Does anyone know of a special diet for overweight children that also helps with behavior?
Sunshine asked: Someone had told me about a special diet that friends had used for their three overweight boys, who also had problems with anger and b...
Sunshine asked:
Someone had told me about a special diet that friends had used for their three overweight boys, who also had problems with anger and bad attitudes. Not only did the boys lose weight, but their attitudes completely improved. I remember that certain raw vegetables was one of the good things. It was a diet that did not use special diet foods. Hopefully, some of you have had experience with successful children’s diets and can help. I’m searching for help for my seven-year-old grandson, who is 3′ 11 1/2″ tall and weighs 82 pounds. Thank you!
Darrell
Someone had told me about a special diet that friends had used for their three overweight boys, who also had problems with anger and bad attitudes. Not only did the boys lose weight, but their attitudes completely improved. I remember that certain raw vegetables was one of the good things. It was a diet that did not use special diet foods. Hopefully, some of you have had experience with successful children’s diets and can help. I’m searching for help for my seven-year-old grandson, who is 3′ 11 1/2″ tall and weighs 82 pounds. Thank you!
Darrell
I’d look for GUTTEN FREE diets. I hear that can really help with this sort of behavior/weight problem.
What Causes Overweight?
There are a number of factors that contribute to becoming overweight, either alone or together. Genetic factors, lifestyle habits, or both may be involved. In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and medications can be associated with excessive weight gain.
Much of what we eat is quick and easy – from fat-laden fast food to microwave and prepackaged meals. Daily schedules are so jam-packed that there’s little time to prepare healthier meals or to squeeze in some exercise. Portion sizes, in the home and out, have drastically increased.
Plus, now, more than ever, life is sedentary – children spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, than actively playing outside. Television is a major culprit.
Kids younger than 8 spend an average of 2.5 hours watching TV or playing video games, and kids 8 and up spend 4.5 hours plopped in front of the TV or wriggling a joystick. Kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. Not surprisingly, TV in the bedroom is also linked to increased likelihood of being overweight. In other words, once many kids get home from school, virtually all of their free time before dinner, doing homework, and getting ready for bed is spent in front of one screen or another!
And although physical education (PE) in schools can help kids get up and moving, more and more schools are cutting PE programs altogether or cutting down on the amount of time spent actually doing fitness-building physical activities. One study showed that gym classes offered third graders just 25 minutes of vigorous activity each week.
Genetics also plays a role – genes help determine your body type and how your body stores and burns fat just like they help determine other traits. Because both genes and habits can be passed down from one generation to the next, multiple members of a family may struggle with weight.
A greater reliance on “food fixes” to deal with emotions can also contribute to weight gain. Some people tend to eat more when they’re feeling sad, stressed, or bored. People in the same family tend to have similar eating patterns, maintain the same levels of physical activity, and adopt the same attitudes toward being overweight. Studies have shown that a child’s risk of obesity greatly increases if one or more parent is overweight or obese.
Overcoming Overweight and Obesity in Your Child
The key to keeping kids of all ages at a healthy weight is taking a whole-family approach. It’s the “practice what you preach” mentality. Make eating and exercise a family affair. Get your children involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals, and take them along when you go grocery shopping, so they can learn how to make good food choices.
Avoid falling into some common food/eating behavior traps:
Don’t reward children for good behavior or try to stop bad behavior with sweets or treats. Come up with other solutions to modify their behavior.
Don’t maintain a clean-plate policy. Be aware of kids’ hunger cues. Even babies who turn away from the bottle or breast send signals that they’re full. If kids are satisfied, don’t force them to continue eating. Reinforce the idea that they should only eat when they’re hungry.
Don’t talk about “bad foods” or completely eliminate all sweets and favorite snacks from overweight children’s diets. Children may rebel and overeat these forbidden foods outside the home or sneak them in on their own.
Here are some additional recommendations for children of all ages:
Birth to age 1: In addition to it’s many health benefits, breastfeeding may help prevent excessive weight gain. Though the exact mechanism is not known, breastfed babies are more able to control their own intake and follow their own internal hunger cues.
Ages 2 to 6: Start good habits early. Encourage kids’ natural tendency to be active and offer children a variety of healthy foods. It may take 10 or more tries before a child will accept a new food, so don’t give up.
Ages 7 to 12: Encourage children to be physically active every day, whether it’s an organized sports team or a pick-up game of soccer during recess. Keep your kids active at home, too, through everyday activities like walking and playing in the yard. Let them be more involved in making good food choices.
Ages 13 to 17: Teens like fast-food, but try to steer them toward healthier choices like grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, and smaller sizes. Encourage them to be active everyday. If they are not into organized sports, suggest intramural programs, fitness classes such as yoga or pilates, or alternative sport like skateboarding, inline skating, or mountain biking.
All ages: Cut down on TV, computer, and video game time and discourage eating while watching the tube. Serve a variety of healthy foods and eat meals together as often as possible. Try to include 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day in their diet, plan healthy snacks, and encourage kids to eat breakfast every day. Encourage your children to try a variety of activities. Don’t force any one sport or activity – and help them find what they enjoy and then support them in their efforts.
If you, as a parent, eat well and exercise regularly and incorporate healthy habits into your family’s daily life, you’re modeling a healthy lifestyle for your children that could last into adulthood. Talk to your kids about the importance of eating well and being active, but make it a family affair that will become second nature for both you and your children. Most of all, let your children know you love them – no matter what their weight – and that you want to help your child be happy and healthy.
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Slap him up side the head!
This may seem counterintuitive, but first consider your child’s relationship with food. Are sweets and treats “off limits”? Do they feel guilty when they eat them because they know they’re not supposed to? The first thing to do is to rid them of that guilt. If they attach feelings of guilt to food, they will overeat these items when they do eat them (kind of a “well, since I ate one/ if i’m being bad I might as well be REALLY bad” idea). Make all foods equally available and let them know you trust them to make good eating decisions. They may initially binge, but once they see the food will still be there, and they will feel better eating less of the unhealthy stuff, their diet will turn around. A 7 year old is prime age to discover that for himself.
However, the less processed the diet, the better the mood. Processed and sugared foods cause sugar spikes and crashes and mood swings. Don’t use the foods to reward or punish, either. Cut out soda and juice. Maybe allow juice at breakfast. This is a good opportunity to set up his eating habits for life.
Good luck.
Probably limit their sugar intake – too much makes them hyperactive and overweight.
Forget the diet. Don’t buy junk food, and cook him healthy meals. have him snack on fruits.
Get the kid involved in a sport (community) to work out his “aggressions.”