Page 52 - Summer 2019 Journal

The Wise Traditions Pantry
SIXTEEN WAYS TO HELP OVERWEIGHT KIDS By Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What a difficult situation it is when weight already becomes an issue at a young age. Here in the U.S., where our government has so utterly messed up our food supply, it’s not easy dodging the junk food landmines all around us. Sadly, childhood obesity has become increasingly common, and it’s a huge stress on both the parents and the child. The child not only suffers from emotional distress, but also faces many health issues that go along with obesity.
Each situation will be unique, of course, but if you have a child in your life who struggles with his weight, this article offers some sugges- tions and ideas to help. Note: I make the assumption that if you’re reading this, you are already somewhat familiar with the Weston Price way of eating and may already be implementing many of the Wise Traditions dietary principles. The suggestions that follow build on that foundation.
KEEP IT LOW-KEY
Keep the issue as low-key as you possibly can. Do not let this be the
start of an obsession about weight for the rest of your child’s life. Avoid long conversations about their size, and do not bring it up much (if at all). Try not to let your children hear you lamenting about your weight or how you look. If they mention how they see themselves, just reply matter-of- factly, “It’s good that you want to be healthy; we should all eat better and get moving more. For dinner, let’s try finding a new healthy recipe that looks good and later go for a walk (play tennis, swim, etc.) together!”
GET MOVING
Get moving together. You can’t just tell a kid who has always been
more sedentary or who isn’t in the habit of being on the move to go exer- cise without joining in and making it fun. Our kids are always watching us, and they need to see us enjoy being active, too.
LIMIT SNACKS
Limit in-between meal snacks. However, if your child asks for one,
again keep it low-key. Offer some cheese, a meat stick from a farmer you trust or another healthy snack option (see the WAPF Shopping Guide1 for ideas). You can also just matter-of-factly say, “We’ll have dinner soon and I want you to be hungry. Why don’t you see if your friend can play until then?” It’s also good to have a no-snacking-after-dinner rule.
COOK TOGETHER
Involve your children in the kitchen. Kids are more likely to eat what
they help make. I’ve seen this repeatedly with our own children. You could use this strategy when introducing new recipes and also take advantage
50 Wise Traditions
of this time to talk about why you use foods with certain ingredients and avoid others. Teaching your kids to cook is one of the best lifelong gifts you can give them. In addition, take them to farms or farmers markets so they can see where healthy foods come from. Consider growing a garden together, even if it’s just in some pots on your patio. As they help you, you are also teaching them another important lesson—that real, healthy foods taste much better! If their palate doesn’t appreciate this yet, it will in time.
QUALITY NOT QUANTITY
Fill your children up with healthy fats2 and
try to eat more lower-carb foods as a family. For example, make burger salads for everyone, instead of letting some of the kids have a bun and some not. With carbs such as breads, pasta, rice, potatoes or sweets, quietly watch the portions. When you know your child has had enough, drum up some distractions and transition to something else fun—a puzzle, books, playing outside, a family activity or whatever works for your child. Maybe even bring it up before you eat: “After we’re done with dinner, we’re going to _____.” That can help to get the focus off food. Be careful with this one, though, because if your child starts feeling deprived, you could cause more harm than good and turn food into an obsession.
KEEP SCREENS OUT OF BEDROOMS Keep TVs and video games out of your child’s bedroom. Even better, limit video game time unless they’re playing a game like the Wii where lots of motion is involved—that one is a great way to get the whole family moving. Ad- mittedly, limiting screen time is not always easy to implement—trust me, I know—I’ve had three teenage boys. At the very least, limit their time to an hour a day if you can. When they know their time is up, they become “sooooo bored”
SUMMER 2019