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How parents of obese kids can help them shed excess fat

While obesity is not a new health menace affecting a major part of world population, health experts are more worried about its impact on youngsters. Childhood obesity has become a serious health concern for residents of any countries including the developed ones. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that childhood obesity has increased by leaps and bounds in last two decades. There are several reasons behind this.

Children depend on adults and follow them in learning life skills and developing various habits. Nowadays a lot of parents are not much conscious about healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Most of them are so occupied with their career that they consider resorting to fast food natural. A lot of them do not find time to do exercise either. This is what their kids pick up and gain excess weight in tender years. Childhood obesity can lead to a lot of health complications as they grow up. Beside, children who gain excess weight find it difficult to shed excess flab later compared to other obese individuals.

It is important for parents of overweight kids to adopt healthier lifestyle and eating habits to inspire their kids to lose weight and attain slimmer figure. However, implementing drastic changes in food habits and lifestyle can be difficult for anyone, more so for working parents. They need to introduce changes n meals and lifestyle in such a way that does not seem abrupt or intrusive.

It would be a good idea to make snacks at home with healthier ingredients. Mothers can make sandwiches with low fat dairy ingredients and condiments that do not offer excess calories, for example. It would also be a good idea to include raw vegetable and fruits in sandwiches. For a variation, you can also use animal meat and fish slices. However, always use baked and grilled meat and not deep fried variants.

To help your obese kids shed weight gradually and effectively, it is also important to keep a tab on the fluids and drinks they consume. A lot of kids love sipping cola and other high calorie aerated drinks. This is something that makes them lazy and overweight. Make it a habit to offer them fruit juices and vegetable juices. Use various kinds of fruits like watermelon, pineapple, mango and citrus lot for variety. Squeeze lemon and herbs to make the juice tastier. However, avoid using juices sold with artificial sweetening agents and flavor as they tend to contain high calorie. It would be best if you can make juice using organic and fresh fruits. You can offer your kids smoothies made of yogurt and fruit slices. However, use low fat yogurt for making smoothies.

It is important that your kids eat breakfast comprising of whole grains, cereals and low fat dairy products. You can use cheese made of skimmed milk to make sandwiches. You can include vegetable and fruit salads in meals for helping your obese kids get back to shape. Use various types of fresh fruits and vegetables. For adding taste, add herbs and spices like ginger, chilly and black pepper in salads. Occasionally, add boiled egg slices and lean meat slices to ensure they get required dose of nutrients.

To ensure they do not gorge on excess food during meals, you can offer them healthy and low fat appetizers like soups. Broth and soups made of fresh vegetable and animal meat extracts can make them feel less hungry during meals. You can offer such broth and soups an hour before dinner or lunch. This will offer them adequate nutrients and leave them feeling less hungry than usual.

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