Defeat Child Obesity With Healthy Lunch Ideas

The percentage of overweight kids has grown from a problem to an epidemic today. The America Academy of Pediatrics has given various reasons for this increase in the number of overweight children. One issue is the fact that parents have less time than previously and find it easier to provide kids with convenience and fast foods.

Kids encouraged to eat junk food would rather have potato chips, French fries or deep fried meat than a healthy alternative. This is often not helped by the poor state of school lunches. They contain processed and convenience foods with chemicals and additives, similar to fast food restaurants.

A worse scenario is major soft drink companies promoting their unhealthy beverages all over America. Schools readily allow them access to children because they provide funding for their athletic and recreational programs. Today more franchise fast food and zero nutrition soft drinks are available to kids in school than ever before. This is 100% damaging the health of our children.

The ADA has acknowledged the fact that kids are not consuming enough of the vegetables and fruits that prevent heart diseases and help kids have a healthy weight. Parents should be concerned about what their kids are consuming at school and should encourage them to make their own healthy lunches and snacks.

The number one thing parents should do is contact school boards and inform them of this issue. Children who don't participate in sports usually consume more and eating from the unhealthy school cafeteria menus is seriously injurious to their growth. School lunch menus should carry fresh produce and baked meat and potatoes rather fried.

Second, Parents should educate children about the benefits of vegetables, fruits, dairy products and whole wheat foods. You should try to push these nutrients in small proportions since children will avoid large servings at first. The more parents get involved the better the situation gets for the children.

Involving children in choosing, preparing and packing their lunch is essential to developing good healthy eating habits. Let the kids choose their favorite vegetables, dairy products and fruits and learn what they like most and what they don't.

Usually, overweight children enjoy lots of sweets and fattening fast foods. The difficult task is to eliminate this eating pattern and stop them eating unhealthy food permanently. Prepare healthy snacks for them to consume all day, keep them easily accessible and make sure sweets are consumed as a treat not a meal. Snacks with fruits, cream cheese, vegetables with hummus dip, whole wheat cereals and bread are excellent choices for children who are plagued with obesity.

Unhealthy eating patterns continue from generation to generation, so by developing healthy lunch ideas you are actually helping the health of your grand-children and great grand-children!

Jay Holt is a graduate from the University of Florida's nutrition college. Jay is a health and fitness advocate and has combined his literary aspirations with his love of nutrition. His ability to see the world through a child's eyes is unequaled. His book "The Adventures of Tommy the Tomato" is highly recommended by parents and educators everywhere (and kid-approved). Get more healthy lunch ideas and find out how you can teach your kids about nutrition and avoid childhood obesity.

Original article

Set These House Rules to Ensure Healthy Habits

Do you feel like your family's eating habits are unhealthy and out-of-control? Do you worry that you are allowing these bad habits to become a part of your children's lives and that they'll grow up accustomed to eating in a way that can lead to weight gain and medical complications? Many parents think about these things but don't know what to do about it. To many it seems like a problem too large to tackle, especially if the kids are already school-aged. The solution really is as simple as setting a few rules. I'm guessing you have rules set for other things at your house--clean your room, take out the trash, feed the dog, etc. Eating is no different. You must set rules and stick with them.

Rule #1 - Have set times for eating. Continuous grazing throughout the day is not a healthy pattern. It's hard to keep up with the amount you are eating if you eat "whenever you feel like it." You become accustomed to eating all the time at random, and this is a definite set-up for weight gain. You must be intentional when it comes to eating. Eat meals and snacks at regular times each day. Make sure you and your family get nutritious foods to eat each time so that it keeps you full until the next eating time. Let your children know that they are not allowed to go to the pantry or refrigerator except at snack times. And even then the parent should monitor what they children get.

Rule #2 - Prepare one meal for the family. Parents should not be short-order cooks and prepare multiple dishes for each family member. Prepare one family-friendly meal and insist that everyone partake. Every meal may not be everyone's favorite, but if you rotate the favorites they all get what they love often. It is also important that they eat a good variety in their diet, so they shouldn't have the same few dishes at every meal. The goal is also for them to enjoy the meal, so make sure everyone has at least one thing on their plate they really like.

Rule #3 - Try new things. Try to add a new vegetable, fruit or whole-grain item to each meal. The only way people (kids and adults alike) will improve their palate is to try new things. Don't expect to like them all the first few times. It may take many times before the new taste is likable, but don't give up. Over time you will find that your taste buds will adjust, and you'll begin to like new things. One thing is for sure. It is pretty much a guarantee that if you never try it you'll never like it. As you set these rules, don't forget to be a role model. You can't expect your children to do things that you don't do yourself. As they watch you they will be much more likely to follow. Think of the benefits it will bring for you all--easy weight control, more energy, confidence and self-esteem, all essential ingredients for a healthier, happier family. Keep in mind that after a while the rules aren't difficult to keep in place because they've become habits. A habit, by definition, is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. And that's the goal!

Amy McArthur, RD is a Nutrition & Wellness Coach for Busy Families. Her 8-step system leads to easy weight management, more energy & vitality, enhanced self-esteem, & happy family meals. For a FREE "Healthy Meals, Healthy Families" Jumpstart Kit visit http://www.amymcarthurnutrition.com/

Original article

What Are The Causes And Cures For Kids Poor Fitness And Excess Weight?

More than one-third of all kids age nineteen or younger, are overweight, or obese. And the numbers are growing. Why?

Kids in the United States are unfit and overweight at alarming rates. The trend is quite shocking and continues to grow, despite education efforts. There are serious personal, financial, and social costs already being felt by our society.

The Center for Disease Control Reports show that the rate of overweight and obese kids has tripled over the past 30 years. The causes are many and make for a complex mix of reasons. Inactivity, poor nutrition, bad food choices, socioeconomic factors, and large-scale lifestyle changes in our country. Ignorance, lack of awareness, and just plain disregard, are among other factors adding to the problem.

Many kids have high blood pressure, diabetes, fat clogged arteries, and other maladies at very early ages. These and other health related problems are becoming common. Signs of poor health are skyrocketing amongst kids who are unfit and carrying excess body weight. Health issues that were typically not seen until middle age or older. It is not uncommon to see Kids whose health and quality of life is compromised before they become teenagers, and many times even at early grade school ages.

There are also societal costs. Unhealthy kids require more public, private, and personal resources. Medications and health care costs can place a real burden on family finances.There are more missed school days, more medical costs, and more public funds expended in their behalf. Excess weight can condemn kids to shortened, diseased lives. Opportunities, in some cases, may also be limited--both employment and social.

The International Diabetes Federation predicts that one in ten adults will have diabetes by 2030. Given our seeming apathy about childhood "unhealthy weight" and our casual attitude about addressing the issue, many experts in the field see this as very likely, while other health authorities feel that the ten per cent estimate is low.

If we continue to ignore the problem, it will only get worse. If we wait any longer it will not only continue to get worse, the costs will grow higher, and we will see additional burden placed on our health care system. Taking immediate action is long past due.

Where do we begin? Prevention is the first step. Public education and awareness is next. Changes in our schools is another obvious place to start. Awareness of the magnitude of the problem, and what can be done in terms of prevention, and curing the problem is essential. Getting both adults and kids to understand the seriousness of the issue, and the associated health risks for our kids and our nation is critical.

We must keep kids active. We must make certain that schools are providing good nutritional meals, and opportunities for daily exercise if we are to make real change, real progress.

Original article

Kids Are Now Victims Of The Obesity Epidemic!

The growing Obesity epidemic puts us in an extremely serious position. We have developed a general lifestyle that has become entrenched as it continues to be encouraged by misinformation and untruths. Our present lifestyle leads us to morbid obesity, type2 diabetes, heart disease colon and bowel cancer. These are all fatal diseases. Today they are all at an all-time high.

Forty years ago we completely changed our lifestyle. Why? We were tricked by a fake cholesterol scare campaign that caused millions of people to get tested. The test method was incorrect and slim healthy people were put on a diet. The diet was a simple reversal of our trusted traditional diet. It became known as the pyramid diet.

Consequently millions of people became carbohydrate addicts and began to get fat. What about the fake test results? It took around thirty years for them to be corrected.

Children follow their parent's lifestyle. They eventually, pass that lifestyle on to their own children. That explains why this horrible addiction continues to grow. Yet, most people do not even know they have it. Four decades have turned it into a generational problem.

Why is being obese such a bad thing? After all, many people suggest this can still be a healthy lifestyle. Some people just love food. Smokers love tobacco, drinkers love alcohol and carbohydrate addicts can barely stop eating. These are not symptoms of love this is addiction - pure and simple!

Of those who have a persistent weight problem, there is an 80% chance you'll be obese by 2020. If you are already obese you will likely be morbidly obese before then. That means you'll become an invalid and your life will be very short.

Am I being analarmist? Take a good look around. The majority of people today are already overweight. Most are obese. Cast your mind back ten years and try to remember the number of people you noticed were obese then. Ten years before that, the vast majority of people were still slim. Food for thought don't you think?

If you are already obese, and you have children, you need to examine the child obesity statistics. The first thing you will notice is that child obesity statistics did not even exist till the end of the nineties. What we see is an escalation of obesity in children and adults. The beginning of obesity takes us right back to a time when the majority of people were still slim. Just before cholesterol and diet became an issue.

For centuries our traditional diet evolved right along with us. Changes we made over the centuries and new foods were added. But it happened gradually, in small increments over long periods of time. Not till the early eighties did large numbers of people change their diet completely.

Of course people did not realize that the new modern Pyramid diet was a simple reversal of the old diet. They were too busy trying new ways of eating. Not a single person spoke up for our body, to ask if the huge change of food was safe. Evidence speaks volumes that it was not.

To this day, no research had been done on any diet - ever. In fact none of the people who have been responsible for all our diets, are qualified to do actual research, or run trials. Obviously, the Pyramid diet was also not tested to prove it to be a cholesterol reducing diet. It was not. It was nothing but a farce. But it went on to affect the lives of millions of people and cost the life of many.

This is where a note of urgency creeps in. You children take their diet from you. Today most children are fed a diet of extremely high carbohydrate. They start the day with cereal, bread and snack foods for lunch. For dinner, there are too many vegetables, too much bread and fruit and too many desserts.

That means they are not getting sufficient protein. Protein is often referred to as the building blocks of life. They are responsible for the healthy growth of organs, bones, skin muscles and tissue. Without protein we are dead! With too little protein our kids grow fat and listless.

Yet people who call themselves experts, and guide our diet with great finesse do not seem to know that. They virtually choke on the word protein. Some even advice against it. You see, the protein diet nature chose for us would put these experts out of business. Cereal and snack food manufacturers would soon join them. There is no protein in cereal, vegetable or fruit. No matter what these people tell you. Remember, They are there to build their livelihood, not your health.

All carbohydrates can do is provide fuel/glucose to burn for energy. Children will not have much energy to burn without an adequate amount of protein. Any carbohydrate/fuel that is not burned for energy is converted to body fat. That's the fat that sits snugly on your body and is so hard to shift.

What this all means is that most people today are on the wrong diet. They have become addicted to carbohydrates and they are on a course of inevitable obesity. Carbohydrate does not possess a health value. Be aware that every carbs food you eat, and do not use for fuel, becomes fat on your body.

Carbohydrate = body fat and body fat has nothing to do with the fat you put in your mouth. (That's another myth). The threat of obesity is proved by obesity statistics, and the fact that we already have an obesity epidemic. The threat of type2 diabetes is proved by the fact that the medical profession has issued several warnings of an impending epidemic of type2 diabetes.

The most alarming statistics of all are those that show type2 diabetes and morbid obesity already affects our children. These are diseases none of us had heard of just 20 years ago.

The obesity epidemic maybe unstoppable, but you can prevent it, even reverse it, in your own family. Let me teach you how.

My name is Kirsten plotkin. I am a writer and author of two books about the real reason we have an obesity epidemic today.
Watch this video and learn the truth about the growing obesity statistics.
The Carbohydrate Addicts Manual

Kirsten Plotkin
Goldcoast, Queensland, Australia,
+617 5593 6363

Find me on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/healthylifestylenews?sk=app_13684106971427

Original article

Peas and Carrots Can Save a Child's Life

Well, eating vegetables (and fruits) can be life-saving. Not only are vegetables and fruits high in fiber but also high in antioxidants. What does this mean? They can help fight against cancer. Do you know what else? Vegetables and fruits are low in sodium. This fact translates into lowering the risk for high blood pressure.

Is it because fruits and vegetables don't have any colorful packaging or marketing tactics to get people to buy them that people aren't bringing them home? Produce just lies silently waiting to be purchased at the grocery store or farmer's market. They are so super, they don't need super packaging. They don't need to come with a free toy either.

In today's economy one can argue it is hard to eat well. Another person may state that produce costs more. So, I go to the grocery store and I evaluate the frozen, canned and "fresh" vegetable sections. I notice that sometimes the produce is high, like avocados. One avocado is around $1.50. (However, this is not the case with all produce.) I observe the canned beans in aisle 4 are around a dollar. Then I am stunned to find that the frozen vegetables are either on sale or for less than two dollars a bag. There are at least four servings in the beans and frozen vegetables. At least four people can eat beans for one dollar. Growing your own produce is even less expensive.

So why is it when people don't eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, particularly children? I will argue it's not because of expense. There are ways to grow your own produce at home, buy them from farmer's markets, buying them canned or frozen... all very good options.

So, why am I applauding fruits and vegetables? Simply, because they are life-enriching. They are naturally fortified with fiber, low sodium, natural sugars (not processed), vitamins and antioxidants. These are all very sensational qualities! Doesn't your child deserve their fruits and vegetables?

When children eat more fiber, as with anyone, they get fuller faster. They are not as hungry because fiber is more filling. They tend not to overeat because they are full. And they tend to be happier. I hypothesize that a child who eats more fruits and vegetables is less likely to be a picky eater (given they are supported in eating healthy). What is my statement based on? Ultimately, through observational research, kids exposed to more fruits and vegetables were more likely to eat a variety of foods. When a person eats a variety of food, they are less likely to endure weight problems. However, when I discussed picky eating with a twenty-something picky eater this week, the conversation only supported my findings. She ate mostly chicken fingers and grilled cheese sandwiches. The most interesting statement she made was, "All I really needed was someone to make me eat something else." Now, there's something to munch on.

A great follow up article to read is http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-10-26-kids-vegetables_N.htm. You can also check out http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org to learn more about how to encourage your child to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Find me on Twitter @Fynnsfoodbin!
http://www.childhealtheducator.wordpress.com/

"A person can eat well but still be malnourished."

Original article

If You're Wondering "How Can Kids Lose Weight?" Then You'll Learn What You Need Here

A lot of parents are searching the internet because they want to know how can kids lose weight. The phrase "overweight children" are two words that should never be used in conjunction, but the fact of the matter is that there are many children dealing with the problem of obesity.

This problem is putting them at risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases, it is causing them to have low self-esteem pushing them to drastic measures in school, and being overweight as a child could lead to irreversible consequences when they reach adulthood.

Childhood obesity is something that is rising in America when it should be disappearing. It really is a big question because why are so many children gaining weight? There are just so many children in this country alone who are struggling on a daily basis, and I can most definitely give you some reasons as to why this is happening.

A lot of parents don't exercise their ability to discipline their children when it comes to saying "no" when their child wants to eat nothing but fast foods knowing that these foods are always high in fat, they have a lot of sugar in them, and of course they are unhealthy calorie-wise for their kids.

Parents indulge their children and give them unhealthy drinks all the time, and of course a lot of parents aren't getting their children involved in exercise. Another reason why children are becoming so obese is because they thoughtlessly eat, and they're eating is just out of control.

A lot of children spend a lot of their time on the TV, on their computer, and they spend a lot of their time playing video games which is why they are living such sedentary lifestyles. Children need to be educated at a young age for why eating healthy is such an important habit they need to acquire.

If children knew that the kinds of food they are eating are making them gain weight, of course they would want to stop eating these foods, especially those children who are in high school and want to enjoy themselves.

There are a lot of things that children suffer from due to their weight problems such as skin issues, self-esteem issues, they have problems building relationships, and they have issues being more social because of their weight. The fact of the matter is that the foods you eat are either going to help you lose weight or gain weight.

You need to have your child staying away from foods that are always greasy, salty, and loaded with unhealthy additives. You should focus on eating meals that are high in protein, low in carbs, have good fats like omega-3, have fruits in them, have vegetables in them, and make sure that you have your child taking vitamins in addition to following a healthy diet. So if you're wondering "how can kids lose weight?" now you know.

If you seriously want to start dieting or losing weight, please visit here How to Lose Weight

Original article

Chunky Children

The title of this article has obviously perked your interest, really, what is he going to talk about chunky children for? Because there is a huge problem with children being overweight do to poor guidance. Yes, that means adults are not properly showing their children how to eat healthy. Before I really dig into this, I want to share with you my newest and 3rd addition to the family, Ava Elisabeth!

A big issue, is when adults give in when their child whine's or cries when they do not get their way, whether for food, playing, a toy at the store, etc. A lot of parents these days give into the whining and crying because when they let their child have a pack of chicken nuggets, they stop whining. We as parents need to be Alpha to our children and not best buddies. We need to show them how to choose healthier options when they eat, because healthier options taste good too. Mac-N-Cheese is not the option they need, how about apples-N-almonds? I challenge you to spend some time looking at the foods you consume and what you and your child should and should not eat.

Another reason kids are chunky is lack of movement. And I really mean it, they love to sit around and play video games or complain during the summer that it is too hot out, and during the winter that it is too cold out. Enough, get outside with them, make it fun. Play basketball, soccer, badminton, football, have a water gun fight, a water balloon fight, a snowball fight, get creative. What happened to playing tag in the front yard, that was fun and involved a lot of running and a lot of laughing (which by the way is amazing for health)! You need to look at what your kids are doing each week, pay attention, make adjustments, and make them better at living healthy!

Quick tips:
-Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables
-Get 30 minutes of FUN exercise in 6 days a week minimum
-Get your children in bed at a descent hour so they get enough sleep
-Make sure you encourage your children to be successful, stay positive with them as much as possible
-Tell your children that you love them daily by saying, "I LOVE YOU!"
-Teach your children to be grateful and to believe in themselves

Here is to a healthy and prosperous young generation of highly successful individuals, our children!

Robert Jay Martin is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and TRX certified. Improve your level of fitness with his success, knowledge, experience, & 4 year degree. For a free workout, advice, or Health Coaching, visit his website http://www.exercisemanfitness.com/ or his blog at http://blog.exercisemanfitness.com/

Original article

How to Achieve Weight Loss For Kids

Childhood obesity rates increase every year in the United States. Despite all the government programs and media efforts to push weight loss for kids, this problem is getting larger and larger, literally. What many haven't figured out is that you can't push the responsibility onto the government, schools or the fast food industry. Responsibility starts at home, with parents.

It's obvious that parents love their kids and they want what's best for them. But in many cases, parents just don't know how to give them the best. Weight loss, even for kids, is a step by step process. It can be done, but not overnight. If a parent is serious about helping their kids to be healthier, then they must be willing to make lifestyle changes for the whole family.

The first thing you should do is consult your pediatrician and let them know you want to make a lifestyle change for your kids. Seek advice and information about how to live a healthy life. After this, you must come up with a plan. It is best to write it down, with perhaps some goals, because then you are more willing to accomplish your desires.

It is good to do your own research as well. Find out what foods are necessary and beneficial for your kids. Find out how many calories they should be consuming every day. Learn about the ingredients in the foods you eat. Are they healthy or harmful? Search for a list of fun kids exercises to keep them active. It doesn't take that long to find out this information.

The hardest thing for parents to come to terms with is that in order for their child to be healthy, they will also need to be healthy too. The parents are a child's number one role model. They will eat what you eat and do what you do. It's not fair for parents to eat a bag of M&M's and not offer any to their children. The same is true for exercise. For them to want to change they will have to see a change in you.

Sitting down with your child and talking about health is very beneficial. Explain the bad food choices you've made and that in order for you all to live long, healthy lives you must make different choices. Together, come up with a weight loss goal. Create a chart to record your progress. Encourage your child along the way.

Whenever you do make your goals, celebrate them. It's typical to celebrate with dessert of a fattening dinner. Instead, celebrate with a fun day trip or take them somewhere they've wanted to go. Express to them how proud you are and they will feel good about their progress.

Weight loss for kids is possible and will benefit them the rest of their lives. Childhood obesity doesn't have to continue growing. If parents are willing to take charge and make changes, we'll start to see obesity decrease.

Remember that the reason to learn about weight loss for kids is to give you skills and knowledge necessary to help your children become the healthiest people they can be. Download a free report with tips and instructions you need to get started quickly with fitness by visiting Kids Exercise and learn how to have fun while playing exercise games.

Original article

Diet Guidelines for Childhood Obesity

The dramatic increase in childhood obesity has increase in the recent years. A male is recognized as obese if he surpasses his recommended weight by 25% the threshold is placed at 30% for young girls. A child's recommended weight can be simply calculated on the bottom of Body mass index (BMI).

Childhood weight problems are generally due to an unbalanced diet, increasingly more depending on body fat and caloric food, missing in proteins and nutrition. Children frequently eat delicately and prefer snacks and sodas. Parents often buy ready-to-eat items instead of prepare healthy foods for their children. Many of these purchases are affected by marketing and misleading advertising, which affect diet and deploy its greatest effects on youth. Putting "SpongeBob Squarepants" or "Dora the Explorer" on a sugary snack is a sure way to get young children wanting to purchase the item at the grocery store.

Children also don't do physical activity as much as they used to do. We ride our kids in school by vehicle and drive towards the place of work, regardless the results of a lengthy walk. Our youngsters enjoy spending most of time watching television, playing video games and eating junk-food, instead of get out there and play.

Everyone knows that genetics "weight heavily" too: the chance of becoming obese is 40% greater among children who've one obese parent. Because of this it's very vital that you educate children to consume properly because the first many years of existence. Parents must bear down to creating a diet plan in the household and making their kids creates a personal relationship with food, eventually keeping them on the slimming diet.

The initial step to defeat the weight problems would be to change gradually and progressively our style of living and explaining the advantages we acquires by losing weight. For instance: getting good energy, social respect, major safety and self-esteem.

The mother and father should also realize that the weight problem brings a host of detrimental things to a child. Some of these problems include fatigue, depression, heart problems, skin problems, gastric problems, and social issues with classmates.

Each one of these effects must spur parents to enhance making children's lifestyle much healthier. If required, a professional could provide mental support and help kids to begin this slow and difficult way. A fantastic move to offer the best results within the struggle against childhood weight problems is to introduce children to sports or another physical activity. One good thing that video games are now doing is introducing active games such as Wii Fit into the mainstream.

Every child possesses a passion or inner interest which is an excellent chance to assist them to express their personality. Always remember to aid and have confidence in them throughout their difficult change of diet plan. Children possess a surprising interior strength: if their abilities are properly addressed, they could create a happy and healthy future becomes a reality.

Do you suffer from high cholesterol? Learn about Cholesterol Good Foods to save you life and improve your overall health.

http://www.cholesterolgoodfoods.net/

Original article

The Kids Food Pyramid

Hello Healthy Triangle!

The Kids Food Pyramid is a food guide designed by the US Department of Agriculture. The pyramid displays the five major food groups a child needs to stay healthy, nourished, and strong. Beside the different food groups are the corresponding recommended serving sizes per day depending on the child's age. Let's look at that in bullet points:

Grains: 3-5 oz. (2-8 years old), 5-7 oz. (9-18 years old)

Vegetables: 1-1.5 cups (2-8 years old), 2.5-3 cups (9-18 years old)

Fruits: 1.5 cups (2-8 years old), 1.5-2 cups (9-18 years old)

Dairy Products: 2 cups (2-8 years old), 3 cups (9-18 years old)

Protein Group 2-4 oz. (2-8 years old), 5-6 oz. (9-18 years old)

The above points are the simplest way to chart how much of each food group your child should be eating in order to stay healthy. You can read the nutrition labels found in the back of packaged food so you know how many ounces are in one serving. This will help you maintain and monitor your child's daily intake.

Try to make half of your grains servings "whole grain". This will be listed in the nutrition facts found in the back label. Off the bat, though, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and oatmeal are whole grain foods. If your child isn't a fan of milk, try getting them to eat yogurt, calcium fortified orange juice, or cheeses. If your child does like milk, however, switch them to skim milk at the age of three, this will lessen their fat intake.

Remember that these are not super strict rules. Having more fruits and vegetables than the recommended serving size per day is okay. If your child is very active or energetic, having more servings from the other food groups is also okay as they are probably burning a lot of calories and need to make up for it by eating more.

Now, what is not in the pyramid?

If you look at the kids' food pyramid, you will see that there are no sugary foods, processed meats, junk food, desserts, or soda drinks to be found. This isn't to say you can never have any of these. You can as long as it is not a part of your daily diet.

To reiterate and clarify: it's okay so long as you don't eat it everyday.

Some of the foods not found on the chart, like bitter-sweet chocolate pumps endorphins like serotonin into your system and helps your mood and overall feeling. Just be sure to keep it at a minimum or moderate level for both you and your children. Healthy eating should be the goal of each and every day!

Salt is also not found on the pyramid because many of the healthy foods we buy already have salt in them. Our bodies and our children's bodies do need salt, but not in the amounts that we usually take them in, which is already usually quite bad for you. So use your salt sparingly when cooking!

It is important to follow this food pyramid as best you can. At the end of the day, you're mapping out a better life for your child. Instilling healthy habits and following this pyramid prevents your child from being overweight, diabetes, heart diseases, chronic illnesses, cancer, and a host of other medical problems. This ensures your child a longer lifespan and an easier one too!

Keep in mind that there are many ways to be healthy, and there are countless options out there that fit well into the pyramid. Find the one that works best for you, your child, and the rest of the family.

Want a healthy eating child? Having a healthy child is one of the best things a parent can ask for. Learn more about how you can get your child to eat healthy by figuring out What IS Healthy Eating for Children?

Original article

Why I Care So Much About Childhood Obesity

Ever since I can remember I have been overweight. When I was a kid I would feel unhealthy, slow and sick. That is no way for a child to feel. Other kids would tease me about my wight and that always hurt my feelings. Now that I am older I still am over weight but now I try to eat healthier than I did as a child. I am a vegan and so is my little family which consists of me, the love of my life Justin and our 1 year old daughter Lily.

Being a new mom has made me realize how important a healthy lifestyle is for a child. 1 in every 3 children are either over weight or obese in America today. Obesity is a scary thing for any parent or child to have to face because obesity can lead to terrible health conditions like hearts attacks, strokes, and sadly even death. This generation of children could be the first to not live as long as there parents have. Clogged arteries are also being found in children as young as 13 years old! That means that they could experience heart attacks by the time they reach the early age of 30.

I am trying to help other parents find fun ways to fight and prevent this deadly epidemic. Parents really should provide there children with the tools that they need to live a healthy lifestyle so that they have a better chance of living a long and happy life.

Many kids are spending too much time inside watching television, watching TV or using a computer. Physical activity is an important part of living a long life. Without exercise the body will slowly die. The statistics of childhood obesity say that the main causes of obese children are a poor family lifestyle, a poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Getting kids in shape doesn't have to be hard or boring for them or you. If you can introduce fun tools that can motivate them to get up and moving you will be helping them get into shape. Kids can have tons of fun with fun ideas like basketball hoops for your driveway or a trampoline for your backyard.

Swimming is great for a child's health. If you don't have a big yard to install a pool you could look into a swimming hot tub, they are a great way to exercise and have fun all year round. These tubs have a constant flow of water so you can swim right into the current. That is pretty cool for kids and adults.

There are dancing video games and other healthy video games for the kids who are addicted to video games too! Fighting obesity docent have to be hard it just takes a little creativity and action to get your kids to get up and moving.

There are cooking games for kids that can get everyone interested in what they are eating. There are seltzer makers and juicers that can provide your family with the best beverages that are available. Find the perfect cookbook for your family and change your families health dramatically. you can be surprise at how good you can feel if you simply improve your diet.

Kids need support from there parents and families. They will have a better chance of over coming obesity if they have there families support. Don't wait until the terrible heath complications show them selves. Prevent it from harming your children and beat if if it already has already. Together we can beat childhood obesity.

If you would like to find fun ways to beat childhood obesity like with a Swimming Hot Tub you can visit Childhood Obesity In America.com for more fun ideas like these.

Original article

Is Your Child Experiencing A "Nature-Deficiency?"

Where are the children? The streets should be alive with the sounds of laughing children, the sounds of balls being bounced, kicked, or hit with bats, the sounds of bikes whizzing by. But instead, the streets are eerily quiet.

These days, fewer kids are playing outdoors. This trend is disturbing, because there are so many benefits to physical exercise and outdoor play. In an eye-opening book entitled Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, author Richard Louv examines the decline of our children's exposure to the natural environment. He warns:

"If, as a growing body of evidence recommends, 'contact with nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep, then current trends in children's access to nature need to be addressed.'"

So here are 3 reasons our children need more time in the natural outdoor environment:

The outdoor environment encourages exercise

Lack of physical exercise has contributed greatly to the obesity epidemic that our children are experiencing, with now one in three children being overweight or obese. This obesity epidemic is resulting in higher rates of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, heart disease and even mental health disorders. And exercise has another great benefit: studies have also shown that exercise improves cognitive ability, especially in the areas of math performance and executive functioning.

The natural outdoor environment stimulates concentration and focus

As a pediatrician, I have been deeply concerned about the rising rates of ADHD in our children. Almost 1 out of every 10 children carries this diagnosis, and many of them are being treated with medications which can have harmful side effects. But several research studies documented in Louv's book suggest that "more time in nature - combined with less television and more stimulating play and educational settings--may go a long way toward reducing attention deficits in children..."

There are dangers to too much indoor time

As parents, we often worry about dangers of outdoor play, such as our children becoming victims of random violence, abduction or accidental injury. But it's also important to recognize the dangers of keeping our kids indoors. For example, indoor air pollution is now being touted as the nation's number one environmental health threat because of pollution from toxic molds, allergens, lead dust, etc. The indoor environment also encourages a sedentary, technology saturated lifestyle. With the average child spending about 7 hours using media daily (yikes!), our children are being deprived of exposure to and appreciation for the natural world.

So let's commit to getting our kids outdoors more often, especially with the extra time that the summer provides. And we don't have to simply send them out alone, but we can generate great family moments through a family walk, a competitive game of backyard football or even an overnight camping trip.

Reference

Louv, Richard (2008) Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books.

Author, Dr. Teresa Fuller, M.D., Ph.D., is a physiologist and a board-certified pediatrician who has been practicing for ten years. Her focus is on reducing childhood overweight and obesity by creating healthy families that are committed to wellness.

http://www.ahealthytomorrow.org/

Original article

Diet and Nutrition for Children

In the age of television and fast food, diet and nutrition for children seems to be severely taken for granted. We are now seeing the effects of fatty foods and a sedentary lifestyle. It is becoming more and more common to see overweight children or obese children. What was once unheard of in children is now a reality so many families live with.

Obesity Is The Biggest Risk Facing Kids Today.

Obesity or being overweight is a really serious problem, especially for young children. They lead to many unnecessary illnesses, some of which were thought to be adult illnesses only. Heart problems like heart burn or high blood pressure are now being faced by ten year olds or eleven year olds. Type 2 diabetes, often found in much older patients is something not unheard of among children below the age of ten. All because of a bad diet practices and nutrition for children.

Some of these illnesses will remain with the child for the rest of their lives, even if they are no longer overweight or obese. This is one of the reasons why proper diet and nutrition for children is so important. Parents will have to rely on their child's body still being young and be able to recover from being overweight, but it will require a drastic change in lifestyle.
No Shortcut. A Healthy Lifestyle Is The Only Way To Stop Obesity.

An overweight or obese child will have to change the type of foods they eat, as well as follow a strict exercise regimen. Eating more healthy and nutritious foods will be a big challenge for a child who is used to eating certain foods in large portions. Also, following an exercise program can be difficult to discipline a child into. For the sake of the health of the rest of their lives, however, exercise and a proper diet and nutrition for children is what is needed by those who are overweight.

One of the best ways to beat obesity is to prevent it. Beginning a healthy diet and nutrition for children from the time they are very young is one way to make sure they have a healthy eating lifestyle. Also, making rules like not being allowed to watch television and eat at the same time, or not being allowed to play computer games and eat at the same time will help.

You can do this by designating specific areas in the house where they are allowed to eat. Encouraging one hour of outside play can also help a lot. Like building an immune system to fight off disease, preventing obesity from happening in the first place can be the only answer to making sure it never happens again.

Make sure your kids are on the right diet and are getting the right nutrition by learning all about cooking healthy for kids. Recipes can be fun and easy, and you can even teach your kids!

Original article

There Is Nothing Cute About Baby Fat

Your baby does not have to be fat for Grandma to pinch his cheeks! Baby fat can be a sign of a lifetime of weight struggles and all the chronic illnesses that go with obesity.

We now have growing numbers of obese 9 month olds...Really? Yes, really.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) childhood obesity has tripled over the last 3 decades, about 20% of kids between 6 and 11 are obese. As parents, we look forward to taking our babies to the doctor's office to have them weighed in - its almost a kind of parent prowess to know that our baby is putting on weight so quickly. We adopt strategies to cram every calorie we can into that tiny tummy to appease our Mom mania. The truth is, we are setting them up for a life time of frustration & potential illness. Mom, Chill!

Studies seem to confirm that babies overweight at 9 months had a 50% chance of being heavier at age 2.......and the pattern continues as the children age.

When I breast fed my sons -( ok they are tall, dark & gorgeous men now) my mother in law - who did not breast feed her kids - was always mystified by my breast feeding. "How do you know they are getting enough?" Unfortunately my breasts did not come with markers to let me know how much milk the baby has had. Me, being a new Mom & young doting wife I cared what others thought. The blessing of women turning 40 is that we really just don't care any more what people think. However, back in the day in my mid 20s I would quiver at the mother in law interrogation & say baby is happy, sleeping & growing. Looking at my sons now, I am so happy I did not succumb to the choruses of "shouldn't you supplement with formula?"

Fact is, exclusively breast feeding babies prevents obesity. Don't be intimidated by your friends who formula feed & stash cereal in the bottle when they boast their kids are in the 95th percentile of growth. And if you are bottle feeding - forcing the baby to keep taking more might not be best - check with your doctor - no offense to what your mother and mother in law say. This is NOT making a healthier child. And of course sugar addictions start young. I never did the apple juice thing - even worse sending baby to bed with a bottle of apple juice - so the sugary fluid sits on their teeth & gums setting the stage for poor oral health. The apple is much better than the apple juice. Our babies DO NOT always have to be eating and drinking! Alleviating parent guilt is not necessarily consistent with our kids best interests. Introduction of cereal too early can increase chances of childhood obesity.

We want our kids to be healthy. Yes we love our kids. A wish we should all have for our children is they should NEVER have to deal with obesity or any of the other complications that ensue. Chubby cheeks are not cute. They are a flashing red neon sign.

May you get at least 60 minutes of exercise today!

Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach, Certified Nutritional Symptomatologist, Personal trainer, Advanced Health & fitness Specialist, Corporate health & fitness coach, Fitness for chronic illness recovery Radio Talk Show Host Web Talk Radio - Eat Exercise Live - Google & Listen to top health researchers in the world! http://www.fitfan4fun.com/ http://www.torontocorporatehealthandfitnesscoach.com/

Original article

Fitness Is Important For Kids Minds As Well As Their Bodies

The emphasis on Kids fitness has almost exclusively been placed on the fitness of their bodies and ignores what it does for their minds. In order for Kids brains to attain peak performance, physical activity is crucial.

Exercise affects mood, anxiety, attention, and ability to learn. It fights off depression and can generate enthusiasm for learning,or the task at hand. It has a positive effect on the neurotransmitters that determine thoughts and emotions. Later in life it reduces the effects of aging in the brain.

In reality, the brain responds like muscles do, withering with inactivity, growing with use. Exercise causes the brain neurons to grow and bloom, and to improve in function at the fundamental levels. Scientists have found that muscle movement produces proteins that travel by way of the bloodstream into the brain.These proteins play a major role in our thought processes. Only within the past few years that scientists have begun to describe how these factors work.

Certainly, there is much we don't understand about what goes on in the brain, but what we are learning can help make big changes in our lives.

Why care about the brain? If for no other reason, it's running the show. For another, evidence shows that our brains, when stimulated by exercise, function at it's peak and adds considerably to the learning and problem solving processes.

If we can understand just the basics of how exercise, and Kids fitness and weight management routines improve brain function, we should have increased motivation to make it a priority for both ourselves and your kids. It can more readily become something you want to do, rather than something you "should" do. Something that will have us, and our kids, performing at our best--whether it's a physical or mental task.

Only a small minority of high schools offer a physical education class. Most grade schools have cut either the frequency, or time allotted for Physical Education, or both. At the same time, an increasing number of kids are spending five or more hours a day watching TV, playing video games, and on their computers. This suggests that at a time when more fitness and exercise is needed, educators and administrators are prescribing less.

Kids fitness and weight management programs have gained much attention as a result of what's been labeled a "childhood obesity epidemic''. Recent research shows that, not only the body, but the mind functions at it's best when exercise is a part of our daily routine, for both adults, and kids alike.

Fitness is important for mind and body, for adult and child.

Original article

Statistics of Childhood Obesity - Overweight or Heading That Way?

Childhood Obesity: Are your children overweight or heading that way?

Statistics of Childhood Obesity - The Health Select Committee Report (2004) stated that children born in the early 21st century have a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to diet and obesity. There are various statistics predicting childhood obesity, all of which make for grim reading. On the whole there seems to be an expected 50% of children to be clinically obese by 2020 if things carry on the way they are. Obese children are at risk of a spectrum of health conditions from heart disease to stroke and diabetes, as well as chronic body image problems. What's more, childhood obesity is the best predictor for adult obesity. An overweight child has a 65% change of becoming an overweight adult (Whitaker et al. 1997).

Research suggests that the family environment is the single major source of influence over childhood eating behaviour (Vogt, 1999). No matter what children encounter at school or via television, what they experience, see and eat at home is likely to determine their attitude towards food and exercise as a template for the rest of their lives. Hart et al (2011) conducted a study that found huge differences between children's exercise and eating behaviour between weekdays and the weekends. That puts an awful lot of responsibility with parents. Parents can't just remedy this issue over night by switching to brown bread and water instead of sugary drinks, because it is also the behaviour you model that impresses children. It is not just a question if "do as I say, not as I do", because children are very clever to spot the difference.

If you truly want to set your child up for success in such a hugely important area such as their diet and exercise, then you need to address your own values and actions towards it. It is not so effective to encourage your children to do a physical activity if they never see you invest any time in that yourself. Nor will it work to lecture them about healthy eating if they see that your patterns don't add up with that. The flip side of this, a total over emphasis of health in the home and the total eradication of any sugary or fatty foods, snacks and treats and too much pushing for physical activity doesn't work either. Children may end up feeling deprived and go behind your back trying to get their treats or may feel resentful about physical activity because they feel forced.

It is never easy to achieve a happy medium, but essential you try. Before thinking about the family environment assess where you (and your partner) are with regards to your eating patterns and exercise. If it needs addressing in any way, do so as a first step to addressing it for your children. When your children see you go out for a power walk or a jog, or they witness you going swimming or attending the gym that is far more powerful than any encouragement you can give them verbally. If you buy wholesome, healthy foods to make family meals with because that's what you want to do, then you are establishing a pattern in your home that your children benefit from. Don't think up special meals for them, as they can eat what's on the table.

If you are making changes then you may encounter some resistance from your children. That's only normal. After all, you have allowed certain things to go on and now you may be taking them away. But with consistency they will get used to the new. Start very simply, by buying brown (brown bread, brown rice and pasta), replacing sugary drinks with water and low sugar cordial and by coming to an agreement about snacks. Personally, I never add any sugary snacks in their lunch boxes, nor crisps. You can add fruit, cut up vegetables, yogurt, nuts and raisins instead. They have a snack/treat after school.

Whatever you decide upon, make sure you stick to it. Your child may suffer if they become overweight and they may face a life of low self-esteem, dieting and ill health if their diet and exercise doesn't get addressed on a day-to-day basis from a young age. With all the other things we do for our children, this is possibly one of the most important as it will set them up for success for the rest of their lives.

References.

The Health Select Committee Report on Obesity (2004) May. Available from: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmhealth/23/2302.htm [Accessed 1 March 2005]

Whitaker, R.C.,Wright, J.A., Pepe, M.S., Seidel, K.D. and Dietz, W.H (1997) 'Predicting Obesity in Young Adulthood from Childhood and Parental Obesity', New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 337, pp.869-73

Vogt, C.J. (1999) 'A model of risk factors involved in childhood and adolescent obesity', in Goreczny, A. J. and Hersen, M. (eds) Handbook of Pediatric and Adolescent Health Psychology, London, Allyn and Bacon.

Hart et al (2011), International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, Vol.6 Issue 5/6, p. 467-472, 6p

Kirsten de Bouter Shillam is a Lifestyle Expert and experienced Coach & Writer on being fit, healthy, diet/nutrition, parenting and life planning. Kirsten lives outside the box and invites you to join her at Doodle Lounge.

Visit Doodle Lounge - http://www.doodlelounge.com/ - Sign up for our free Personal Toolbox eBook to help and motivate you to live the best life possible with small investments and BIG effects.

Original article

15 Ways To Make Your Kids Eat Vegetables

Do your kids eat vegetables? Statistics show that they probably aren't. Only 22% of children ages 2 to 5 meet government recommendations for vegetable consumption, according to researchers from Ohio State University. It only gets worse as children get older: Just 16% of children ages 6 to 11 meet the government's guidelines. Only 11% meet those requirements at ages 12 to 18.

In the study of more than 6,000 kids and teens, about a third of vegetable consumption was fried potatoes products, such as French fries and a little more than a third of the fruit consumption was fruit juice ( pure sugar, pretty much. ) If you don't include those, the percentages get even lower.

Here's how to increase your children's vegetable consumption:

1. Start early. Studies have proven children to prefer foods their mother ate during pregnancy, as they could taste their (foods') flavors through amnionic fluid. If you want your kids to eat vegetables, eat them yourself.

2. Breastfeed. And eat vegetables. Breast milk has tiny bits of flavors of the foods that the mother eats. If you eat vegetables while breastfeeding, chances are these flavors will already be familiar to your child.

3. Try to avoid commercially prepared jarred baby food. Taste one of these jars: they taste nothing like real vegetables. Your baby will most likely never know what veggies taste like if all you feed them is jarred food.

4. Use your blender. Blender is your best friend for making killer sauces made of raw vegetables. You can blend kale, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, onions: pretty much anything if you add more "child friendly " things, such as olive oil, sundried tomatoes, tofu, beans and even cream cheese and yellow cheese. This way you can make sandwich spreads and pasta sauces full of hidden vegetables.

5. Bake wisely. A grated zucchini or carrot can be added to virtually any cake, cookie or muffin recipe.Some recipes can take a lot more than one carrot: experiment!

6. Do your kids love ketchup? Blend a few fresh tomatoes, add store-bought ketchup and put it back in the jar. Desperate, I know. But it works!

7. Put veggies in all of their favorite dishes. And don't feed them their favorite dishes often, to retain their excitement about these dishes. Put some broccoli florets into mac and cheese, add a few zucchini slices to pizza, grind some kale and add it to breadcrumbs you use for whatever you are frying.

8. The less refined and processed foods your kids consume, the more likely they are to eat vegetables. If you limit soda, sugar, fatty dairy products, meats and processed foods your child may come to you and ask for a carrot!

9. Dips work like magic, because they are fun. Come up with a few simple healthy dips and serve those with an assortment of vegetables. I am very much for hummus, apple tahini and almond butter.

10. Sometimes, children are so used to eating sugar that it's the only thing that works. Choose sweet vegetables and serve them with healthy sweets: hey, it's better than nothing! Grated carrots with raisins and a drop of olive oil makes a decent salad and sweet potato puree with some maple syrup and cinnamon is still made of vegetables.

11. Smoothies are your best friend. A couple of bananas, some milk, a spoonful of peanut butter and nobody knows there are three kale leaves and half a zucchini in that glass! Smoothie can become a daily tradition specifically for very veggie-resistant kids.

12. Shop with your kids. While your are buying the veggies, explain where they grew. Let them smell the produce. Let them pick the veggies they want to eat tonight.

13. Cook with your kids. Kids are a lot more likely to eat something they made themselves. Additionally, not eating out often saves your children from consuming too much junk food.

14. Institute the "one bite" rule. Even if they don't like it, they must take one bite of it, before they say "No." They may actually end up liking it!

15. My friend once dipped broccoli florets in chocolate. This is not the weird part. The weird part is that her children ate it! Whatever works, works: be inventive.

Do you have any good tips on how to make kids eat vegetables?

Dr. Anastasia Halldin is a stay at home mom of an active toddler and baby-twins. She has a Ph. D in holistic nutrition, is a yoga teacher and a former model. She has produced and appeared in thirteen yoga DVDs, wrote a brochure on nutrition and starred in a yoga TV show. She speaks four languages and makes yummy healthy meals for the whole family in twenty minutes. For recipes and more, visit: http://www.healthymamainfo.com/. For yoga DVDs, visit http://www.yogapulse.com/

Original article

Why Are Kids Fat? It's Up To YOU To Learn How To Stop The Trend - Teach Your Kids How To Diet

WHO: Our kids.

WHAT: They're fat.

WHY: The vast majority of adults are overweight and obese. Who would the kids learn weight management from?

The Centers for Disease Control has stated that pediatric obesity has reached epidemic proportions in a mere thirty years. In 1980, five percent of kids were obese. In 2010, slightly less than twenty percent are obese.

Whatever is going on? There are certain medical conditions and medications that may contribute to weight gain. However, these are rare instances. Our kids, like adults, are overweight because they are eating too much and exercising too little.

Childhood obesity is diagnosed by a physician or other health care provider by using tools such as the BMI (body mass index). This is a test to determine body fat in proportion to height, gender, and age. The health care provider may also measure skin-fold-thickness, waist-to-hip ratio, and water weight.

Childhood obesity must be taken seriously. We've been lulled into complacency by cute little phrases like "baby fat", "cherubic", "pudgy", "big-boned", "more to love", and so on. The fact is, there is nothing cute or harmless about fat kids. Their physical and emotional well-being are at peril. Let's look at a few of the risks we're unwittingly allowing them to take:

- Diabetes.

- Heart disease.

- High blood pressure.

- Stroke.

- Asthma.

- Sleep disorders.

- Fatty liver.

- GERD.

- Joint disorders.

- Depression.

- Low self-esteem.

- Behavior disorders

- Becoming obese adults.

How do we "fix" this problem? How do we help our kids achieve a normal weight? Obese children have far different food needs than do adults. They are "moving targets" in that they are growing and need nutrition to support that growth while at the same time losing excess fat.

The "bottom line" treatment of childhood obesity requires a change in lifestyle. Rather than "going on a diet", our kids need to learn how to eat "rightly": the right foods at the right times and in the right amounts. What does "right" eating look like?

- More fruits and vegetables.

- Reduced fat dairy products.

- Three "small" meals per day with healthful snacks in between.

- Whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas.

- Lean cuts of meat (substitute beans twice weekly).

- Eliminate drinks that are sweetened with sugar.

- Reduce portion sizes. (Dish up the right amount into a plate at the stove or countertop. No bowls and platters on the table. Your child likely won't even notice the difference.)

- No eating while watching TV or using the computer. When your child eats, he should eat! Nothing else.

- Help you child become more active. Walk with him; play outside with him; pay him to do chores; sign him up for sports; send him outside to play after school.

Childhood obesity is making our kids sick. Let's take back control!

Sue Bristol, R.N. gives specific advice on what you can do about childhood obesity.

Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses. (Whether or not they are even aware of it!)

Click Here to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" You don't need to be overweight: http://www.how-to-loseweight-101.com/index1.html

Original article

Help Kids Lose Weight - Save Self Esteem

Childhood obesity can be a sensitive subject, especially if you have an overweight child. You work hard to protect against bullying. Often, overweight children are picked on. As a parent, you want to protect your child. You don't want to make them feel worse.

There are things you can do to help your child lose weight, without saying a word.

Drink water. We all know we need to drink water, but even as adults we are often dehydrated. So how do you get a child to drink water?

~ Most children are allowed to bring water bottles to school or daycare. I have found that my daughter really enjoys taking her water bottle to school. It's something not all the kids do and therefore exciting.

~ Sugary cereals are out. There is little to no nutritional value in these and it will leave your child feeling hungry quickly. A good alternative is oatmeal. This adds complex carbohydrates which helps regulate blood sugar. It is also a great source of soluble fiber.

~ Pack your child's lunch. I have eaten lunch with my child at school before and you would be amazed at what they classify as "lunch" in the school cafeteria. This does not mean you have to pack your child brussel sprouts! There are plenty of good things you can pack that are good for you! I recently found a healthy mac and cheese recipe. You use wheat noodles, half the cheese and even add some broccoli. I like to make a few servings at once, divide them up into tupperwares, and my child can grab them quickly before heading out the door to school.

~ Plan healthy snacking. We all need to snack. I started putting tupperwares in the fridge for my kids filled with grapes and a couple of slices of cheese. I put each of their names on the outside of these and they each know they can run and get one of these to snack on at any time.

~ Encourage play time. Our children are too attached to television and video games. Certain video games even simulate play time but nothing is better then the real thing. Bicycling, roller skating, soccer, basketball and many more. Most any child can find a sport they enjoy.

Teaching our children these habits early will change the way the live their lives long term. They will not have to think about creating healthy habits as adults as this will be life as they've always known it.

Megan Bullington is the owner of Megan Bullington Fitness. She uses accountability groups to help others change their unhealthy habits and lose weight for good.

For a free copy of Megan's "30 Days to More Energy", go to http://www.tnfitmom.com/

Original article

5 Simple Strategies to Help Your Kids Avoid the Slow Slide Into Obesity

The childhood obesity epidemic is worldwide so we shouldn't feel all alone here in North America. However, our lifestyle habits here do seem to spread worldwide and cause problems. So it pretty much goes without saying that it is up to us to begin to turn this pattern around and we can all take part. It will start with individuals, spread to families, then to our children's generation. It took us a couple of generations to get into this trouble and it will take us that long to get out, but it can be done.

Here are 5 simple strategies to help you set the course for success and family health and wellness.

1. Set the example. I hope you didn't think I was going to say you could just sit back and it would happen. If you are not accustomed to movement on a daily basis this may be a challenge, but what better reason to make a change than for the health and well being of your whole family. Start with small changes if this is difficult for you, like a walk together for 15 minutes after work or in the evening. When you take them to the park, take part. Don't just stand at the bottom of the slide and catch them. Play tag, run the bases, climb the bleachers, play hide and seek.

2. Move as a family. If you start the habit of doing fun activities together as a family when your children are young, they will come to expect it. That will help you in the long run because the children will be asking what the plan is for the next activity or they won't hesitate to ask to do something in particular. The most fit families I know are the ones who spend a lot of time together being active. It isn't always organized or competitive activities. It may be as simple as hiking on a favourite trail with a picnic snack or spending time at your local park, beach or pool. Just start the tradition.

3. Pre-plan some family activities. This may seem pointless to you but the idea is that your family have something to look forward to. When the whole family knows that you are going to be doing a particular pre-planned activity on the weekend then you can build the excitement and anticipation, not to mention using it as a leverage tool for co-operation throughout the week. Make sure this is done positively rather than in a threatening way. Solicit their help and support through the week with the reminder of what you all have to look forward to.

4. Assign family chores.It is not considered child labour if you teach and expect your children to make beds, put dirty clothes in the laundry, put clean laundry away, set and clear tables or load dishwashers, just to name a few. General clean up and keeping things tidy along with outdoor chores such as filling leaf bags are all suitable for young children. Yes it takes time to teach them the skills but they are life skills they will need someday. Think about it. Left quietly on their own many 2 and 3-year-olds can do fiendishly intricate tasks so channel their energies into something that is helpful for everyone. If they know their help is required in order for the family to do some fun things together there shouldn't be too much difficulty. Set the bar at a level they can reach and you will all soon have success.

5. Swap some poor nutrition habits for good ones. Typical poor food habits are junk food and caffeine. If this is one of your weak spots try making a deal with your kids. If you expect them to give up sugary glasses of juice throughout the day (even 100% juice can be high in sugar) and switch to water sometimes, then perhaps you could agree to swap the same number of caffeinated drinks (including colas and energy drinks) for water. The same could go for junk food. Make a swap. Plan it, agree to it, set the example and follow through. You are aren't eliminating it altogether in one fell swoop but making easier, gradual change.

Lainey Robbins has owned a private home daycare since 1993. Over the years she has created simple systems that follow a simple methods, (mainly K.I.S.S. - keep it super simple) and it has worked without fail so she has decided to develop a website to market items and ideas to promote kids health and fitness. Check out http://www.fitkidsandfood.com/ and stay tuned for the soon to be completed ebook.

Original article

Fighting Obesity in Adults and Children

Not only adults, but even many children in the United States are out of shape; not only that but a large percentage of even our young are struggling with obesity. I'd like to give you some smart guidelines. First of all: Eat breakfast! It's true what you heard about it being the most important meal of the day! Try to include protein (i.e. eggs), fruit, and a whole grain (i.e. whole grain waffles, cereals, or breads)...the "grainier", the better for all meals!

Try to eat some fresh veggies along with the frozen, and make sure to include some of the dark green and orange vegetables. Sometimes children only think they dislike vegetables. Ask them to eat a little of each vegetable at mealtimes; gradually they may actually start to crave particular veggies. Focus on fresh fruits. Eat them at meals and at snack time too. Get your calcium-rich foods by consuming low-fat and fat-free milk, yogurt and other milk products several times a day. Go lean with protein. Eat lean or low-fat meat, chicken, turkey, and fish. Also, add dry beans and peas when possible. For example, add chick peas, black beans, nuts, or seeds to a salad.

If you're still hungry after your first plate of food and want seconds, take more vegetables first.

Get your oil from fish, nuts, and liquids such as flax and olive oil, not heavy oils or hydrogenated oils.

Choose foods and beverages that do not have much sugar and caloric sweeteners as one of the first ingredients. Added sugars offer no benefit to foods.

Set a good example in regard to regular exercise. Be active as a family and have fun together. Play with the kids or pets outside and go for a walk, hike through the park, or play catch. Establish a routine. Set aside time each day as activity time- walk, jog, skate, cycle, or swim. Adults need at least thirty minutes of physical activity most days of the week; children need even more: sixty minutes everyday or most days.

Have an activity party. Make the next birthday party centered on physical activity instead of sitting for two hours on sofas consuming vast quantities of cake and ice cream. Try backyard Olympics or relay races. Have a bowling or skating party.

Set up a home gym. If your budget won't allow an exercise machine, use household items, such as canned foods, as weights. Stairs can substitute for stair machines. Move that body! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move around When you talk on the phone, lift weights or walk around. Remember to limit TV watching and computer time. Reward children with activities instead of food items (i.e. take them to the park for a good report card). Give gifts that encourage physical exercise!

Debra Fortosis owns a babysitter and nanny placement agency called Elite Family Care. It is headquartered in the Sarasota/Bradenton region of southwest Florida.

You may find her website at http://www.elitefamilycare.com/
If you wish to contact her, send her a message: debra@elitefamilycare.com

Original article

What Can We Leave Our Kids? Money? How About A Legacy Of Good Health: Learn How To Lose Weight Now

We all want to leave something for our kids. Most of us don't have an abundance of worldly possessions to pass on, but even if we do, what if the children are not in the best of health to enjoy whatever it is we give them? How about this for a legacy to leave for them: "I remember Mom...she taught me how to eat properly." "I'm grateful to Dad for teaching me how to stay fit."

The increasing rate of obesity during the times in which we live is largely a result of a misunderstanding, or complete lack of knowledge, about how we can eat in a way that is both satisfying and healthful. We have bad eating habits folks...and worse, we are passing them along, unfiltered, to our kids.

Let's look at a few ways you can pass useful information about weight management along to the next generation:

Do not place undue emphasis on your child's weight. This puts him or her at risk of developing an eating disorder. Instead, focus on the correct way to eat for health.

Make healthy snacks readily available for your child to munch on. When he comes home from school and opens the refrigerator, let him see fruit and vegetable chunks, reduced fat cheeses, and lean cuts of meat. Remember, in the home he can only eat the food you provide. If he's eating foods that are bad for him, you gave them to him. (This is not intended to send you on a guilt trip...it's just a reality check.)

Educate yourself, and then your children, on the basics of good nutrition. If he understands the differences between various food items, he will be more likely to take ownership of his food choices.

Make changes gradually. If your child is used to triple chocolate chip cookies drizzled with white chocolate when he comes home from school, surprise him with strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Don't use food as a reward for anything...ever. We seem to have lost an understanding of what food is all about. The food we eat is needed for fuel, energy, and nourishment for our bodies. If we "fuel, energize, and nourish" our bodies with two, or even three, times the amount of food we need, the "overkill" will be stored as fat.

Change from family-style dinners (bowls and platters on the table) to restaurant style where plates of food are dished up at the stove and counter and brought to the table. Learn correct portion sizes so your child gets accustomed to how much he should be eating.

Your older children will be making choices out of the home. You have less control over these decisions, but you are not powerless. If your child understands the correct way, amount, and time to eat, he will eventually learn to make good choices about what he eats.

Sue Bristol, R.N. advises how to teach your child the proper diet.

Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses. (Whether or not they are even aware of it!)

Click Here to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" You don't need to be overweight: http://www.how-to-loseweight-101.com/index1.html

Original article

Overweight And Obese Children: Causes, Results, And What You Can Do To Help

Estimates of the number of children in the United States who are either overweight or obese continue on the rise. This situation is even more alarming in children than it is in adults. There is an increase in the likelihood of complications for the simple reason that the child is obese for a longer period of time than the adult.

Why are so many of our kids overweight? Several factors appear to come into play:

Causes:
low birth weightmaternal obesity during pregnancymaternal diabetes during pregnancysmoking during pregnancylimited or poor information about healthy eatingpeer pressure to indulge in high-calorie, high-fat foods and drinkspoor dietary modelinglow self-esteemsocial difficulties

Obese children are prone to physical and emotional complications:

Results:
poor muscle and bone developmentsleep disturbances, such as sleep apneapre-diabetic insulin resistancehigh cholesterol and triglyceridespredisposition to chronic diseases as adults

Of significance is the fact that the longer a child is allowed to remain obese, the greater the likelihood of lifetime obesity. It is crucial that steps be taken as early as possible to intervene in the dietary habits of children.

What You Can Do:

It's not so "simple" however as putting the child on a diet. The child is still growing in terms of physical and neurological development.

One must be careful in interfering with metabolism unless there is a sound scientific foundation underlying all decisions pertaining to the food intake. The physician must be consulted so a plan may be constructed which will help the child to lose weight without compromising health.

While it is essential that "no harm be done", it will not hurt the child to begin a pattern of healthy eating (most likely the entire family will benefit from a new food lifestyle). No harm will come to the child from the following measures:

• three regular meals per day supplemented with healthful midmorning and mid-afternoon snacks (fruit, vegetables, nuts, reduced fat cheese, milk, whole wheat breads and cereals)
• a meal plate that is one-half fruits and vegetables, one-fourth protein, and one-fourth whole grain pasta or bread. (No second helpings please)
• elimination of sugar-sweetened beverages of all kind
• no "multi-tasking" while eating (computer, video, TV, texting).

And, get the child moving... games, sports, walking or any other moderate activity that will burn calories and rev up the metabolism

The first goal in helping the child to lose weight is to stop the gain. If the child doesn't gain one pound, you should look at that as weight loss of a pound.

Seek the assistance of your physician or call the local hospital to inquire about meeting with the dietitian. Ask if the hospital sponsors weight loss seminars.

Help overweight kids lose weight and gain self concept. My e-book will lead you through the way to make it work for you, and your obese child.
by Sue Bristol, R.N.

Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses
(Whether or not they are even aware of it!)

"Click Here" to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret" Kids shouldn't be obese.
http://www.how-to-loseweight-101.com/index1.html

Original article

What And Who Is To Blame For Obesity In Children?

It is hard to believe, but in the course of forty years, The Pyramid Diet has been unmasked, exposed, discredited and buried, in this writer's recollection, at least 4 times. That's an average of once a decade. The people who advocate The Pyramid Diet, and endorse it, should be sued for endangering and damaging public health.

The Pyramid Diet is about politics, not science and it is certainly not about public health. This is how it works. A regular campaign, around once a decade, is initiated by grain producers and diet food manufacturers. They are followed by Nutritionists, diet Gurus and other opportunists. They make a well planned onslaught on the government and the public to coerce them to endorse and enforce the Pyramid Diet.

Suddenly The Pyramid Diet is rediscovered. It is resurrected from the depth of the abyss where those of us who remember the last burial, had hoped it would remain forever. It is dusted off, cleaned and polished. The old big glossy poster is reproduced and The Pyramid Diet is relaunched. The turnaround usually takes around a decade. That is a short enough time, for people to remember the name and the poster. But long enough for them to forget why it was so unceremoniously dumped a decade earlier.

Why does this keep happening? The relaunch of the Pyramid Diet, always precedes a massive increase in grain, and manufactured food consumption. What is less noticeable and rarely reported, is a new, sudden increase in obesity statistics and type2 diabetes. To that we can add an increase in heart disease, colon and bowel cancers. In other words: This is not about us, the people. It is not about ours, or our children's health. It is all about money and support for industry.

What is so disastrous about The Pyramid Diet? It is virtually a carbohydrate diet and that means an extremely low protein diet. Protein is the stuff that grows and mends our skin, bones, muscles, tissue and internal organs. Human beings simply cannot exist without protein. It is critical for the normal, healthy growth of our children. We do not see obesity in children who get plenty of protein. The result of a lack of protein in our children can be seen in the average school yard. More and more children are becoming obese.

What is carbohydrate and why is it so bad? In fact, carbohydrates are not good, or bad. They are just not a necessity for human life. Throughout history, there have been many extended periods and seasons when people had to live without carbohydrates. Every carbohydrate we eat is converted to glucose. Glucose is liquid sugar. It is the fuel our body likes to burn when we use energy. In other words, once inside our body, all carbohydrates become equal and the same.

To add a health value to liquid sugar is ridiculous, under any circumstances. To advise people to feed their children on a carbohydrate diet is not only irresponsible, it should be illegal. A carbohydrate diet does not only cause obesity in children, it will shorten their lives.

What happens if our body runs out of carbohydrates to turn into glucose? It will simply use your fat and protein to convert to glucose. We have seen that happen many times. Our body can only burn the fuel it requires the moment we need to use some energy. The body cannot store glucose. If we don't immediately use it for energy, our body has no choice but to store it as body fat.

Body fat has nothing to do with the fat we eat. It is fat manufactured by our body from the carbohydrates we eat. Body fat is the fat that sticks to our tummy, hips and thighs. It clogs our arteries and nestles around our vital organs.

Carbohydrates cause obesity, heart disease, colon and bowel cancer. Obesity also leads to type2 diabetes. Our so called diet 'experts' are slowly killing us and they are depriving our children of a healthy future.

A relaunch of The Pyramid Diet doesn't last forever. Over time, old evidence begins to resurface. The promoters have had their feast and they begin to worry about ramifications and governments are warned of potential voter dissatisfaction. But the damage doesn't stop there. It takes at least a decade to re-educate the public. By that time, The Pyramid Diet wheel of disaster is primed to roll again!

My name is Kirsten plotkin. I am a writer and author of two books about the real reason we have an obesity epidemic today. Watch this video and learn the truth about obesity.

The Carbohydrate Addicts Manual

Kirsten Plotkin
Goldcoast, Queensland, Australia,
+617 5593 6363

Find me on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/healthylifestylenews?sk=app_13684106971427

Original article

A Few Basic Tips To Keep Kids From Becoming Unfit And Overweight

Unfortunately, far too many kids are unfit and overweight. What can be done to change that?

Perhaps a few tips on the basics will help in turning this around for your child, or any other kids, as well.

This is certainly not an all-inclusive article, but just a few things to get started, and what you may keep in mind when working with kids. As in many other endeavors, a number of small changes can often make a big difference. Just your taking an active role may be the most significant thing you can do.

Healthy eating and physical activity habits are key to your child's well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little is likely to lead to an overweight, unfit kid. Related health problems can be prevented with a little attention and care. Ignoring the issue may result in health problems that could follow him or her into adult years. You can take an active role in helping kids to learn healthy eating and physical activity habits that last a lifetime.

First,is my child overweight? Each kid is different so,each kid has different needs. Also, kids do grow at different rates, and have growth spurts at different times. This means that it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. If you think that your child is overweight, you may want to talk to your health care provider. He or she can help you tell if your child's weight and height are within a healthy range.

Next, how can I help if a child is unfit and overweight? A good start is by emphasizing how important healthy eating and physical activity habits are. Most kids will respond to this to some degree. Some will become quite diligent about a healthy lifestyle, others may need encouraging, positive support. Be careful never to single out the child who is overweight. We want to be aware of how sensitive an area this can be,and the damage that can be done.

Do not put the child on a weight-loss diet without knowing what you are doing. If you are unsure, again ask your health care provider, or others that have expertise and knowledge about the subject for help. If children do not eat enough, they may not grow, flourish, and learn as well as they should.

Be Supportive. Be sure the child feels that he or she is loved, special, and important, and that you truly care. Children's feelings about themselves are largely based on how adults and their parents treat them and show their concern..

Accept the child no matter his or her weight. Children are more likely to accept and feel good about themselves when their parents and those adults who work with them, or mentor them, show that they truly accept them.

Listen to your child's concerns about his or her weight. If they want to talk about it, make yourself available. Overweight, unfit children probably know better than anyone else that they have a weight problem. You may be their best source of information. They need support, understanding, and encouragement from adults and parents.You could be the one person in whom they can confide.

Encourage kids to develop healthy eating habits. For instance, serve more fruits and vegetables. Let the kids make choices in what they want, as long as it is good for their health.

Limit the soft drinks and high-fat or high-calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and candy. These snacks may be OK once in a while, but always keep healthy snack foods on hand. Offer the healthy snacks most often at snack times.

Make sure kids eat breakfast every day. Breakfast will provide kids with the energy he or she needs to listen and learn in school. Skipping breakfast can leave kids hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.

Limit fast foods. When you do visit a fast food restaurant, encourage kids to choose the foods that are the healthier options for them. Help them become aware of how high in empty calories things like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and some salad dressings are. They may not eliminate using them, but just having them cut back on their use can make a big difference.

Try not to use food as a reward when encouraging kids to eat. Promising dessert to a child for eating vegetables is not a good tactic. Find a better, more positive approach.

Finally, start with small servings and let kids ask for more if he or she is still hungry.

These are just a few ideas to keep in mind when working with kids to keep them fit and at a healthy weight.

Original article

Childhood Obesity Information

Childhood Obesity has reached epidemic proportions around the world. It is no longer confined to the UK, USA, and some European countries. It is now shown around the world that Childhood Obesity has raised from 1 in 5 to 1 in 4. This childhood obesity information is staggering when you consider a small province in Ireland; the North of Ireland has 10,000 obese children. The rise in childhood obesity has been gathering speed at such an alarming rate that if it continues, no health service will be able to cope with the complications of childhood obesity. The childhood obesity information keeps on getting more facts each day on this growing menace of obesity to our society and way of life. One has to throw out the live and let live attitude. This menace of obesity has to be smashed and done very quickly by giving as much as possible childhood obesity information to parents, guardians and children institutes.

Children should have a healthy well balanced food regime that gives them the energy to grow and develop. The more they take in; in energy what ever is not used up is stored as Fat and the children will become overweight or obese. Been obese means you are carrying far too much weight. Obesity is caused by regularly eating fast food, high caloric drinks, it is in plain language eating and drinking more calories then the body needs. These fast foods and processed foods contain so much sugar and fat that if you're not physically active you will become obese.

Once a child is overweight or obese, they are more likely to develop serious health problems which is not in any way good for the child and that obesity leads to life threatening circumstances such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, liver disease, early puberty, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, asthma and shins infections and most evil of all cancer. Obese children sadly mature to be obese adults. In addition of alarm is the death rate which is on the rise for childhood obesity and adolescence obesity. No parent wants to stand at their son or daughter's grave when there is a way to avoid this very sad situation. I am an avid fan for breastfeeding. It is one of the best ways to help your child to avoid obesity.

There are many reasons and situations which cause childhood obesity. These include

[1] Eating a diet of too many high fat and sugary foods.
[2] Eating too much and too many times in the High ST fast food chain outlets.
[3] This is the physical inactivity not doing enough exercise.
[4] Spending too much time watching television, on the computer and playing consul games. Becoming the couch potato.
[5] This is as far as my research goes rare inherited obesity.
[6] Your obese so you lead by bad example. You share the same eating habits.
[7] Not been breastfed at birth.
[8] Snacking all the time.
[9] Stress at home or school.
[10] Emotional eating.
[11] Fear of child safety to go and play.
[12] Parents busy schedule.

Possibly you could add more to the list but I am hopeful it rings a bell with parents.

Take a situation which is one I find identity with your visiting a friend with school age children they come home from school very few schools have extra sports and physical instruction available anymore. Back to my story the children arrive home and what takes place an almighty row over what program they are going to watch on television or play on the computer. Answer's itself.

The childhood obesity information I have laid out for you, I am hopeful you can benefit from it and help your children to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Wishing you all a healthy lifestyle and speak soon.

Oliver Brendan Greene was diagnosed with obesity about eight years ago after fighting a weight issue for more than fifteen years.His weight issues began when he became a little overweight, but thought it was nothing too serious. He later became fat and this deteriorated into clinical obesity a few years later. After a very serious illness and near loss of his life in 2008, Greene became determined to lose the weight. At this time, he faced the facts of his laziness and unhealthy lifestyle and made a decision to change.

His website, the-menace-of-obesity.com tells his story of gaining and losing weight. It conveys the ideas and measures that were needed to overcome the menace of being fat, obese or overweight. His mental attitude and zest for life will inspire anyone in their own fight against the menace of obesity.

Original article

Sensible Weight Loss Plans for Teenagers

Obesity is currently an epidemic for much of the world. In some countries, such as the United States of America, obesity related complications are the second highest cause of preventable deaths. Tens of millions of people are currently overweight, obese, or morbidly obese.

It is popular to blame these problems on fast food, or the food served in schools, but it really comes down to the choices we make. Anyone can eat a healthy diet. All it takes is a little commitment and a little effort.

For a teenager, being overweight is even worse. Overweight teens can face ridicule, teasing, and social ostracism for failing to conform to supposedly ideal standards. The fact that these standards can be unreasonable, unrealistic, and rarely achieved fails to mitigate the ill treatment these children face.

The good news is that getting to and maintaining a healthy weight is always possible for anyone. While there is no weight loss plan that is suitable for every teenager, every teenager is suitable for some weight loss plan.

The best step to start with is to consult a doctor or dietitian. A professional can formulate a plan based on individual needs and give practical advice for carrying out a sensible, safe plan for healthy weight loss.

A primary advantage to losing weight while young is that the body has fewer physical limitations. It is much easier for a teenager to get in shape than it is for an adult. The better shape a teenager is in, the more calories he or she will burn during daily activities.

Most schools have physical education classes, but these provide far too little physical activity for effective weight loss. Most experts recommend up to ninety minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise two to three times a week, and a gym class may only be thirty minutes long twice weekly. With doctor approval, a teenager can work out in a local gym, where he or she will have access to both cardiovascular and strength training equipment.

The important thing when beginning an exercise program is to start slowly and progress steadily. It is a good idea to regularly vary the activities in both type and intensity. This is the best way to shed extra pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

In additional to physical activity, a teenager who is attempting to lose weight must carefully watch his or her food intake. It is vital that this food intake be recorded, either in a paper food diary, on a home computer, or in an online diet tracker. Most people will under report their calorie intake on a consistent basis.

A simple, basic approach to diet is simply to eat a well-balanced diet. Meals should contain reasonable amounts of the basic nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Overall calories for the day should be kept to a reasonable amount. If weight loss is desired, a five hundred calorie deficit is a good starting point. At no point should a male consume less than fifteen hundred calories a day or a female consume less than twelve hundred calories a day.

Another excellent solution is to follow a low carbohydrate diet. On this diet, proteins and fats are much less restricted and carbohydrate intake is severely limited. This is a great way to see quick results, but can be harder to stick to for some teenagers. Many people report greater success in following a low carbohydrate diet than in following a low fat diet. Because teenagers have different nutritional requirements than adults, it is recommended that a physician should be consulted before starting a low carbohydrate plan.

Another option is to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day, while restricting overall calorie intake.

The importance of getting a sufficient amount of sleep is often overlooked by people trying to lose weight. Teenagers often need more sleep than adults, and failing to get enough sleep will make weight gain easier and weight loss more difficult.

Explain to your teenager that, just as he or she did not gain the weight overnight, he or she will not lose the weight overnight either. With persistence and patient, anyone can achieve a weight loss goal.

Fadzli Lee

Advisor of Healthy Diet System
http://www.diethealthysystem.com/blog

Original article