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Question
08 Mar 2004
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A balanced diet for an active 8-year old
My 8-year old son has recently moved into the "over weight" category - not obese, but clearly too much fat around the tummy area. He's very active with sport every day at school, including judo, swimming and cricket.(Total of 8 hours a week formal sport). I keep getting told that we must focus on "good food" choices, cut out the junk and up the exercise. "Junk" is almost missing from his life - R5 for tuck shop once a week is the limit and MacDonalds etc is banned. But he eats huge amounts of fruit. Who can give me a menu plan that will give me an idea of where we are going wrong? I want to avoid a "diet" - but need to see what one will look like to get the balance.
Thank you
Thank you
DietDoc
Dear Squirrel
Click on 'Child' at the top of this page and then on 'Nutrition' and read the articles on 'Diets for Schoolchildren aged 7- 10 years". One of the most common causes of overweight in children is lack of physical activity and this cannot be the case with your son as he is very active. Check what he weighs when you read the article on 'Obesity, etc' and if he just has a tubby waistline, then it may help for him to do regular firming up exercises - ask Fitness Doc for a home exercise programme. If you click on 'Diet' and 'Weight loss' and 'Slimming Diet' you can obtain an example of a low-fat, high-fibre diet that can be used for the whole family to reduce fat intake and can be applied to schoolchildren, but add another 2 cups of fat-free milk to his intake to provide additional calcium for growth.
Best regards
DietDoc
Click on 'Child' at the top of this page and then on 'Nutrition' and read the articles on 'Diets for Schoolchildren aged 7- 10 years". One of the most common causes of overweight in children is lack of physical activity and this cannot be the case with your son as he is very active. Check what he weighs when you read the article on 'Obesity, etc' and if he just has a tubby waistline, then it may help for him to do regular firming up exercises - ask Fitness Doc for a home exercise programme. If you click on 'Diet' and 'Weight loss' and 'Slimming Diet' you can obtain an example of a low-fat, high-fibre diet that can be used for the whole family to reduce fat intake and can be applied to schoolchildren, but add another 2 cups of fat-free milk to his intake to provide additional calcium for growth.
Best regards
DietDoc
The information provided does not constitute a diagnosis of your condition. You should consult a medical practitioner or other appropriate health care professional for a physical examination, diagnosis and formal advice. Health24 and the expert accept no responsibility or liability for any damage or personal harm you may suffer resulting from making use of this content.
