Reducing TV Time: An Effective Weight Loss Strategy
The number of hours a child watches TV is very strongly linked to weight:
Time spent watching TV is time a teen is not spending doing something active.
Many teens snack while watching TV—often mindlessly and when they’re not even hungry.
TV watching also influences the food they eat throughout the day.
The more TV a teen watches, the more they consume products that are heavily advertised to teens such as fast food, soda, and snack foods.
How to Save Your Familiy From the Obesity Trap
Author Amy Hendel offers these tips for parents of teens:
Involve them in taste testing and don’t take it personally.
Invite them into the kitchen or to shop, if they’re willing.
Try to create healthier home versions of pizza, lasagna, grilled burgers (turkey), grilled chicken, stir-frys.
Have fruit, salad, and easy-to-grab options.
Expose them to flavored waters.
Don’t condemn foods; do challenge portion size or frequency.
Add pureed fruit, ground-up veggies whenever possible.
Always serve a fruit salad and salad with the meal.
Admit to your own poor role modeling, if applicable. Honesty appeals to teens.
Get them involved in after-school sports or activities, and be there to cheer them on.