Each Child. Every Community.

North Carolina has the fifth highest rate of childhood obesity in the country. More than 31 percent of North Carolina’s children ages 2 to 4 are considered at risk for becoming overweight or are overweight.

With the launch of Shape NC, Smart Start can expand programs that work to prevent childhood obesity in child care. Many of the strategies apply to healthy eating at home.

TIPS FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

Eating Practices
• Join children at the table for meals.
• Eat family-style, allowing children to serve themselves. This encourages them to pay attention to their hunger cues.
• Eat the same food so that you can be a good role model for your children and share information with them on healthy eating.
• When children eat less than half of their meal or snack, take some time to try to determine if they are full. You could ask, “Does your belly feel full” before removing their plates.
• When children request seconds, try to determine if they are hungry before serving additional food.
• Persuade children to try new or less favored food by encouraging them in a gentle, positive manner. Don’t be discouraged as children may need to be introduced to a new food 10 times before they try it.
• Don’t use food as a reward.

Food Preparation and Variety Tips
• Make sure to offer fresh fruit rather than fruit in syrup.
• Limit fruit juice to two times a week, offering children water or milk instead.
• Children over the age of 2 can switch from full fat to low-fat milk.
• Encourage children to eat vegetables beyond corn, green beans, and potatoes, which many children tend to favor.
• Vegetables do not need added salt, fat, margarine or oil. Many children will accept or adapt to eating simple steamed vegetables.
• Limit the amount of fried foods such as chicken nuggets to one time per week or less.

Easy Meal Ideas!

Breakfast
• Low-fat yogurt with cut fruit and cereal
• Cereal choices – Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat or Quaker Oatmeal Squares – with cut up fruit and skim milk
• Whole wheat mini-bagel with peanut butter and sliced bananas
• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter

Healthy Dinners
• Personal pizza: whole wheat English muffin and sauce, sliced veggies, turkey pepperoni and low-fat cheese
• Burrito: whole wheat tortilla around canned low-fat refried beans, chopped veggies and low-fat cheese
• Omelets: eggs with your favorite veggies, topped with salsa.
• Turkey burgers

Celebrations
• Mini cupcakes or low-fat muffins
• Fruit tray and veggies with dip
• Pretzels, baked chips or bagel chips
• Instead of handing out a candy bag, provide party goers with a bag of treats, such as pencils, straws, jump ropes and stickers
• Skim milk

Sample Snacks
• Whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese cubes
• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Graham crackers and peanut butter
• Sliced peaches and cottage cheese
• Vanilla low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit
• Trail mix

Fun Things to Do Together As a Family
• Build an obstacle course in the basement or garage on a rainy day
• Create a dance party where each family member teaches their own dance
• Plant a garden
• Take a nature hike
• Run, jog and walk in a family treasure hunt
• Wash the car…enjoy an active game with the hose
• Go to the park and hike or climb

Seasonal Activities for fall
• Go on a family hike and collect leaves and nuts
• Rake leaves then jump in them
• Go apple picking or to a pumpkin patch

Physical Activity Ideas
• Play with children for at least two hours a day and never withhold playtime as a punishment
• Active play should be fun and creative with lots of movements, such as follow the leader, dancing and hokey pokey
• Have children play outside for at least 60 minutes each day if possible
• Limit screen time to two hours a day or less. Children younger than 2 should not watch TV