The Overweight Child - a family approach

• For a child to successfully lose weight, the whole family must be supportive and helpful.
• A growing child does not need to lose too much weight. It is best for them to maintain their weight and let them 'grow into' it, or to lose weight slowly.
• Activity, whether as sport or play, is crucial for a child to successfully control their weight.
• Encourage three meals a day, along with healthy snacks.
• Missing meals does not help weight control.

Important guidelines for healthy eating 

Children are very much influenced by their parents' eating patterns. If you enjoy a range of foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chances are your children will also. Here are some useful tips for families:

• Consider snacks like toasted sandwiches, chopped fruit, low fat yoghurt and soups;
• Include three meals and two to three snacks daily;
• Breakfast is an essential meal for thinking and vitality; breakfast cereal, canned fruit and reduced fat milk is ideal;
• Base your shopping and cooking around the "everyday" foods: e.g. low fat dairy foods, lean meat and fish, lots of fruit and vegetables, cereals and pulses;
• Encourage water as a drink, rather than soft drink, cordial or juice
• Offer "sometimes" foods of sweets and higher fat snacks occasionally, not everyday;
• Make family choices about eating when you write the shopping list, and when you do the shopping, not at the refrigerator or pantry door; and
• Watch portion sizes and limit "seconds" (cooking only what is needed for the meal helps).

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