STRATEGIES TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY WEIGHT IN CHILDRENAdapted from the Alliance For A Healthier Generation: https://www.healthiergeneration.org/
Dietary intake:• Eatadietrichinfruitsandvegetables(21/2cupsto61/2cupsoffruitsandvegetableseachday)• Offerwaterormilkinsteadofsugaryfruitjuicesandsodas• Eatadietrichincalcium• Eatadiethighinfiber• Limitfastfoodandjunkfood• Choosehealthysourcesofproteinsuchasleanmeats,nuts,andeggs
Physical activity:• Limitscreentime(television,movies,computergamesandwebbrowsing)tooneortwohourseachday
Eating behaviors:• Eatbreakfastdaily• Limiteatingoutatrestaurants,particularlyfast‑foodrestaurants• Encouragefamilymealsinwhichparentsandchildreneattogether• Limitportionsize
Health care professionals who wish to support obesity prevention in clinical, school, and community settings should:• Activelyengagefamilieswithparentalobesityormaternaldiabetes,becausethesechildrenareatincreasedriskfor developingobesityeveniftheycurrentlyhavenormalBMI.
• Encourageanauthoritativeparentingstyleinsupportofincreasedphysicalactivityandreducedsedentarybehavior, providingtangible,motivationalsupportforchildren.
• Encourageparentstomodelhealthydietsandportionsizes,physicalactivityandlimitedtelevisiontime.
• Promotephysicalactivityatschoolandinchild‑caresettings,includingafter‑schoolprograms,byaskingchildren andparentsaboutactivityinthesesettingsduringroutineofficevisits.
Children of healthy weight should participate in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, unless contraindicated:• The60minutescanbeaccumulatedthroughouttheday.
• Ideally,suchactivityshouldbeenjoyabletothechild.
• Whereassomehealthandpsychologicalbenefitsmaybeattainedbyachievingthe60‑minutegoal,greaterduration shouldyieldincreasedbenefit.
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