Childhood Obesity - 10 Golden Rules for Maintaining Your Family’s Nutritional Balance

We have put together key guidelines for keeping your children at a healthy weight and promoting a balanced, nutritious diet.

It's worth noting: In 2022, one in four Israeli children was overweight. Being overweight typically affects a child's health, as well as their social and functional well-being. The COVID-19 era exacerbated this issue due to significant lifestyle changes, such as a shift from outdoor activities to prolonged screen time at home.
The changes have forced parents to demonstrate creativity and resilience in adapting to imposed routines. At the same time, it is your responsibility, as challenging as it may be, to cultivate a healthy environment for your children. This involves promoting proper eating habits, incorporating weekly physical activity, and minimizing screen time.
We understand how hard and exhausting it may be, so we're here to offer extra support. Maccabi offers "Maccabi Active," a specialized program tailored for overweight children and adolescents aged 6 to 16, along with their parents. The program provides comprehensive support from a professional team in medical, nutritional, physical fitness, and family settings.

Before you join, here are 10 guidelines to help improve your children's diet

It is crucial to recognize that the real challenge for parents is to change the entire family’s lifestyle, not just that of the child struggling with excess weight. It's recommended to select two to three goals to implement from the list below. Of course, it is important to prioritize goals with high chances of success. Success breeds motivation to sustain changes.

1. Offer encouragement but avoid commenting on children’s appearance and refrain from weighing them. The cornerstone of all success lies in believing in your and your children's abilities to change. Support and empower the child with every achievement, whether big or small. Acknowledge their determination, health improvements, and progress in making positive changes. However -Avoid compliments or comments related to their physical appearance. Furthermore, avoid weighing children as a means of monitoring progress. It is also advisable to refrain from weighing yourself next to them or making comments about your own body.
2. Have structured family meals without distractions. This means no TV, phone, or any other screens, not even reading newspapers, while eating. Family meals provide children with the opportunity to learn from their parents, diversify their food choices, and develop healthy eating habits. It's important to ensure that meals include a variety of foods that children enjoy, while also introducing them to new foods and flavors.
3. Encourage them to eat more vegetables. Since many children are picky about vegetables, start by offering their favorites. Then, gradually introduce new vegetables or prepare familiar ones in different ways to expand their palate.
4. Do not expect them to give up everything they love all at once. Avoid abruptly removing any food from the family menu, even if it's considered less healthy. Keep in mind that everything is allowed in moderation, once every few weeks.
5. Use small plates. Using smaller plates helps reduce portion sizes and promotes mindful eating, preventing overindulgence.
6. Find a physical activity that you all enjoy doing together. Exercise is essential for wellness and a healthy metabolism. Explore engaging and enjoyable activities such as running, hide and seek, soccer, dancing at home, or any other motivators to keep them engaged.
7. Make sure they have breakfast, even if it's something light. Breakfast critically provides the energy needed to kickstart daily activities and support normal hormonal and mental functions. It also helps regulate digestion of subsequent meals and may lower the risk of obesity. The meal can be light, such as fruit or a glass of milk.
8. Avoid using the freezer or concealed spots in the pantry to hide food such as pizza, processed foods, and pastries. When these foods are accessible, we are more likely to consume them ourselves and share them with family members. And if they are hidden, we often desire them even more.
9. Drink only water and keep sweet drinks for special occasions. Water is essential for the body's normal functioning, and our bodies do not always promptly signal when we need fluids. All family members, especially parents, should prioritize drinking water as their main beverage to avoid situations where one family member mostly consumes soft drinks at home. Remember, what you expect from your children, you should first expect from yourself.
10. Snacking between meals is fine, but be mindful of nutritional content. Children should be offered fresh fruit, fruit salad, fruit-based popsicles, wholegrain crackers with a healthy spread, wholegrain muffins with fruit, and other healthy options for snacks. In families that typically consume sweet snacks, it is advisable to limit intake. Consider introducing a "weekly candy allowance" for children to regulate their consumption. Provide each child with a decorated box containing a set amount of candy for 3 days or a week. The child will be responsible for managing their own "candy allowance."

Another tip:

Try to limit screen time to 2-3 hours a day. Sounds crazy, we know... but excessive computer gaming or TV can actually increase the risk of obesity.
Children may not realize how much time they spend sitting and eating in front of screens, but this lifestyle can lead to behavioral issues that may impact their adult lives.
Moreover, watching TV can expose them to unhealthy food advertising.

Information provided by: Michal Sukman, clinical dietitian at Maccabi.