Tips on How to Help a Child Lose Weight on a Low Income

Obesity and lower incomes have an unfair but very real connection to one another. The inexpensive and convenient nature of sugary snack cakes, potato chips, fatty beef, and other unhealthy foods make them popular amongst the overworked and underpaid. Children in low income homes are also at a higher risk of developing obesity not only as adults, but also while still in their youthful years. However, several easy steps can be taken to improve your child's health without breaking the bank. Take a look at the following tips on how to help a child lose weight on a low income for a few quick, budget-friendly suggestions.

Tip #1: Start by regulating snack times. Grabbing a $5.00 family size bag of potato chips and settling in front of the television is a recipe for disaster. Try keeping snack times a little more monitored to curb overeating in general (a common habit of all children, regardless of household income).

Tip #2: Regulate portions at meal times. Start by preparing your child's plate for him or her until he/she learns to recognize what a normal, child-sized portion is. Restrict seconds as much as possible, but do keep your child's growing needs in mind. After a few months (or even weeks), he/she may need to be allowed a bit more to accommodate their growth.

Tip #3: Go from white to wheat. With everything from bread, rice, cereal, and crackers, make the switch now to avoid problems making the transition in the future. Wheat products are not drastically different in price from their white counterparts, and they offer much more in terms of nutritional value.

Tip #4: Replace beef with chicken. Chicken is versatile enough to be used for many different types of meals, and can be cooked alone without much more than a few spices (as opposed to beef, which often requires several complementary items to create a single dish). It's also a lean protein naturally, and less expensive than lean ground beef.

Tip #5: Begin rewarding exercise. From playing ball with friends, to joining sports teams at school, to simply jumping rope or running around outside, offer non-food rewards for movement (at least 10 minutes in duration) that will help to keep exercise from becoming a chore. You might offer an extra half hour of time to stay up past bedtime, a trip to the park, etc. If possible, give your child homemade "tickets" for daily exercise that can be collected and used toward larger rewards.

Tip #6: Switch from candy bars and snack cakes to Jello pudding. Lower in fat and high in taste and fun, pudding is a better option that still satisfies chocolate cravings. You can purchase a pack of six for around the same price as one candy bar.

Tip #7: Switch from potato chips to 100 calorie popcorn boxes in a variety of flavors. Naturally low in calories and much more filling, 100 calorie packs of popcorn are pre-portioned, longer lasting salty snacks that cost less than a family size bag of chips. Also, the amount of food offered from these popcorn packs far outweighs what chips offer for the same calorie count.

Tip #8: Switch from sweet candies to fruit pops. Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, Blow Pops....they're fun, but they don't offer much nutritionally. They can also cost parents the same amount of cash for just one piece or bag that would purchase an entire box of frozen fruit pops. Be sure to select pops made with real juice and/or fruit pieces.

Finally, understand that making these adjustments will gain a certain reaction from your children, especially if they are made for the sake of weight loss. Anyone used to eating foods high in carbohydrates and fats will undergo a withdrawal period while healthier adjustments are being made, so stand firm and stay focused. In time, most children develop a taste for healthier foods when exposed to them regularly and even begin to prefer them. Make helping your child lose weight as fun as possible for them and as easy as possible on you and your budget by sticking to the plan and rewarding healthier behavior.