What about a lifestyle plan for your child or grandchild?
Here’s what prompted that question.
Recently, I was confronted with no less than three lengthy articles about obesity, two dealing with childhood obesity, one with adult obesity. I was struck by the variety of publications that carried these articles: one source was the Delta Sky magazine (I was flying from Phoenix to Columbus), one was from a professional magazine, Nursing Spectrum, and the third was The Illinois Nurse.
The health challenges that can result from weight issues are indeed overwhelming. Articles and books dealing with that subject abound in bookstores as well as online. The results of this challenge, then, are not the focus of this blog.
Today I want to sift through the three articles and list several suggestions for dealing with weight issues with a child/grandchild. As a further observation, I believe these suggestions will also give positive results to adults.
- Help kids pay attention to feelings of hunger and fullness. Eat when you are a “0” and stop eating when you are ‘satisfied’ which is before you get to ‘full’ or ‘stuffed.’ Don’t let your hunger level fall below 0 (when you feel like you are ‘starving’).
- Smaller, more frequent meals will help to accomplish #1: remember ELMO: Eat Less More Often!
- Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.
- Encourage consumption of USDA recommended number of fruits and vegetables (www.mypyramid.gov) currently nine servings.
- Eat breakfast daily. In fact, each as many meals together as possible.
- Limit television and screen time.
- Limit eating out, especially at fast food restaurants.
Article will be concluded tomorrow with references.
Do you practice any of these suggestions? Have you noticed any benefit to your children? I’m interested in your comments- please note them below.
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