Obesity is an epidemic in this country. It affects millions of adults, but it is also affecting children of all ages. Here are some tips to help your child shed the pounds.

We are alarmingly becoming a fat nation. Food choices combined with inactivity have led to unhealthy bodies, even in our children. It really hits home for us and our children when they get teased at school or can’t perform some activities that their thinner classmates can accomplish.

The important thing now is to help them restore their health. With it comes the confidence and pride in themselves as worthwhile people, but, their health now and in the future takes top priority here.

Losing weight is a combination of proper diet and exercise. By diet, we mean eating foods that will nourish your body. You don’t have to go on the proverbial “diet” to accomplish this. Simply changing your eating habits now is the first and basic step.

Most schools have more than regular cafeteria foods. They have counters serving hamburgers, pizza and other fast foods, and vending machines with candy and soda. That pizza your child eats may have several hundred calories and contain lots of fat. By changing that one meal to something more wholesome eat weekday, they can lose a pound or more each week.

Much of the foods we eat are poor in nutrition. That means that we gain the calories but not much else. The body needs a mix of food to provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids for daily cellular upkeep. Without it, we are not doing our bodies any good.

Exercise helps us to burn the fat that is stored. Regular activity each day can help your child begin to see results. It can be difficult at first, especially if they are really overweight, but over time it will be easier and more fun to exercise.

Here are some tips to get you started:

* Make changes to family meals – Even if one child is overweight in the family, singling them out by making them a special meal will only lead to secret raids on the refrigerator and binge eating when they are away from you. Everyone in the family can benefit from healthier choices.

* Move as a family – Play in the back yard; ride bikes in the park; go for a walk and discuss your day. All of these choices involve everyone getting fit, and it promotes family togetherness.

* Teach your children about food – This can be an instructive lesson that can be taught through cooking. Kids love to cook. Show them what foods to use (wholesome ones) for creating meals. Getting them involved in their own weight loss empowers them. Show them a copy of the food pyramid, the well-known illustration to the proper daily servings of foods in each food group.

If you have a child who is overweight, begin today to change their lives for a healthier future.