How To Help An Overweight child
- Replace food and drinks with added sugar for those without. Instead of fizzy drinks have water, semi-skimmed milk (full fat for under-2s) or unsweetened fruit juice; and in place of chocolate, biscuits or cake, have unsweetened yoghurt and/or fruit.
- Serve ‘Me Size Meals’. Give kids less than the grown-ups, and if they’re really hungry and come back for more, it’s ok to give seconds; much better than serving too much and nagging them to finish.
- Kids often turn up their noses at healthy greens. Keep serving a variety of veg, prepared as you like it, and eventually they’ll start to eat them.
- Cut back on fat to reduce calories. Switch to oven chips rather than deep fries, and dollop fresh or frozen natural yoghurt on your berries instead of cream or ice cream. Cut visible fat from meat, skin poultry, and grill rather than fry.
- Although flexibility is important, sticking to regular meal times helps curb unhealthy snacking habits in kids.