The number of obese and overweight kids continues to increase. To improve their long-term health, parental intervention is needed. A few simple rules to live by can get kids and parents back on track toward a long life of wellness.
You want your kids to be healthy, but sometimes you worry about whether they’re getting the right foods or enough physical activity. You’re right to be concerned. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), since 1980 the prevalence of obesity has doubled in children ages 6 to 11, rising to 17 percent, and tripled in adolescents 12 to 19, rising to 17.6 percent. Kids with poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles are at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and depression.
Parents as Change Agents
The good news—parents can change the trend and lead by example. Ellyn Satter, M.S., R.D., author of Your Child’s Weight, Helping Without Harming, believes the place to start is with feeding kids. “Maintain a division of responsibility,” she says. “Parents do the what, when and where of feeding; children do the how much and whether of eating.”
As counterintuitive as it may seem, controlling portion size is not the answer. Satter says research shows that kids with parents who limit portion sizes during meals and snacks, or focus on making kids eat “some of everything,” are more likely to be overweight. And beware of labeling kids. “Children who are labeled obese and overweight feel flawed in every way–not smart, not physically capable and not worthy,” says Satter.
The solution is providing structure and choice. “Parents maintain the structure of meals and snacks and do not let the child graze between times,” counsels Satter. “That means no food or beverage handouts - except water - between scheduled snacks and meals.” It doesn’t mean making kids go hungry or denying them their favorite treats occasionally, but kids choose from selections that parents make available.
Recommit to Shared Meals
With today’s busy schedules, it’s sometimes hard to find time for family meals. But research shows that kids who sit down to eat meals with their families make healthier food choices, do better in school and are less likely to get into trouble.
Satter advises starting where you are and doing the best you can. Even if you’ve picked up takeout and only have 20 minutes to eat before delivering your child to practice, she recommends sitting down at the table, turning off the TV, computer and cell phones and eating together. “Without putting a lot of pressure on yourself, the next thing you know the quality will get better,” she says.
But you don’t have to go it alone. If you’ve hit the wall on easy, nutritious meals or need to better understand how to provide a healthful diet for your family, Hy-Vee dietitians can help you. Melody Cole, a registered dietitian at the Overland Park, Kansas, Hy-Vee, regularly meets with customers for grocery store tours. “I guide them through the store and show them different products, let them taste the foods and share ideas on incorporating them into easy meals. It’s a different look at the grocery store.” Cole also meets one-on-one with customers and in classes to help meal planners develop strategies to manage weight.
Up the Activity Level 
Eating is only half the story. Maintaining a healthy weight is all about creating an energy balance—balancing the calories consumed with the calories expended. And accomplishing the balance requires plenty of physical activity. According to the CDC, kids need at least 60 minutes of vigorous activity every day—in 10 to 15 minute segments—including bone- and muscle-building activities as well as aerobic exercise. Jumping rope, swinging, organized sports, riding bicycles, climbing, running, playing, dancing, even running up and down stairs or playing Dance Dance Revolution—whatever gets your kids moving and having fun counts.
Adults need vigorous exercise too, at least 30 minutes a day. The double benefit is that by getting up and moving, you’re a good role model. “Recognizing that, as parents, you are mentors and whatever pattern you show paints a picture for your kids is vital,” says Kuda Chimaya, M.P.H., M.S., R.D., L.D., head coach and program director for the Healthy Schools Partnership in Kansas City. This pilot program, a partnership of the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition Foundation, the American Dietetic Association Foundation and PE4Life, refocuses the traditional physical education class toward fun fitness activities. Pairing a nutrition coach with a PE teacher, kids get one-on-one coaching while tracking progress in fitness levels and food choices. Hy-Vee supports this program and others designed to reduce obesity in the United States by the year 2015 through participation in the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a partnership of 40 of the nation’s leading retailers, food and beverage manufacturers and nonprofit organizations.
For more ideas on how you can create a more healthful lifestyle for yourself and your family, visit the following websites:
www.hy-vee.com
www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
www.kids.healthyweightcommit.org
www.kidnetic.com