Fill your house with foods that are both delicious and nutritious (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish, lean protein, reduced-fat dairy products) and cut down on the junk food (such as cookies, cakes, sweetened cereals and sugary drinks) you bring home. For healthy snack ideas see suggestions from Family Fun, Mayoclinic experts, and the Family Corner.
2. Make sweets a treat
Save treats for special occasions. You don't have to give up sweets entirely, but go out for them instead of having them at home, he says.
3. Ditch the drive-through
Avoid fast food, he says. Ludwig did a study that showed overweight teens consume about 400 more calories on a day when they consume fast food compared with a day in which they don't.
4. Turn off the TV
Make physical activity the focus of the home instead of television. Don't allow TVs in the kitchen or bedrooms.
5. Equip for exercise
Give older children the basic tools to be active: jump ropes, balls, baseball gloves, Frisbees.
6. Shake it!
Encourage them to dance. Dancing is an excellent activity, he says. "Kids love to dance in a non-judgmental setting. When they are having fun, they are not thinking about it as exercise."
Do you think these tips are practical? Do you think they will make an impact?
