
If you want to help overweight children lose weight, first of all, please give up all the magic [lose a few pounds in a few days] diet methods on the market. Children’s growth and development need adequate nutrition. Dieting to lose weight may seriously affect their physical and mental health.
For younger children, what parents should do is to keep their children’s weight as much as possible, instead of losing weight. This can help overweight children grow to the right weight slowly.
2. The whole family come together!
The best way to educate children is to set an example. If you want your children to develop good eating habits and a healthy lifestyle, adults should do it first.
The whole family should participate in this healthy action of eating habits and lifestyle. Come on!
3. The whole family eats together
Many children (even adults) want to eat in front of the TV, and many parents may not be able to accompany their children to eat because of their busy work. However, please arrange as many opportunities as possible for the whole family to eat together.
Studies have shown that children who have been eating with their families are less likely to be overweight.
4. Eat more vegetables and fruits
Many children do not like vegetables and fruits, which is also one of the reasons why the obesity rate of children is increasing year by year. Children need to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, of which 3 servings are vegetables and 2 servings are fruits. The amount of 1 servings is about the size of children’s hands.
Try to put vegetables and fruits in a more conspicuous position, for example, put fried vegetables in the middle of the dining table when eating, and tell the child that this is a [main course]; Or cut the fruit into bite sizes to make it easier for children to eat.
Step 5 Drink less sweet drinks
Drink less of all sweet drinks, such as sodas, juice drinks, peanut and walnut milk. Don’t believe the advertisement that [peanut and walnut milk is nutritious and can nourish children’s brains], [brain nourishing] is not necessarily, but the sugar content is no less than cola.
If you have the habit of eating and drinking at home, in order to help your child lose weight and also for the healthy living habits of the whole family, get rid of this habit. You may not adapt to it at the beginning, but don’t worry, changes need to be taken slowly. You can gradually change the drink into plain boiled water, for example, four drinks a week to three cups, and then reduce to two cups.
6. Fresh juice cannot be drunk willfully.
Although freshly squeezed juice is more rich in vitamins and minerals than soda milk tea, it does not change its status as a [high-sugar beverage]. Moreover, since juice is hardly full compared with fruit, the calories we drink may scare you a lot.
Moreover, compared with fresh fruits, freshly squeezed juice will inevitably have certain nutritional losses (the original juicer is no exception).
Therefore, let children eat fruit directly. If you really love the taste of fruit juice, then limit it. Adults should not exceed a cup of about 250 mL per day and children should not exceed 150 mL per day.
7. Eat breakfast every day
If there is time, you can prepare a bowl of hot coarse cereals and bean porridge + a boiled egg for your child in the morning, which is full, nutritious and low in calories. Or, boiled cereal with milk is also a healthy breakfast choice.
In addition, you can also eat vegetables for breakfast. Boiled vegetables or yogurt mixed with vegetable salad are good.
If time is too late, you can prepare some breakfast for your child to take on the road, such as milk + whole wheat bread + apples.
Step 8 Watch less TV
Watching TV means less energy consumption and greater possibility of eating snacks.
Consciously let children watch less electronic screens, not only TV, but also computers and tablets. It is recommended to control the time of watching TV to less than one hour per day, not more than two hours at most.
Step 9 Exercise
In order to encourage the child to move, parents can ask the child to list some sports he likes and take part in more with the child.
It is best for children to exercise for more than one hour every day. This is not difficult, and the awake time is 14 hours. Children can do leg lifts while brushing their teeth, or do squats and jumps between cartoon advertisements.
10. Eat more at home
When eating out, it is difficult for you to estimate how many calories you eat. Moreover, in order to pursue taste, restaurant dishes are often heavy oil and salt, which is not conducive to children’s weight control.
If you cook at home, you can control the food the whole family eats. You can check the food labels and know fairly well the calories of the food. You can use healthier ingredients and control the amount of oil used to make the food at home delicious and healthy.
11. Ordering with skill
Of course, if you are not good at cooking or want to change your taste, it is not a big deal to eat out occasionally. The following ordering tips can help adults and children eat healthier:
- Pay attention to the matching of meat and vegetable, the ratio of meat and vegetable should be at least 1: 1 or even 1: 2; More steamed, stewed, boiled and cold dishes, less or no fried, stir-fried and braised dishes; Avoid soup that is too salty and greasy. The staple food is recommended to be thick and thin, such as sweet potato and corn. Try not to order high-calorie staple food such as fried steamed bread and onion cake.
If you have tried these methods very hard, but the child still has a tendency to get fat, it is recommended to go to the nutrition department or pediatrics department of a regular hospital in time for professional help.