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What can be done about childhood obesity?
First we must recognize that it is an epidemic – a major health problem.
This is important because many people do not or will not see obesity, especially in children. But almost 1/3 of our kids are obese. It's why I wrote a book called: It’s Not Always Baby Fat! [Available for your Kindle or for your Nook]
In my book, I write about some of these suggestions in more detail. I know that for some families my suggested strategies may not be easy – but parents – these are your children and no one ever said child rearing was easy [especially me!!]
Here are some simple strategies for YOU – as the parent you can:
- set a good role model
- learn about nutrition
- talk about nutrition
- discuss the effects of obesity
- get more exercise
Here is an easy-to-do strategy – plan, cook and eat meals together with your kids.
Kids like to cook. Have chats about what meals they can make – with your help and without! Work out the menus; plan fancy meals, quick meals and meals to freeze. Plan this out before shopping. Make a list of the meals and needed ingredients and then go to the store.
Cook up a storm together with your kids one day a week and freeze the foods you are not eating that night. It makes it very easy then to have good, healthy and fast meals all week. Microwaves are good defrosters – but if you do not have one, take out the frozen meals in the morning and they will defrost by dinnertime.
Cook or warm up the meals or let the kids do that. Have the kids set the table and maybe let them decorate it as well. A festive table makes for a nicer meal.
Turn off the TV, the radio and the "whatever-your-kids-own" stuff.
Sit down. Eat. Converse. Laugh. Enjoy a meal together!
Comments? Thoughts? Thank you.
What great ideas! And it sounds like good common sense that eating healthy meals together will help keep kids at a good weight. My son loves to cook and often asks if he can take over the spaghetti sauce or prepare the meal for company. He makes great seasoning choices. Thanks for this post.
You are welcome and thank you for your neat comment. In my book I go into more about how it also helps communication, reading and math skills. So good for you and your son that you do this. I wish more parents could see that eating well and together solves more than obesity issues.
Lynn