If your child is struggling with weight, here are 10 strategies you can implement right now to keep the numbers on the scale from creeping up.
1. Watch what your kids drink
Sugary beverages can pack on the pounds, so replace soda and juice drinks with water or flavored seltzers. Drinking eight glasses of juice or soda -- which is not particularly uncommon -- can add 1,000 calories to your child's diet!
2. Think natural
Make fruits, vegetables and lean meats the majority of your child's diet; pre-packaged and fast foods should be an occasional treat.
3. Skip super-sized portions
Despite what commercials feed them, kids really need kid-sized servings. Even too much of healthy foods can add up to more calories than they need.
4. Healthy eating starts in the grocery store
Avoid tempting, calorie-laden treats. Try popcorn or pretzels instead of chips and chocolate, Italian ices rather than full-fat ice cream.
5. Don't ban sweets entirely
Rather than prohibiting them completely, save indulgences such as ice-cream sundaes and potato chips for special occasions so your child doesn't feel deprived.
6. Don't make your child a member of the "clean-plate club"
Allow children to stop eating when they're full; should your children become hungry later, cut up an apple or unwrap a cheese stick.
7. Incorporate exercise and physical activity into the daily routine
Make it fun with a game of soccer in the back yard, walks along a nature trail or a family bike-riding expedition.
8. Show love and acceptance toward your child despite his or her weight
Overweight children need support, approval and encouragement from their parents to feel secure and self-confident.
9. In some cases, concentrate on not gaining -- rather than losing -- weight
Realize that an appropriate goal for many overweight children is to maintain their current weight while growing normally in height.
10. Talk to your pediatrician if you have major concerns
Doctors and other health-care professionals are the best people to determine whether your child's weight is healthy.
(For more information, visit www.foodnetwork.com or write Ask Food Network c/o Viewer Services Culinary Department, Scripps Networks, PO Box 50970, Knoxville, TN 37950.)
