An estimated 20 – 35% of American children ages 8 to 18 are overweight. Being overweight not only leads to psychological and social problems for the child, but can also lead to physical problems in the future such as:

· premature heart disease
· high blood pressure
· diabetes
· cancer

As overweight children are at greater risk of becoming overweight adults than lean children are, the time to control and manage your child’s weight is now!

Picking the Right Foods

Children who are overweight should eat more foods that are nutrient dense, and fewer foods that are calorie dense.

Meats:
–Choose Lean meats, fish, and poultry that have been broiled, roasted or baked, not fried and lean luncheon meat (at least 97% fat-free)
– Instead of Fatty meats, commercial ground beef, regular cold cuts, hot dogs, fried meats

Milk & Dairy Products:
–Choose Low fat or preferably skim milk; low fat or fat-free cheeses (mozzarella, skim ricotta, low fat or fat-free American); low fat or fat-free yogurt or puddings
–Instead of Whole milk or cream, regular cheeses, (Cheddar, Colby, Swiss); regular ice cream or yogurts

Breads & Starches:
–Choose Whole-grain or enriched breads, and whole grain or fortified cereals with low fat and low sugar content
–Instead of Breads made with added fat (corn bread, biscuits, croissants, muffins); French fries

Vegetables:
–Choose Fresh or frozen, serve raw, steamed, or stir-fried; use herbs and spices, may use small amounts of margarine
–Instead of Vegetables made with rich sauces, heavily buttered, fried or in casseroles

Fruits & Juices:
–Choose Fresh, frozen or canned fruits or juices, packed in water or in their own juice
–Instead of Fruits in heavy syrup or those with added sugar.

Additional Food/Diet Suggestions
· Avoid fried foods
· Eat smaller portions and avoid eating seconds
· Avoid adding a lot of butter or margarine to foods
· Use sauces, gravies, dressings, and sour cream in moderation
· Serve fruit instead of sweet desserts
· Avoid calorie-dense snacks such as potato chips, soda, candy
· Avoid snacking in the evening
· Do not put your child on a “diet” without working with your child’s doctor or nutritionist. They can help set reasonable goals for your child to optimally manage his/her weight.
· When starting a plan for managing your child’s weight, be sure to follow through. Losing a few pounds and putting it back right away can be harmful.
· When choosing a weight management program for your child, be sure that it allows for a gradual weight loss.
· For children under the age of 10, it may simply be best to let them “grow into their weight”.
· If your child is working on choosing healthy foods for weight management, make sure that the whole family helps!
· Limit television watching to half an hour or less per day.
· Encourage your child to move around and play outdoors to increase the number of calories he/she burns.

Quick Lowfat Snacks

Fresh Vegetables: carrots, celery, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, green peppers. Serve plain or with dip made with fat-free yogurt or sour cream; no more than 1 Tbsp of peanut butter or low fat cream cheese

Fresh Fruits: grapes, apples, oranges, bananas. Serve fresh, sliced or whole, but with no added sugar or syrup.

Crackers/Chips: Animal crackers, graham crackers, saltines, vanilla wafers, fat-free pretzels, bread sticks, bread or bagel, baked chips, popcorn (unbuttered)

Dairy Snacks: Low fat or skim yogurt (regular or frozen), low fat or skim puddings, low fat string cheese

Gelatin: Sugar-free jello, add fresh fruit for variety