Recently, a family who used Herbalife before approached us to buy some shake for their young child who has some weight to lose. We thought we’d share some of the tips we shared with the family with you as well.

Parents are realizing the effects of obesity on their children. The good news is that something can be done about this extremely serious epidemic.

How can we combat childhood obesity?

Oddly,  children  need as much as 1800 calories a day at the age of 5; however, they are unable to consume these calories in three sittings as their tummies are not geared to handle this amount of food.

It is best to spread the calories (more importantly nutrition) over several meals and snacks throughout the day. Some kids can get by on fewer calories and others who are growing fast might need more calories to get through the day.

Obesity in children should be addressed as soon as possible

Left unattended, the obesity can lead to a myriad of problems as the child grows older. Apart from the health challenges he or she will face, there is also the emotional issue to contend with. Children can be brutal, and an obese child is bound to be the butt of many jokes while he or she is at school everyday.

Losing weight needs not become a jail sentence for your obese child

With the right amount of support from the entire family, this can be a healthy exercise for everyone. Children love recognition, and it is important to cheer the child on during the weight-control journey.

Fighting childhood obesity with snacks

Keeping in mind that children cannot consume the desired calories in three sittings, it is okay to give the child snacks throughout the day. The choices you make regarding the snacks is what is important. Sweets, potato chips, and fizzy sodas are not the right choices.

You need to replace these with snacks that are high in protein and low in simple carbohydrates. Some of these include peanut butter on whole-wheat bread, pumpkin seeds, nuts, cottage cheese, chickpeas, peas, cold grilled chicken, yogurt and baked beans.

Fruit juice is riddled with sugar so it should be kept to a minimum. If you must give your child fruit juice, then dilute it substantially with water. Wean your child off juice slowly so that he does not notice the difference in taste.

Curb obesity caused by sugar-laden drinks

Another option is to give your child Herbal Aloe Concentrate – the mango flavor is delicious, low in calories and will help your child to be clean on the inside. This beverage cleans out the digestive system and helps to absorb nutrition more effectively.

Healthy breakfasts to fight obesity in children

In terms of meals, you should replace unhealthy breakfast cereals, sandwiches and other unhealthy meals with Herbalife’s delicious Formula 1 meal replacement in yogurt or milk.  You can do this twice a day in addition to a lot of low-calorie, healthy snacks throughout the day. The shakes come in a host of incredible flavors, and your child will adjust to the move away from cereal and other non-nutritious breakfast options rather quickly.

A typical breakfast would include a shake, an egg and a fruit.

Let the child enjoy the family’s normal main meal with the family. Research has shown that children who eat at least one meal with the family at a table are less likely to experience eating disorders and fall prey to a number of typical teenager problems.

It is ineffable just how severe the problem of childhood obesity has become

As parents, it is important that we take responsibility for the health of our children. We have everything at our disposal to create a healthy generation of young adults.