Working as a child weight management practitioner gives me an insight into how and why parents lose track of their children’s diets
Tackling the problem of overweight children
So many families have both parents working long hours, which leaves them less time to cook and makes convenience foods the go-to option. Add to that the fact most children spend hours on their screens instead of taking physical exercise and it’s easy to see why one in three children leave primary school overweight.
So what do we do?
As a team we work with each family for six months, building a relationship while finding ways to help them make healthy changes. Although every family is different, we often see the same problems occurring…
These are my top five solutions.
1 Don’t trust the front of packaging: always check the labelIt’s easy to be misled by foods that are labelled ‘low fat’, but which are often high in sugar – cereals, cereal bars and yogurts are common offenders. 2 Check portion sizes: most manufacturers’ servings are adult portionsA portion of crisps for primary school children is just half a packet. And they should be eating off a small plate (the size of a side plate), not an adult dinner plate! When working out what makes a portion for the different food groups, look at the size of your child’s hand. A portion of protein would be the size of their palm and their cupped hand would measure a portion of fruit or vegetables. 3 Make sure they are getting enough sleep – tiredness increases sweet cravingsAlthough children often go to bed at a good time, they may not get to sleep until much later as they’re watching screens (TVs, mobiles, etc). This keeps the brain active, preventing them getting the sleep they need, and we all know that tiredness causes cravings for sugar just to get us through the day. Make
the bedroom a screen-free zone.
4 Keep an eye on their screen time during the day, tooThere has been a dramatic change in the activity levels of children over the past couple of decades. With the introduction of many screen-based entertainments, children are sitting rather than getting up and moving, so they aren’t meeting the recommended one hour a day of activity. Encouraging them to be active helps maintain a healthy energy balance and strengthens bones. For ideas of activities
5 Avoid those sugar cravings: eat little and oftenThe recommended time between eating is three hours. Not eating regularly enough leads to low blood sugar levels, irritability, loss in concentration, and thus cravings for sugary or fatty foods. Try to ensure your child is eating three meals and two healthy snacks per day. Rose works for Thrive Tribe in Ipswich, Suffolk (thrivetribe.org.uk)
