How to maintain a healthy weight: Top tips for kids and teens
Maintaining a healthy weight is all about balance! Try to eat nutritious foods and exercise while having fun, and don’t forget to indulge in the occasional sweet treat. A CHOC expert give her top tips to help you maintain a healthy weight.
- Avoid restrictive diets. There’s no need to try the new, popular diet. Intermittent fasting and keto diets are very hard to maintain and may not allow you to get the nutrients you need. They may also actually increase cravings for unhealthy foods!
- Plant a garden. Gardening is a great way to learn about where your food comes from and to try new, fresh flavors.
- Practice mindful eating. Mindful eating is a great exercise to teach us to slow down when eating and enjoy every bites. To practice this, with the first one to two bites of food, explore the following five sensations: how does it look, how does it smell, how does it sound, how does it feel and how does it taste.
- Limit your screen time. Instead, go outside and do something fun and active like going for a walk or bike ride, playing at the park, going to the gym or going on a hike.
- Eat nutritious snacks. Save the soda, cookies and chips for a special occasion, and opt instead for fruits, veggies, granola bars and trail mix. These snacks will help you feel full and energized for your day.
