Bigger burgers, larger french fries, 44-ounce pop -- our kids live in the age of "super-sized" portions containing excess calories that can quickly lead to childhood overweight and obesity. To help protect your children from obesity exercise together, choose healthy foods and control portion sizes.
A portion is the amount of food you serve your child at each meal. The portion size may be only a fraction of the recommended daily serving for your child. For example, if your child should have five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables each day, offer him a half cup at each meal and snack. It's important to receive all the recommended daily servings, just not all in one meal.
Your child's age, stage of growth and development, activity level and appetite all factor into determining the appropriate food portion size. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a toddler's portion size be about a quarter of an adult portion size and a portion size for children four to eight years old be about a third of an adult portion size. Older children and teens may have portion sizes closer to that of adults.
To stay within recommended portion sizes, encourage your children to use visual images. For example, a half cup of fresh vegetables would be about half of a baseball. One-fourth cup of raisins would be the size of a golf ball. A three-ounce hamburger would be the size of a deck of cards. If children add butter to toast, they should add no more than the size of a postage stamp.
Other ways you can help children control portion size and choose healthier eating habits include:
• ask them to put a single portion into a separate bowl rather than eating out of the package
• fill their plates with the appropriate portion size and then offer extra salad or fresh vegetables if they are still hungry;
• buy only single serving snacks, or separate portions into smaller baggies when you arrive home;
• allow kids to snack between meals if they are hungry so they won't overeat at the next meal
• replace the candy bowl with a fruit bowl;
• place tempting foods like cookies up high or behind healthier foods, out of sight; and
• urge kids to pay attention to feelings of hunger and stop eating when they are satisfied, not when they feel full.
Remember some children eat when they are stressed, upset, tired or bored. Make sure they get the recommended amount of sleep. Ask them to think about whether they are truly hungry. Sometimes a set of jumping jacks, outside play time, or a new coloring project will fill the hunger. If it doesn't, then you can offer a healthy food option like celery or low-fat yogurt with fruit.
For more information, call the McDonald County Health Department at 417-223-7122.
Community on 09/18/2014