Kansas City,
14
July
2017
|
15:52 PM
America/Chicago

Reader's Digest: 7 Things Parents Can Do to Prevent Summer Weight Gain in Kids

With school-free days often comes sedentary screen time and tempting summer treats

salad

Be the leader

As a parent, one of the most helpful things you can do to keep kids healthy over the summer is lead them in that direction. Shelly Summar, MSEd, RD, LD, program manager of Weighing In at Children's Mercy Kansas City says, "Kids pay attention to their parents' behavior and use it as a guide. Parents should role model healthy eating and ensure healthy options are readily available." How can you do that? Be prepared and keep healthy foods at hand. Make small changes in your own diet that can impact your child's habits, like drinking more water or eating an extra serving of fruit or vegetables every day. Summar suggests placing healthy food options in plain sight wherever possible, like fresh fruit on the counter or table. "Healthy options should be the first thing you see when you're hungry," says Summar.

 

Follow the 1-2-3-4-5 rule

Summar also suggests focusing on five important behaviors for a healthy lifestyle for kids, as outlined in a Healthy Lifestyle Initiatives program called 12345 Fit-Tastic. According to the 1-2-3-4-5 rule, kids should have 1 hour of physical activity, 2 hours of screen time, 3 servings of low or non-fat milk or yogurt, 4 servings of water, and 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Although this recipe is perfect for kids to stick to all year, parents can really focus on it over the summer when there's more time to instill this healthy approach. Summar advises thinking outside the box for physical activities that don't cost a lot of money. Museums and arts and crafts programs get kids moving and out of the house, or try free activities at local playgrounds like canoeing, swimming, or other fun outdoor water activities to stay active and cool in the summer. As for screen time, keep phones, tablets, computers, and TVs out of bedrooms and away from the meal table for less distraction and temptation. To help you and the kids stick to the 3-4-5 diet rules, Summar says, it's all about making food fun. Use Greek yogurt for vegetable or fruit dip, add frozen fruit ice cubes to water, and make fun, colorful fruit kabobs for a refreshing, tasty treat. 

 

See the full list of things parents can do via Reader's Digest.

Learn more about the Weight Management program at Children's Mercy.