Childhood obesity is a problem that many children face, and many parents struggle with. Whether your children aren’t as active as they should be, or they have developed a fast food habit that’s caused them to gain weight in the last few months, you can help. In fact, when you apply these three ways to help your child lose weight, you can give them the greatest gift of all: a future of good health, and strong self-esteem.
Ensure Each Meal Has Plenty of Protein
The same rule applies for children, as it does adults. When you focus on fuller foods that are rich in nutrients (such as protein and fiber), you’ll lose weight simply because your hunger is satisfied. You can help your kids drastically lose weight by enforcing this motto at home: protein with every meal!
So, that means that for breakfast, you’re directing them away from the sugary, simple carb cereals (that offer almost no nutritional value) and instead prepare a meal for the both of you to enjoy together: scrambled eggs (or however your child likes it), sliced strawberries, and avocado toast (whole wheat toast topped with mashed avocados and a dash of salt and pepper.) Protein sources like eggs, beans, lean meats and fish are great ways to lean down and strengthen—because protein allows your body to thrive, without holding onto any of the sugary foods that convert to fat.
Pack on the Fresh Veggies and Fruits (Ones He’ll Actually Eat)
Does your child have a serious sweet tooth—which may even be the reason he/she has added on some weight recently? If so, there’s good news. You don’t have to get rid of the sugar, you just have to adjust what kind of sugar he consumes. Refined sugar is bad, but natural sugar (which comes from many of the foods we eat, including fruit) is good. Slice up watermelon and pineapple so it’s always ready when he gets hungry. Keep apples, bananas and oranges in your fruit basket—and enjoy! The best part is, when you get rid of all sweet snacks and candy in your house and replace it with a bowl of fresh fruit instead, you can watch him transform not just his waistline, but his taste buds as well.
Prepare Food for the Week
If you want your child to lose weight—but more importantly than that, feel good by learning how to make smart and healthy food decisions, you need to model that behavior yourself. Your life is busy, which is why preparing healthy and delicious food for the week ahead is so important. Prepare chicken and turkey patties that you top a salad with, by storing them in the fridge (all that you need to do when you’re ready is warm it up!) Cut up veggies, and have a couple dips on hand for healthy snacking.
But most of all, eat as many meals with your child as you can. Enjoy breakfast together, and when dinner comes, talk about what they like, what they don’t like, and how their day was. When you spend time enjoying healthy food together, you’ll notice the weight come off.
