Preventing Childhood Obesity
There are many things that a parent can do to keep their child from
becoming obese, including:
- Respect your child's appetite; children do not
have to finish everything on their plate, or finish
the entire bottle.
- Avoid pre-prepared and foods with extra sugar.
- Provide your child with a healthy diet, 30% or
fewer calories from fat.
- Provide enough
- Limit the amount of high-calorie food kept in
- Enjoy physical activities as a family (walking,
playing outdoor games, etc.)
- Limit TV viewing.
- Do not reward completion of meals with sweet
- Replace whole milk with skim milk at about 2
years of age.
- Encourage your child to participate in active
Reviewed by the Department of Nutrition Therapy at The Cleveland Clinic.
Edited by Charlotte Grayson, MD
, WebMD, August 2004.
Portions of this page © The Cleveland Clinic
2000-2004Last Editorial Review: 7/20/2005