How To Help Your Obese Child?

If your child is obese, I can understand your worry. Obesity has been linked to many health problems and deadly diseases. If your child is obese, he or she runs an increased risk of developing:

• Type II diabetes
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea
• Heart disease or stroke
• Cancer
• Gallbladder disease
• Gout
• High blood pressure

Everyone is different, and that includes children. With 2 identical looking kids, one may be obese and the other may be healthy. There are many genetic and body frame factors to consider. But basically, obesity is defined as a condition where someone is "grossly fat or overweight" depending on their Body Mass Index (BMI).

Child Obesity: Healthy Childhood Obesity Cure (Parents Guide For Helping Children Live Healthy)

This book is worth your investment. It has valuable information that will help you to combat childhood obesity. It has methods and guidelines that are effective if implemented.

What is BMI?

To understand whether your child is obese, you need to determine her BMI score. BMI calculation does not measure body fat directly, but rather uses global averages to see where your child ranks against her peers that are the same age, height and weight.

Body mass index is defined as a measurement of normal weight, overweight and obesity using comparative height and weight charts.

How Can I Measure My Child's BMI to Determine If He Is Obese?

Search for the term "Childhood BMI Calculator" on the Internet. There are literally thousands of free online body mass index calculators which produce an instant score. Simply input the birth date and year, gender, height and weight of your child. Some of these calculators may also ask for the height of your child's genetic parents.

Without parental height considered, a 10 year old girl that measures 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 70 pounds is considered in the 48th BMI percentile. That means that she is heavier than 48% of girls her age and height, a healthy measurement.

What BMI Percentile is Healthy, Overweight and Obese?

A child that scores between 0 and 5 or 10 on the BMI percentile chart for kids is considered underweight. Between 5 or 10 and 80 or 85 is considered a healthy weight. A score of 80 to 90 or 95 is considered overweight, and any score over 90 is a sign of a marginally or definitely obese child. Do not forget, these are just averages. If you are concerned your child is obese or overweight, schedule an appointment with your doctor or health professional.

VIDEO

Click the image below for a video that features GMA parenting contributor and author Ann Pleshette Murphy with some good advice to help parents prevent obesity in children.

What Do You Do If Your Child Is Obese?

Obesity can be hereditary, to some extent. If you and your spouse are obese, your kids have a higher tendency to be so as well. However, health professionals, fitness experts and doctors agree that your diet and level of physical activity are what ultimately decide how much you weigh and how fit you are.

So get your child eating lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Keep them active, exercising at least 2.5 hours per week. Make sure they drink lots of water and get plenty of rest. These simple steps can reverse obesity, delivering the self-esteem and health that every child deserves.

What's Eating Your Child?: The Hidden Connection Between Food and Childhood Ailments

If you have concerns about your child's health, this book will open your eyes to how diet can change things for the better. Written in a way that is not only easy to understand but enjoyable. Many parents have found it to be a wonderful resource. It is not just about food and nutrition. It will help to improve health and also heal the mind and body of your child.

How To Make Your Own Convenience Foods

Image via WikipediaHave you ever encountered a day when you didn't have time to cook a nice meal for the family? What did you do? Let's see what options are available:

• Go out to eat
• Drive by a fast food restaurant
• Call for some pizza
  
• Decide it's time to visit your mom, aunt, best friend etc... (whoever you think will invite you to stay for lunch/dinner)
• Microwave one of those frozen dinners
• See what can food you have in the pantry

All of these options just spell one thing: Convenience Foods.

Although they are great when you are in a rush, it's not very healthy and neither is it cheap.
A better option would be to make your own convenience foods.

The Happy Housewife has shared some recipes so you can make some homemade convenience foods. If you want more recipes (about 200 of them), Hillbilly Housewife has compiled that for you in her new book. Click this affiliate link of mine to get it (plus bonuses too):

HOMEMADE CONVENIENCE FOODS EBOOK

Homemade Convenience Foods: A Healthier Alternative

Image via WikipediaHOW OFTEN DO YOU PURCHASE CONVENIENCE FOODS?
We all know how hard it can be to break a habit, especially when it seems like it is saving us a load of time and stress. How often do people find themselves in the drive thru lane of their favourite fast food joint ready to order some premade quickie breakfast or lunch just because they slept that extra five minutes that morning, or decided to take the extra time under the hot jets of water in their morning shower?

DO YOU REALLY NEED TO BUY CONVENIENCE FOODS?
Imagine though that you had taken out a bag of pancakes you had made up a few days before and just had to throw them in the toaster for two minutes. If you had prepared them with cinnamon or other flavourful spices, you wouldn’t even need to worry about syrup, you could just take them in hand and be out their door in no time.

There are many items that can be made in bulk while you are already cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Take dishes like lasagne for instance. How much more work would it take to make 2 trays at one time? You could serve one for dinner and pop the other tray in the freezer for a quick dinner the next week.

Since you have already made the decision to make your own recipe, you can choose the ingredients that go in your dish. You can be sure to add healthy ingredients, fresh from your own garden perhaps, and know that none of the chemicals or additives that are so often put in pre-packaged foods to help keep their shelf life longer, are present in your food.

Choosing to grow your own fruits and vegetables is a fun and affordable way to ensure that you are not getting foods that have been sprayed with ingredients that could cause harm to you or your family in the future. If you grow a lot of food, you could purchase items such as a food dehydrator and dry and package the food for use as needed. Most dehydrated foods retain most of their natural vitamins and minerals and are good for up to several years when packaged and stored in the correct manner.

Learning how to make your own jam, yogurt and salad dressing can ensure that you are not getting any unnecessary amounts of sugar, salt or other ingredients that could cause health problems in the long run. Diabetes is on the rise, with too many people buying and eating foods that are pre-packaged with unhealthy amounts of sugar.

By taking a few minutes or a couple hours out of your week, you can feel confident that you are helping your family eat the best choices they can have with all of the taste still to be enjoyed.

The Hillbilly Housewife has created a book that will get you started learning what needs to be done to create your own homemade convenience foods that are chock full of goodness and will save you both time and money. Get on the road to keeping your family healthy today!

To gain access to a copy, click the title or image of the book which is my affiliate link.

HOMEMADE CONVENIENCE FOODS

Not only will you get the Convenience Food ebook with over 200 recipes, you also get
these bonuses:

Bonus #1 - Homemade Bath And Body Products
Bonus #2 - Homemade Cleaning Products
Bonus #3 - Memory Lane Meals - Sweets
Bonus #4 - A Year Of SnacksYou'll get

Five simple substitutes that lead to a healthier diet

(ARA) - Eating right is often easier said than done. You like what you like, so breaking old eating habits is never easy. That's why sometimes it can be easier to slightly modify your diet instead of giving it a complete overhaul.

The good news is subbing in healthier substitutes doesn't have to make your food taste less flavorful. Here are five healthy substitutions to try on your journey to better health:

1. Make things whole. Consider what type of bread, pasta, flour and rice you are regularly eating. Switching to the whole grain versions of these foods not only helps you cut down on calories, but also add nutrition to your diet. Whole grain foods are also packed with fiber, which helps you feel full and aids digestion.
   
   
2. Consider beverages. Did you know the average can of soda contains about 150 calories and no nutrients? On the other hand, try opting for tasteful beverages that have a neutral, or even a positive effect on your health. For example, natural teas can provide added health benefits - oolong tea can help lower your cholesterol and green tea can help boost your metabolism. Like soda, tea can also be quick, easy and refreshing - cold-brewed tea from brands such as Teawan come in packages that can be brewed in minutes.
   
   
3. Watch where you start in the kitchen. Cooking more at home is a sure-fire way to reduce the calories you take in, but your cooking methods can be another place to make gains in eating healthier. Instead of using butter, vegetable shortening or lard, consider using olive oil, peanut oil or canola oil, which contain less saturated fat.
   
   
4. Creamy substitutes. When a recipe calls for heavy cream, try substituting half and half or milk. Or use yogurt instead of sour cream. These simple substitutions can provide great taste for a fraction of the calories and fat.
   
   
5. Modify your meat intake. You don't have to suddenly become a vegetarian, but try a stir fry using only veggies or substitute ground turkey for ground beef in your favorite recipes. By making a similar substitution once a week or more, you'll consume less calories and fat - and possibly discover some tasty variations on your go-to dishes.

You may find that some substitutes actually make your diet more interesting and give you more options for healthy eating. As you work toward eating healthier, you ultimately have to find options you enjoy to achieve sustainable and nutritious diet.