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Miller County - Family and Consumer Science
Healthy Snacks Make Healthy Kids
Healthy Weight For Young Children
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Obesity & Overweight in Young Children
Eating well and being physically active are key to your child's
well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little can lead to
overweight and related health problems that can follow children into
their adult years. You can take an active role in helping your child
- and your whole family - learn healthy eating and physical activity
habits.
How
will healthy eating and physical activity help my child?
All children benefit from healthy eating and physical activity. A balanced
diet and being physically active help children:
- Grow
- Learn
- Build strong bones and muscles
- Have energy
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Avoid obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes
- Get plenty of nutrients
- Feel good about themselves
How are my
child's eating and activity habits formed?
Parents play a big role in shaping children's eating habits. When parents
eat a variety of foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber,
children learn to like these foods as well. It may take 10 or more tries
before a child accepts a new food so do not give up if your child does not
like a new food right away.
Parents have an effect on children's physical activity habits as well. You
can set a good example by going for a walk or bike ride after dinner instead
of watching TV. Playing ball or jumping rope with your children shows them
that being active is fun.
With many parents working outside the home, child care providers also help
shape children's eating and activity habits. Make sure your child care
provider offers well-balanced meals and snacks, as well as plenty of active
play time.
If your child is in school, find out more about the school's breakfast and
lunch programs and ask to have input into menu choices, or help your child
pack a lunch that includes a variety of foods. Get involved in the
parent-teacher association (PTA) to support physical education (PE) and
after-school sports.
Your child's friends and the media can also affect his or her eating and
activity choices. Children may go to fast food places or play video games
with their friends instead of playing tag, basketball, or other active
games. TV commercials try to persuade kids to choose high-fat snacks and
high-sugar drinks and cereals. When parents help their children be aware of
peer and media pressures, youngsters are more likely to make healthy choices
outside the home.
What should my child eat?
Just like adults, children need to eat a wide variety of foods for good
health. Use the food guide pyramid as a starting point for planning family
meals and snacks. The Food Guide Pyramid applies to healthy people age 2
years and older. The smaller number of servings in the range is for children
age 6 years and under. For 2- to 3-year old children, the serving size
should be smaller, about two-thirds of a regular serving (except for milk).
When you help children build healthy eating habits early, they will
approach eating with a positive attitude - that food is something to enjoy,
help them grow, and give them energy.
Food
Guide Pyramid for Young Children
Children 2 to 6 years old need two servings from the milk group per day;
children over 6 need three servings. Do not limit fat for children under 2.
For older children, aim for a total fat intake of no more than 30 percent of
daily calories.
One Serving Equals
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
- ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Vegetable Group
- 1 cup of raw or ½ cup of frozen (cooked) leafy vegetables
- ½ cup of other vegetables-cooked or chopped raw
- ¾ cup of vegetable juice
Fruit Group
- 1 medium apple, banana, or orange
- ½ cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
- ¾ cup of fruit juice
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group
- 1 cup of milk or yogurt
- 1 ½ ounces of natural cheese
- 2 ounces of processed cheese
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans and Nuts Group
- 2-3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
- ½ cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat. Two
tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat.
Sources of Calcium
Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth. Milk and milk products are great
sources of calcium. If your child cannot digest milk or if you choose not to
serve milk products, there are other ways to make sure he or she gets enough
calcium.
- Offer one serving of calcium-fortified fruit juice per day. Fortified
juices contain as much calcium per serving as milk.
- Serve calcium-rich vegetables like broccoli, mustard greens, kale,
collard greens, and Brussels sprouts.
- Include high-calcium beans like great northern beans, black turtle
beans, navy beans, and baked beans in casseroles and salads.
- Try calcium-enriched soy-and rice-based drinks. Serve chilled, use in
place of cow's milk in your favorite recipes, or add to hot or cold cereals.
- Serve lactose-reduced or lactose-free dairy products like low-fat or
fat-free milk yogurt and ice cream. (Lactose is the sugar in milk and foods
made with milk. People who cannot digest lactose often have stomach pain and
bloating when they drink milk.)
- Try low-fat yogurt or cheese in small amounts - they may be easier to
digest than milk.
How can I help my child eat
better?
- Give your child a snack or two in addition to his/her three daily meals.
- Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, vegetables and
fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat or beans.
- Serve snacks like dried fruit, low-fat yogurt, and air-popped popcorn.
- Let your child decide whether and how much to eat. Keep serving new
foods even if your child does not eat them at first.
- Cook with less fat-bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
- Limit the amount of added sugar in your child's diet. Choose cereals
with low or no added sugar. Serve water or low-fat milk more often than
sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.
- Choose and prepare foods with less salt. Keep the salt shaker off the
table. Have fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks instead of salty snack
foods.
- Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more
willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
- Have family meals together and serve everyone the same thing.
- Do not be too strict. In small amounts, sweets or food from fast-food
restaurants can still have a place in a healthy diet.
- Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with
the energy they need to listen and learn in school.
Simple Snack Ideas*
- Dried fruit and nut mix
- Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables or fruit served plain or with low-fat
yogurt
- Rice cakes, whole grain crackers, or whole grain bread served with
low-fat cheese, fruit spread, peanut butter, almond butter, or soy nut
butter
- Pretzels or air-popped popcorn sprinkled with salt-free seasoning mix
- Homemade fruit smoothie made with low-fat milk or yogurt and frozen or
fresh fruit
- Dry cereals served plain or with low-fat or non-fat milk
*Children of preschool age and younger can easily choke on
foods that are hard to chew, small and round, or sticky, such as hard
vegetables, whole grapes, hard chunks of cheese, raisins, nuts and seeds, and
popcorn. Carefully select snacks for children in this age group.
What about physical activity?
Like adults, children should be physically active most, if not all, days of
the week. Experts suggest at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity
daily for most children. Walking fast, bicycling, jumping rope, dancing fast,
and playing basketball are all good ways for your child to be active.
As children spend more time watching TV and playing computer and video games,
they spend less time being active. Parents play a big role in helping kids get
up and get moving.
How can I help my child
be more active?
- Be a role model for your children. If they see you being physically
active and having fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active
throughout their lives.
- Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, biking, dancing,
basketball, or roller skating.
- Focus on fun. You can do a lot of walking during trips to the zoo, park,
or miniature-golf course.
- Include children in household activities like dog-walking, car-washing, or
lawn-mowing.
- Limit your children's TV and computer time. Offer them active options,
like joining a local recreation center or after-school program, or taking
lessons in a sport they enjoy.
- Encourage your child to be physically active every day.
What if my child is overweight?
Children who are overweight are more likely to become overweight adults. They
may develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other
illnesses that can follow them into adulthood. Overweight in children can also
lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.
Because children grow at different rates at different times, it's not always
easy to tell if a child is overweight. For example, it is normal for boys to
have a growth spurt in weight and catch up in height later. Your health care
provider can measure your child's height and weight and tell you if your child
is in a healthy range for his or her gender and age. If your provider finds that
your child is overweight, you can help.
How Can I help My overweight
child?
- Do not put your child on a weight-loss diet unless your health care
provider tells you to. Limiting what children eat may interfere with their
growth.
- Involve the whole family in building healthy eating and physical activity
habits. It benefits everyone and does not single out the child who is
overweight.
- Accept and love your child at any weight. It will boost his or her
self-esteem.
- Help your child find ways other than food to handle setbacks or successes.
- Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned about your
child's eating habits or weight.
- Remember, you play the biggest role in your child's life. You can help your
children learn healthy eating and physical activity habits that they can follow
for the rest of their lives.
Tips for Parents
- Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with
the energy they need to listen and learn in school.
- Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, vegetables and
fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat or beans.
- Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned about your
child's eating habits or weight.
- Cook with less fat - bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
- Limit the amount of added sugar in your child's diet. Serve water or
low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored
drinks.
- Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more
willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
- Be a role model for your children. If they see you being physically
active and having fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active
throughout their lives.
- Encourage your child to be active everyday.
- Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, biking, dancing,
basketball, or roller skating.
This information was provided by
NIDDK Weight
Control Information Network.
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