Is Dieting OK For Children?

Many parents with obese children wonder if dieting is ok as a tool for losing weight. If you are a parent concerned about your overweight or obese child, you are not alone. According to the National Institute of Health, children are just as likely to develop obesity as adults. Obesity in children is also becoming more and more of a problem.

There are many reasons for this, including less active play time, more time spend in front of a television, video game or surfing the Net, and more time eating processed junk food in and outside of school.

Dieting Not The Answer
Parents with obese children must know that dieting is not the right answer for losing weight. The chances are high if you or your partner is obese than your child probably suffers from obesity too.

Unfortunately, many people believe dieting is the key to losing weight, even in children. Truthfully, the word "diet" should be banned from your child's vocabulary. The moment you introduce the term diet into your home you increase your child's risk of lifelong problems with weight.

In today's age, far too many concern themselves with diet. If you want your child to lose weight, you must first change the way you think of the term "diet". When it comes to children, diet should not mean calorie restriction with the goal of losing weight. The term diet should be used to describe the foods your child eats to nourish his or her growing body.

We are all on a "diet", some of us are on better diets than others, thus are less likely to suffer from obesity. Rather than forcing your child to diet to lose weight, what you can do is encourage your child to learn more about healthy foods and invite them to go shopping with you so they have a chance at selecting healthier foods to eat.

You can then fill your refrigerator with healthy snacks and meals your children can easily fetch or prepare on their own. If you introduce healthy snacks into your child's diet early in life, the chances are high your children will maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise and Diet
Once your child begins to make smart food choices, you can then work to encourage them to play more and get some exercise. Children don't need to run on treadmills to lose weight; all they have to do is go outside and play.

Exercise is critical for maintaining anyone's health, whether they are small or large, tall or short. Exercise can include taking the stairs or walking to school; it can include mowing the law; it may include tossing around a football or kickball. Anything your child does that doesn't involve sitting in front of the television will result in better health.

Lead By Example
Sometimes a parent forgets their children often model their behaviors. Thus, if you constantly concern yourself with how "fat" you are or the need to "diet", your children will view life the same way.

What you should be teaching your children is moderation. If you eat a healthy diet and indulge occasionally, if you exercise regularly and avoid watching too much television, your children automatically learn to do the same.

If you have health concerns about your child, you should talk with your child's pediatrician, who may be able to provide you with solid information about how to structure your child's exercise, meals and sleep schedule to optimize your child's health. Remember, anytime is a good time to start feeling your best!