Five weapons to fight childhood obesity

by Jeni Tackett, Registered Dietitian, Trinity Medical Center

As parents we are helping our children form habits that will last them for a lifetime.  When we drop them off at their dorm room in college, we want them to have developed a taste for healthy foods and a love for exercise.  There is no time like the present for stepping up and making those healthy changes for you and your children.

I want to arm you as parents and grandparents (yep, I’m talking to the grandparents too…it takes a village, you know) with some defenses to protect our children.  Remember, you are the parent. The number of obese children has more than tripled in the 30 years since I was a child. We can start turning that number around.

Here are 5 weapons you can add to your arsenal:

• Have the nutrition talk.  We talk to our kids about drugs and sex and other bad things we want them to avoid.  Talk to your children about eating healthy and why it’s important.  Explain how to read a food label and why fruits and vegetables are so good for them.  Explain why starting the day with a pop tart isn’t a good way to fuel their bodies and minds.

• Set a good example.  Actions speak louder than words.  If you want your children to develop healthy lifestyle habits then you need to show them how!  I have a friend whose daughter needed to lose some weight, so she suggested that they start exercising together.  Her daughter cried and stated, “If I need to exercise then that means you think I’m fat.”  My friend asked her where she learned that from, and her daughter explained that every time her Mom wanted to lose weight she started to exercise.  Kids are smart.  They watch everything you do.  You need to eat healthy and exercise regularly if you expect them to do the same.

• Be informed.  Have you seen what the kids are served for breakfast and lunch at school?  Does anyone think an “uncrustable” has any nutritional value?  Let your school know how they can improve the breakfast and lunch program.  If you’re not happy with what the school is serving then pack a healthy lunch for your children.  I have a friend who didn’t read the school breakfast calendar until her son came home with glaze all over his shirt.  She asked where all the glaze came from and he said, “From the giant glazed donut I got for breakfast!”  She started reading the calendar after that.

• Provide a healthy after-school snack.  Kids come home really hungry after a day at school.  Many kids get in the habit of munching on junk food until dinner.  Not surprisingly they don’t have any room for broccoli at dinner.  When your kids get home from school, make them a healthy snack and have them sit down at the kitchen table and eat.  Kids that eat in front of the TV or while playing video games tend to overeat and not focus on their snack.

• Buy healthy foods.  Fill your house with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy snacks for kids.  Keep a fruit basket on the table, keep cut up veggies in the fridge, and include your children in making healthy choices at the grocery store.  If you have a busy evening, plan healthy quick meals such as whole wheat pasta and steamed veggies.  Eating healthy has to be a priority in a busy household!

 

Jeni Tackett is a registered dietitian at Trinity Medical Center and the Two Rivers YMCA. Jeni majored in Nutrition and Dietetics at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Caroline. She lives East Moline with her husband, Nathan and their two children, Noah and Lily and two dogs. Jack and Lola.For a listing of all of Jeni’s blog posts on MVHNews, click here.