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Managing Your Child's Weight

Children need plenty of nutritious foods to make sure they grow well and stay healthy. However, the number of children who are overweight is growing. Right now, one out of every four children in the United States is obese. When children weigh too much, they have a higher chance of having heart disease, diabetes and obesity as adults.

By helping children eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, parents can make sure their children reach and maintain a healthy weight. Here are some tips for managing weight in children:

Eat Well

• Don't let your child skip meals. Going too long between meals slows down the metabolism and may cause children to eat too much at their next meal.
• Control portion sizes, for eating too many calories in a day causes weight gain.
• Make snacks count by providing nutritious, low-fat foods. Limit snacks to 1-2 each day. Be consistent with snack times. Try these low-fat snacks:
  • 1/2 turkey sandwich
  • Low-fat yogurt
  • Fresh fruit
  • Carrot sticks and bell pepper slices
  • Popcorn without butter
  • Fig bars
  • Pretzels
  • Animal crackers
• Limit or avoid non-nutritious foods, such as sugar, honey, syrup, sugary drinks and sweets
• Encourage your children to eat three servings of vegetables a day. Try carrot or celery sticks, broccoli with melted low-fat cheese and salads.
• Encourage your children to eat two servings of fruits a day. Try sliced apples with cinnamon or low-fat cottage cheese, or grapes and bananas mixed with low-fat vanilla yogurt. Add sliced pears or peaches to salads for an extra-healthy fruit and vegetable dish.

Reduce the Fat

Some tips for eating less fat include:

• Switch to lower-fat diary products like fat-free or 1 percent milk. Buy low-fat yogurts, cheeses and sour cream, which cost the same as whole dairy products.
• Try low-fat, or light, mayonnaise, margarine and salad dressings.
• Try sherbet, sorbet, ice milk or fruit juice bars instead of ice cream.
• Limit cheese to one or fewer slices per day or choose low-fat varieties.
• For pasta, choose red sauce instead of cream sauce.
• Limit fatty meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, bologna, salami and Spam. Buy low-fat versions of these products to eat occasionally.
• Be adventurous! Try new foods like tofu, veggie burgers and soy or rice milk.
• Encourage kids to eat legumes and whole grain breads, cereals, rice, and pasta. Cereals and grains are not fattening unless you add fat to them or eat too much of them. They also are very filling.
• Limit candy, cookies, pastries, donuts, pies and cakes. Don't give children sweets to distract them or to bribe them to eat their meal.
• Don't force children to clean their plates. Kids know when they are full.
• Limit fast food. When kids do eat out, have them choose smaller portions. Try small fries instead of large fries, a single burger instead of a double, six pieces of chicken nuggets instead of nine pieces, a small drink instead of a large or diet soda instead of regular soda.

Cook Well

• Trim all visible fat off meat before cooking. Take the skin off chicken and turkey before or after cooking.
• Choose fish, chicken, turkey and loin meats. Bake, broil, roast or grill meats instead of frying.
• Use non-stick cooking spray, like Pam, or no-oil marinades instead of butter, oil and lard.
• Drain and throw away the fat that comes out of meat as it cooks.
• Add little or no fat to the foods you cook. Flavor meats and vegetables with herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice instead of butter and gravy.
• Look for 85 percent or 93 percent lean ground beef in the store, or try ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Drink Well

• Make sure kids get plenty of water -- at least six glasses -- every day. Add a lemon wedge for more flavor.
• Limit the amount of soda your children drink. Have kids drink soda only on special occasions.
• Limit juice to 8 ounces per day. Water down juices -- try mixing 1/2 cup of juice with 1/2 cup of water -- to thin out the calories.
• Try low-calorie drinks such as Crystal Light and diet Snapple instead of juice and regular soda.
• Avoid adding sugar to drinks. Try sugar substitutes such as Equal or Sweet 'n' Low instead.

Exercise Well

• Limit the amount of time your children spend watching television, using the computer, and playing video games to a total of two hours each day. Children who do these activities too much have a higher chance of becoming overweight.
• Get the whole family moving. Take a walk after dinner, go to the playground or join family swimming classes at the YMCA. When families exercise together, kids are more likely to exercise regularly.
• Get your children involved in group sports.

Think Well

• Try to focus on health rather than your children's weight. Let them know they are OK no matter what their weight is.
• Be a good role model for your children. Show them how to eat well and exercise regularly.
• Don't put kids on a strict diet. Make permanent, healthy changes to the whole family's eating habits.
• Praise them when they exercise or make healthy food choices.
• Plan a reward other than food for good report cards and other accomplishments.
• Get them interested in nutrition and health. Teach them how to cook and explore new foods.

For more information or to request an appointment with a registered dietitian, please contact the UCSF Nutrition Counseling Center at (415) 353-1461.

• Bag Lunch Ideas for Your Child
• Encouraging Your Child to Eat Fruits and Vegetables
• Starting Solid Foods

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.