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The problem of childhood obesity is increasingly echoed in the news. An obese child has many chances of suffering health problems stemming from being overweight as an adult.

Parents of obese children must take steps to help our children to follow a balanced diet, avoid fast food and junk food, and exercise. There is no magic formula – it takes a lot of persistence and patience to help a child lose weight. But it is possible and very important. So here we suggest five basic ideas to address and counter the childhood obesity.

It is best to begin the process of gradually thinning, with slight modifications, to build – and build – slowly healthy eating habits and active lifestyle. If you apply these steps, you help your children to lose weight, which is also very important to get used to and enjoy a healthy life.

Cut calories.

Remember that in general, half a kilo of body weight equals about 3500 calories. This means that if your child takes 300 calories (four cookies, a serving of fries, a small hamburger, six chicken nuggets …) extra per day in three weeks have gained a kilo. Do not put a child on a diet without the help of your pediatrician. But you can reduce your calorie intake, and more so in the case of older children and adolescents.

Drinking fewer calories

Most children drink too many calories. When you are thirsty, it is best to drink water. But today we tend to abuse the fruit juices, yogurt drinks, smoothies, juices and milk, soda cans….. All these kinds of drinks are often high in sugar and fat so much. Eliminates drinks high in sugar and calories for skim milk, water and diet soda (no abuse).

Eat less junk food

Although fast food places such McDonald and Burger King have reportedly begun offering healthier alternatives (salads, fish ….), it is true that these places owe their success to offering fast food with taste standard (got, of course, through laboratories and not quality raw material). If we take our children to this type of restaurant, it is normal to choose a happy meal, or – if they are older – a hamburger with fries, full of calories and little nutrition. No need to give up all this food, but it is much better for everyone if we offered it at home. Ten era burgers with lean minced and bread, homemade pizza with low fat cheese, baked potatoes stuffed with nutritious ingredients….. As well as having better taste, no doubt poses a much healthier alternative.

A wiser shopping list

Although we can not have control over what our children eat outside the home, we still have time to teach good habits because they spend more hours at home than anywhere else. We must rethink their shopping list, opting for tasty, healthy food and rejecting “easy” as biscuits, sweets, crisps, pastries,  nuts…. If no fattening foods in the pantry, no one in our family can eat normally. Consider alternative snacks prepared snacks based on little bread and much ham and lettuce, yogurt, low sugar cereals, fruit, low fat cheese…..

Aspire to a more active life

Outside game boy, play station, TV…. Most modern pastimes do not require any physical effort of our children, and that contributes to childhood obesity. Years ago, leisure and gaming site was the street. Up games and street football, basketball, running, cops and robbers, camber, skids….. Find a sport for your children; point them to a football or basketball team. Exploits the fame of athletes like Rafael Nadal, to take aim at tennis. If there is no possibility of joining a team, buy a bike, a skateboard. Or just go for a walk half an hour every day with them. Or take the opportunity to get in shape and Propose you do jogging together. The more obese the child, most try to avoid physical exertion because it costs more and more move and also embarrassed his obesity. Organize your time off to which is bound to make some kind of exercise, even just a walk with you, walking the dog, go shopping…. Once a day.