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Obesity Insights
7 (Sometimes Surprising) Secrets for Stopping Childhood Obesity
Thompson and Shanley reveal simple secrets to overcoming childhood obesity:
Slimdown Secret No. 1
Insist that kids eat breakfast. Eating breakfast jump-starts the metabolism, fueling the body to be ready for the activities of the day. And children who don't eat a good breakfast tend to overeat at lunch. Ideally, your child should have servings from at least three food groups from the Food Guide Pyramid. But if you run out of time or if your child just isn't hungry in the mornings, insist that he drink a glass of juice and munch on a breakfast bar. Any breakfast is better than none. Slimdown Secret No. 2
Make fast food forays few and far between – but not forbidden. When you're too tired to cook and the kids are begging for burgers, it's easy to succumb to the lure of the drive-through. While Thompson and Shanley agree that it's unrealistic to totally ban fast food, limiting it is a must. You have to set aside time to plan healthful menus for the week – and stick to your plan. Furthermore, you can make fast food less of a fat hazard: Order low-fat milk instead of soda, order a side salad instead of fries and "comparison shop" the restaurant's nutritional guidelines for calories. Also consider ordering one adult meal and sharing it with your child. This is a good way to teach her about reasonable portion sizes, which are a fraction of what's served up in a typical American restaurant.