CHILD’S WEIGHT:
A FAMILY APPROACH
nosh magazine
MANAGING YOUR
Here are some guidelines to help you take a family approach to instilling
healthy eating habits in your children.
hildren 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:
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• 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
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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).
• 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. N
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Sports Dietitians of Australia
Learn more about the SDA: website
Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA) is a professional organisation of
dietitians specialising in the field of sports nutrition.
www.n4foodandhealth.com
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