Childhood Obesity is on the Rise

Currently, there are nine million children, in the United States, that are considered overweight. Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents. The rise of childhood obesity is due to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity.

Five a Day
Just five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day can significantly reduce your child’s risk for obesity, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, lung disease, and bone disease, such as osteoporosis.

Food Guide Pyramid
The food guide pyramid can help guide you on how many servings a day that your child needs from each food group. The Pyramid illustrates the research-based food guidance system developed by USDA and supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It goes beyod the "basic four food groups" to help you put the Dietary Guidelines into action. You can receive your own copy of the food guide pyramid at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.htm

Five easy ways to improve your child's diet.

1. Improve family mealtime practice. Respect your child's signals of satiety and not focus on the amount of food the child eats. Let your child decide when he/she is full.

2. Reintroduce foods several times. Young children need to taste new food many time before developing a liking for it. Repeated exposure to new foods is instrumental in shaping young children's willingness to accept a variety of foods.

3. Don't reward your children with sugary snacks. Reward them with a fruit or vegetable. Besides, this helps establish a child's preference for the food.

4. Emphasize healthful choices rather than restrictive eating patterns.

5. Parents should be a role model for healthy food choices. Parents can eat healthy foods with their children and single enjoyment/liking for healthy foods. Also, parents can role model by choosing healthy foods, such fruits and vegetables, instead of sugary or fatty foods.