How To Prevent Child Obesity

With more and more overweight kids, attention is turning to child obesity prevention and what we can do to improve the situation.

Child obesity prevention is primarily the responsibility of the parents, though schools and other organizations also have a role to play.

Key Factors Preventing

The main factors for child obesity prevention are as follows:

• Be a good role model, help your child understand healthy food choices
   
• Offer healthy food choices food and snacks
   
• Get snacks that are low in fat, sodium, and refined sugar and high in fibre, vitamins & minerals
   
• Involve your kids in shopping for healthy foods
   
• Teach children about food preparation like washing veg, pouring and stirring ingredients
   
• Dont ban all unhealthy foods, but offer them in moderation
   
• Give your kids a diet consistent with food guide recommendations
   
• Watch portion sizes
   
• Limit television viewing of fast food and snack ads
   
• Encourage your children to be active - take them on family walks
   
• Walk them to school, or to local shops
   
• Enroll them in after school activities
   
• Praise kids when they make healthy food choice
   
• Aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables each day this can be a mix of fruit and vegetable juices, and raw or cooked, canned or dried fruits and vegetables
   
• Work with the school to replace vending machine serving sweets and fizzy drinks with those offering water, 100% fruit or vegetable juices, and healthier snacks

In Summary

Food preferences develop with time and repeated exposure, so present new foods in small quantities and encourage them to take at least one bite. Over time theyll get used to a variety of new food.