In Australia,as with most of the developed world, the incidence of obesity in children continues to grow. Being overweight is regarded by experts as a danger to an individuals health throughout their life.

This increase in over weight children may be attributed to a number of factors such as the larger part fast foods take in many families' diet and that children are generally not as physically active as in the past. If you feel your child is a little overweight how can you help them?

Here are some supportive, even fun, ways you can work together with your child to help them have a balanced nutritional diet.

Support your child to develop good attitudes about eating.

Children should never be placed on a restricted diet to lose weight, unless a doctor supervises one for medical reasons. Limiting what children eat may be harmful to their health and interfere with their normal growth and development. To promote proper growth and development and prevent weight gain, parents should offer the whole family a wide variety of foods from each of the food groups displayed in the Healthy food Pyramid

If you are unsure what foods to provide for your family consult a dietitian for nutrition counseling.

Reduce fat

Cut down the amount of fat in your family's diet Reducing fat is a good way to cut calories without depriving your child of nutrients. Simple ways to cut the fat in your family's diet include eating low fat or no fat dairy products, poultry without skin and lean meats, and low fat or fat free breads and cereals. Making small changes to the amount of fat in your family's diet is a good way to prevent excess weight gain in children.
If you are going to change your child's diet, please obtain professional advice before going ahead, as children require supervision by a health professional or dietitian. In addition fat should not be restricted in the diets of children younger than 2 years of age. After that age, children should gradually adopt a diet that contains no more than 30% of calories from fat by the time the child is about 5 years old.

It is important to be aware of the fat, salt, and sugar content of foods in which you may serve to your family.
Try not to be over restrictive on snack foods, [your dietitian will advise you in this area] as snack foods that are high in sugar, salt and fats do have a place in the diet in moderation.

More Tips

• Make a wide variety of healthy foods available in the house. This will encourage children to make healthy food choices
• Encourage your child/ren to eat slowly. A child can detect hunger and fullness better when eating slowly
• As a family try and eat your meals together, making mealtimes a pleasant and enjoyable experience. Meal times should not be a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster in order to leave the table in hurry. They then may learn to associate eating with stress
• Most children will like to be involved in food shopping and meal preparation, which provides you with an opportunity to teach your child about nutrition and a feeling of accomplishment. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they have helped to prepare
• Continuous snacking may lead to overeating, try and plan snacks at specific times during the day, as they can be part of a nutritious diet, without spoiling a child's appetite at meal times. Try and gather ideas on nutritious snacks, without depriving your child of occasional chips and lollies, especially at parties or other social events
• Try not to make your child look different in front of their friends where their diet is concerned
• Together with your child make a list out of healthy snacks and display it on the fridge/notice board.

Rewarding or punishing with food.

Try not to use food to punish or reward your child. Withholding food as a punishment may lead children to worry that they will not get enough food. For example sending children to bed without any dinner may cause them to worry that they will go hungry. As a result, children may try to eat whenever they get a chance. Similarly, when foods, such as, lollies/ chips are used as a reward, children may assume that these foods are better or more valuable than other foods. For example telling children that they will get desert if they eat up all their vegetables sends a wrong message about vegetables.

To ensure your child's meals outside of the home are balanced try to find out more about your child's school canteen. Do they offer healthy lunches or have a variety of foods from which to choose? Pack your child's lunch to include a variety of foods. When eating out select healthy foods from the menu.

Being a good role model.

Children learn from adults, setting a good example to your children by eating a variety of healthy foods as well as being physically active will teach your children healthy lifestyle habits that they can follow for the rest of their lives.