Good Diets for Overweight Kids

Obesity is a major health issue, and it is increasing, especially among children. Child obesity can lead to severe health complications later, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. In order to reach and stay at a healthy weight, children need to be active and to eat healthy foods.

Educating Your Kids

• Many adults don't even know the dos and don'ts of healthy dieting. The key is making the diet a lifestyle change. If a diet seems like a punishment, children will resist it. Teach your children about nutrition and how many servings of each food group they should have each day, as well as proper portion sizes. You can also find health-food games online to play with your kids to make dieting and learning about nutrition fun. It is very important to teach your children the health complications that follow obesity. Otherwise children will never understand why it's important to stay healthy.

Making Better Choices

• The next time you go grocery shopping, bring your children and allow them to pick out healthy snacks like their favorite fruits and veggies or granola bars and nuts. Avoid foods with sugary carbohydrates, like those found in candy and soda. Instead, go for complex carb snacks like oatmeal or apples. Low carbohydrate diets usually work best for children, since bad, sugary carbs are empty calories and can cause a quick rise in glucose levels. Don't restrict foods like ice cream or pizza; serve them in moderation or at special events. Applaud your children for picking healthy foods over unhealthy foods as often as possible.

Staying Active

• Keep your kids active. It's good for both you and them. Allow your children to join after-school sports or give them some extra time outside to run around every day. Spend time with them playing baseball or going swimming. Each activity could potentially burn hundreds of calories in less than an hour! Keeping busy is good for your muscles and your heart, and it also keeps your children out of trouble.