Provide a safe environment for your children and their friends to play actively. Encourage swimming, biking, skating, ball sports, and other fun activities.

HEALTHY EATING SUGGESTIONS:

*Follow the dietary guidelines for healthy eating.

*Guide the choices for your family rather than dictate foods.

*Encourage your child to eat when hungry and to eat slowly.

*Eat meals together as a family as often as possible.

*Carefully cut down on the amount of fat and calories in the eating plan your family follows.

*Do not place your child on a restrictive diet.

*Avoid the use of food as a reward.

*Avoid withholding food as punishment.

*Plan for healthy snacks. Stock the refrigerator with fat-free or low-fat milk, fresh fruit, and vegetables instead of soft drinks or snacks that are high in fat, calories, or added sugars and low in essential nutrients.

*Aim to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

*Eating a healthy breakfast is a good way to start the day and may be important in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

IF YOUR CHILD OR TEENAGER IS OVERWEIGHT:

The diet for you child should be safe and nutritious. It should include all of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamins, minerals, and protein and contain the foods from the major Food Guide Pyramid groups. Any weight-loss diet should be low in calories ONLY, not in essential nutrients.

Even with extremely overweight children, weight loss should be gradual. Crash diets and diet pills can compromise growth and are not recommended by health care professionals. Your child's physician should supervise any diet program.

Weight lost during a diet is frequently regained unless children are motivated to change their eating habits and activity levels for a lifetime. Weight control must be considered a lifelong effort. As a parent, you must work with your children to help them achieve a healthy lifestyle.