Encouraging nutrition and avoiding overeating in kids and teens

From “no dieting”, comes the idea of no labeling “bad” foods. In a healthy, well-rounded diet, there is room for a cookie, a milkshake or a hamburger. There’s no reason to say a child should never have any. It is okay however, to say that a child should have only one cookie because too much sugar can give him a tummy ache.

Nutrition is complicated and children can benefit from specific explanations. Telling him that raspberries give him energy that will last longer than the sugary cereal and he’ll be able to play longer, might help him make a better choice. Labeling a food as “bad,” makes it taboo and we all know that when something is forbidden, even as adults, we want it more.

If your child’s diet is full of natural, good, healthy foods, there will not be a lot of room for “bad” foods anyway. Fruits, like mango, peaches and ripe apples are sweeter than most candies. These are good treats, and it’s pretty hard to find an overweight child who got that way from eating too much fruit.

Modeling healthy behavior

Mom and Dad can’t push their broccoli aside, eating only tater tots and pizza for dinner, and then expect their kid to eat salmon and rice. Your child watches what you do and looks to you for cues on how to live his life. Make sure you are setting a good example with nutrition.

The most important part of modeling is to never set a child apart from the family as different. He shouldn’t be served “special” food because you are trying to make a fresh start for his health or because he has a “weight problem.” Everyone should be learning to live healthfully together.

Set meal and snack times

Your child does not need to have a bowl of popcorn while he watches television or does his homework. He gets adequate nutrition if you plan his meal and snack times and keep them firmly set. Help teach him to recognize his body’s cues for hunger and other ways to alleviate boredom or other emotional triggers for eating.

Portion control and seconds

Portions are going to vary depending on your child’s age. But, even adults are usually guilty of taking a much larger serving than their body needs for adequate nutrition. Practice serving smaller portions at meal and snack times, limiting the portions of fats and sweets.

When you serve meals, put a reasonable-sized portion on your child’s plate. It’s okay for your child to ask for more food if he is still hungry. Your child may be overeating at meals because he eats too quickly. Encourage proper eating techniques: chewing slowly and resting between bites to allow his stomach to register the food. If he is asking for seconds after eating properly, he is probably still hungry.

Physical activity

Studies have linked obesity both to overeating and to lack of physical activity. Physical activity helps keep weight in check. It teaches your child to recognize and appreciate his own body and what fuel his body needs to be as active as he wants it to be. It also helps prevent overeating because active children don’t like to be weighed down with heavy stomachs. Any kid who’s thrown up a pizza on the soccer field can tell you that.

Encouraging choices

Ultimately, you should be encouraging your child to make his own healthy food choices. You don’t want to be standing over him every day hoping he chooses a banana over a Hershey bar. By filling your home with more bananas than Hershey bars and choosing the banana more often yourself, you will encourage him to make better choices. By preparing healthy meals and snacks on a daily basis, you are giving him the opportunities to make healthy decisions for himself.

Only a doctor can diagnose whether your child is overweight. This is especially true in a toddler who may be growing with his own individual growth pattern or structure and may be perfectly normal, although look a bit chunky. A doctor will calculate a BMI (body mass index) or may take caliper measurements to determine your child’s overall fat ratio and health. If steps are necessary, he will advise you.

Whether or not your child is overweight, these are healthful steps to keep your family on track to a healthy and normal weight. They will also keep your family’s attitude towards weight and nutrition positive and focused without becoming obsessive. Keeping healthful eating on your family’s plate is always a good idea.

References Preventing childhood obesity Nutrition for children