Preventing childhood obesity has four key components.  They are diet, exercise, behavior modification and parental influence.  It is important to start following these easy practices early.  Starting early will help instill healthy habits in your child, lessening their chance of becoming a statistic!  I will list specific recommendations in all four categories!

Diet: 
No sugary beverages!!  This is my #1 rule in weight management because these calories add up and do not fill you up!  You should always choose 100% fruit juice but should still limit intake to six ounces per day.  Avoid Fruit drinks since they are usually only 10% real fruit juice. Sodas are simply sugar, caffeine and calories.  Studies show that kids who drink greater than 16 ounces per day of sugar sweetened beverages are at an increased risk for obesity and poor bone density

Limit dining out to one time per week.  With our busy schedules, it is hard to limit the convenience of going out to dinner or running through the drive-thru.  Keep some healthy frozen dinners at home so you can try to avoid excessive dining out.

Make sure that meals and snacks served at daycare and/or school are healthy. You should also make sure that your child isn’t allowed double portions!

Encourage three meals and one snack per day. Snacks should be healthy items such as low fat cheese or yogurt, whole grain crackers with natural peanut butter, fresh fruit or fresh veggies.

Change to a high fiber diet.  Fiber is filling so portions will be decreased without having to worry about a meal plan!  A diet high in fiber would include fresh fruit and veggies, beans and whole grains. Look for more than three grams of fiber per serving on nutrition labels.

Exercise:

Limit TV or other sedentary time to less than two hours per day.  
An easy way to achieve this goal is to increase physical activity in daily routines. 

Exercise as a family.  This is good quality time spent together and much more fun for the child.  This also sets a good example for them!

Get your child involved in team sports/activities.

Behavior Modification:
Be a good role model!  This is of utmost importance!  Children will mimic what their parents do!  If they see you eating poorly and not exercising, then that is what they will most likely do.

 Only have healthy foods available at home.  You are the one doing the grocery shopping so if you refuse to buy unhealthy foods, then your child will only have healthy foods to choose from during meals and  snack times.

Offer structured meals/snacks.  Children thrive on routine.

NO clean plate club!  Allow children to decide how much to eat.

NO food as rewards/punishments!  Instead, reward your child by allowing them to choose a fun activity for the family to participate in together.

Working towards the goals outlined above will help ensure that your child is on a path towards a long and healthy life!  If you are concerned about your child’s weight and would like to find out if a nutrition consultation is right for your child, please contact Bailey at 404-543-3897 or check her website at  www.atlantapediatricnutrition.com.