Raising a Lean Child

Eight ways to Raise a Lean Child

Parents, we have a problem! The Surgeon General ranks childhood obesity as the number one public health problem. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) warned: "Unless American families make drastic changes in the way they eat and live, 1 in 3 children born in the year 2000 will later become diabetic." I rate obesity as the most serious medical problem in my 35 years in pediatric practice. The good news is it is also the most preventable one.

Children are getting overfat from eating too much junk food and sitting too much. It's as simple as that! Here are some tips to keep your child lean:

  1. Feed your child lean carbs. Once upon a time, fats were the forbidden foods blamed for widening waist lines. New research has implicated carbs as the culprit. Yet, kids need "lean carbs" and not "fat carbs." Here's how I explain carbs to kids: "A good carb has two friends, fiber and protein. It never plays alone. It always plays with one or both of these friends. When it plays with these friends it keeps the good carb from rushing into your bloodstream too fast, so you have a steady supply of energy to play and learn. Good carbs are those found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and YoBaby yogurt. A bad carb, on the other hand has no friends. It plays alone. Unlike the good carb, a bad carb speeds into the bloodstream too fast, causing you to use it up too fast, leaving you tired, jittery, and even fat."
  2. Lose the liquid candy. We believe, and research supports, that the overdrinking of sweetened beverages is one of the main contributors to the epidemic of childhood obesity. Instead, help children focus on nutrient-dense foods or those that pack the most healthy nutrients in the fewest calories, such as YoBaby Drinkable Yogurt, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. In my practice I tell parents and children to look for the three bad words on the label:
    • High fructose corn syrup
    • Hydrogenated
    • Numbers (e.g. red #40)
    If parents eliminate all foods that contain any of the above three "bad words," they will be well on their way to raising a lean child.
  3. Trim the food fat. Try these fat-trimming tactics:
    • Trim excess fat from poultry and meats before you cook it.
    • Instead of butter, spread whole-wheat bread with peanut butter, almond butter, or mashed avocado.
  4. Feed your family fill-up foods. Foods that are high in protein and fiber take up lots of room in the stomach, enabling children to feel fuller faster so they're less likely to overeat. Snacks should never be carb-only, but always partnered with one or two of the "friends," fiber and protein. Best fill-up foods are: vegetables, fruits, and nut butters. You can present these foods in a more positive way by calling them "grow foods," which children equate with running fast and growing strong. The concept of eating more "grow foods" helps children believe that healthy eating is cool.
  5. Downsize your child's servings. Portion distortion is a real problem for children, since little eyes are larger than little stomachs (which is about the size of a child's fist). Give children smaller plates to make small portions look larger. Let children serve themselves. Studies show that children who serve themselves tend to take less food than parents give them.
  6. Teach children to eat slowly. The body and the brain have a system that tells a person to stop eating. When the tummy is full, it sends out a signal to the brain saying: "Stop, you've eaten enough!" Yet, the brain may not receive this signal until a person has been eating for twenty minutes or so. The child who eats too quickly could overeat before the brain says "stop!" Encourage your child to take small bites and talk between bites. Play "chew-chew." Tell your children to chew each bite at least ten times.
  7. Watch out for mindless munching. Don't allow children to eat while watching television. When their mind is off their tummy, they tend to overeat.
  8. Get kids moving. If you have a child who loves to sit and watch TV or play computer or video games, do what we do. We have a house rule: moving equals sitting. Each day require your children to spend at least the same amount of time in physical play as they do sitting in front of the screen.

 

If you want a step-by-step program for raising a lean family, see our newest book: Dr. Sears' LEAN Kids: A Total Health Program for Children Ages 6 to 12.