In the last couple of posts, I’ve been telling you about a column written by Drs. Oz and Roizen and their recommendations for helping overweight kids.
I didn’t like some of their advice, so I’ve been adding my own twist to what they said.
I’ve already told you my thoughts about their suggestion that you walk or exercise with your child for two hours a day.
Their second recommendation was to limit screen time to a maximum of one to two hours a day.
OK. They are not giving us bad advice, but I just don’t think their suggestions are very practical for most parents.
Here’s their third idea, along with my response to it.
3. Remove unhealthy treats and all sugar-added foods and beverages from the house.
They also gave this rule:
No artificially sweetened drinks either; they just promote your child’s taste for sweet sodas.
I thought this was interesting because I’ve never seen research that validates their claim about artificially sweetened beverages promoting a taste for sweet ones.
I think it makes sense to limit the amount of sodas, overly sweet snacks and other high calorie foods for kids (as well as adults!) But I don’t agree with the “never” approach he suggests.
Here is a much better idea from Kathy, one of my readers:
We have a 9-year old son who has grown up under the influence of his dad, who has terrible eating habits!
In order to get my him to think about making better choices for snacks, I implemented a “treat bank.”
We have made a list of “free snacks” which include fresh fruit, carrots, yogurt, nuts, etc. Then we also created a list of treats which include ice cream, cookies, candy, etc.
My starts each week with $2.50 in quarters. Each time “free” list, it costs him a quarter.
At the end of the week, if he has any quarters left that he hasn’t spent on “treats,” he gets to keep/save them for a non-food purchase.
Since he has a list of “stuff” he’d like to have, this is great incentive for him. This has actually worked very well for us as long as I stay consistent with it.
I love this idea. It provides a great way to help a child learn to manage their own choices rather than have them all decided by someone else.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, advice or experiences in this challenging area. Just click “Make a comment” and share your ideas.