Weight Loss: Healthy Eating and Children

This worrying trend has its roots in the availability of a range of foods that are high in saturated fats, salt and sugar. Fast foods, combined with sugary drinks and highly processed food, together with reduced exercise means that children are more likely to put on weight, and if the issue is not tackled in childhood, they are likely to stay obese as adults, causing significant health risks, including heart disease and diabetes.

If you think your child could be overweight, then you may want to consider changing their eating habits, and encouraging them to do more exercise. The last thing you want to do is create a hang-up about weight for your child, so you should approach the change with the whole family, as we can all benefit from a healthier diet and more activity.

It’s important to remember that children are still growing and need a certain number of calories and different intakes of certain nutrients to adults, to ensure that their growth is healthy and unrestricted. The number of calories they need varies with age. For this reason, any change in eating habits should be planned by a professional dietician, with the knowledge and support of your doctor or health professional.

You may think that it will be difficult to change your child’s diet, but there are many alternatives to the foods that are currently causing your child to gain weight. Crisps, chocolate and other snacks, together with fizzy drinks and sugary juices are often problem areas for children, but with careful planning and motivation, good tasting alternatives can be put in their place.

If you are concerned about your child’s weight, then talk to us at SureSlim. We have planned eating programmes for children before, taking care to ensure that they are still receiving the right balance of nutrients for their stage in life. We will work with you to make sure that you , your child and the rest of your family understand the importance of changing your eating habits in the long-term to achieve weight loss and good health and we will do this whilst providing constant support and realistic goals to ensure that you reach your goals. http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Childhealth6-15/Pages/Childhealth615home.aspx