Weight Loss Foods for Kids

When it comes to weight loss for kids, there are challenges to be faced that are unique compared to the challenges faced by adults losing weight. In the first place, dietary changes and restrictions are IMPOSED on children, whereas, adults are act on their own behalf in most cases.

Helping a child understand the reasons for the change in their diet can be awkward to say the least. Any sudden changes in food and portion sizes are unsettling for children. The younger they are the harder it is. For example, explaining the health risks of obesity like heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc probably doesn’t mean much to a kid unless they happen to know someone who suffers from those ailments. Furthermore, you don’t want to frighten them with worst case scenarios, nor do you want to undermine their self esteem and cause them to have a negative body image. Check out this post on Helping children develop healthy body image.

It stands to reason that if a child is overweight or gaining weight then you need to reduce their calorie intake in order for them to lose any excess weight.

Thankfully, it is possible to reduce their calories WITHOUT decreasing their food intake. It is simply a matter of substituting natural foods for processed foods. For example, instead of giving them a candy bar or packet of potato crisps as a snack, give them a piece of fruit… it contains about half the calories, is just as filling and is nutritionally rich from all the vitamins. And instead of pizza, take out burgers or chicken nuggets and chips for dinner, whizz up a quick fish burger with uncrumbed fish (ie. not the freezer fillets) and salad on a wholewheat (brown) bun. An alternative is homemade salmon patties (tinned salmon, peas, finely chopped carrots and mashed potato to bind rolled in breadcrumbs and heated in a non stick frying pan without oil). If they don’t like fish then make patties with minced beef, lamb or chicken, finely chopped onion, an egg, salt and pepper to taste and a little all purpose flour to bind… the point is not to have all the msg which acts as an appetite stimulant, fats and sugars. Those are the biggest culprits in weight gain.

Another thing to watch for is what your child drinks. Did you know that one can of soda contains around 160 calories. If they drink four per day that’s an additional 640 calories that do NOTHING to satisfy appetite… i.e. they are empty calories. That is about one third of their daily calorie needs. But don’t fall into the trap of always giving them fruit juice either as that contains almost as many calories… better for them to have a piece of fruit which will also satisfy hunger. Encourage them to drink water but if they must drink soda at least make it diet soda.

If your child likes eating noodles there is a brilliant new product on the market called shirataki noodles. Actually, they’re not new, they’ve been consumed in Asia for over 2000 years, but they are a new concept to so-called Western nations. Shirataki noodles are made from a combination of water and soluble fiber to form a gelatinous noodle which the body is incapable of converting to energy making them effectively calorie free. I recommend that you attempt to find these noodles at your local Asian food store. If they don’t stock them then thankfully, they are available online from Miracle Noodles. If you need some recipes visit shirataki noodle recipes

Exercise is another aspect of weight loss for kids and it’s really not that difficult to get them more active. If they attend school locally then encourage them to walk to school instead of driving them. If they catch a bus encourage them to get off a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way. Go for a family bike ride at the weekend or give them the job of taking the dog for a walk. Actually, it’s probably better if the whole family does that together as you would all benefit from the extra excercise. If you have trouble dragging the child away from their console games then get a wii and some of the games that will encourage them to get active like Wii sports and Wii fit. That way, it combines their favorite activity with some excercise.

As you can see, weight loss for kids isn’t an insurmountable challenge. A few small changes and your child will live a long, healthy life.

source : weightlosstips4kids

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