Prevent holiday weight gain & keep kids healthy this Christmas

The Christmas and School Holiday period can be a high risk time for weight gain in children as less physical activity and the availability of large volumes of festive food can leave children and families vulnerable to eating too much and moving too little. But there are some simple ways to help keep your family happy and healthy these holidays.

According to Weight Management Dietitian, Susie Burrell from The Children's Hospital at Westmead, the key to preventing holiday weight gain is to keep children as active as possible.

"Children need to be physically active outdoors, participating in vigorous activity for at least an hour each day," said Ms Burrell.  "Vigorous activities are those that make children ‘huff and puff' such as running, bike riding, skateboarding and swimming."  

Bike riding, bush-walking and trips to the local park and beach are activities the whole family can enjoy together. For working parents, school holiday camps offer supervised activities for children. Contact your local council for more details.

Choose Christmas presents for your children that encourage them to be active.  Bikes, trampolines, skateboards, balls, cricket or softball sets, skipping ropes and frisbees are all great options to balance the more sedentary DVD's and computer options.

In order to prevent weight gain, another key step for parents is to limit the amount of ‘screen time' children have access to. Ideally parents should limit children's screen time to two hours each day. Children burn less calories watching television than they do while they are sleeping!

With an abundance of food available during the holiday period, in order to help prevent overeating, Ms Burrell advises parents to maintain their children's school pattern of eating with breakfast, recess, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner rather than adopting a grazing style of eating.

"If parents are venturing to the shops or on outings with kids, a good idea is to try and take some nutritious snacks such as fruit, crackers and low fat cookies with them to avoid demands for high fat takeaway foods. Another good idea is for parents to feed their children before they leave home so the kids do not get too hungry when they are out."

While it is fine to enjoy some treats at Christmas as part of the festive fun, parents should avoid over purchasing high calorie, high fat foods such as chips, chocolates and lollies.

"If these foods are kept in the house, children will naturally want to eat them. It's also important to remind relatives not to purchase too many extra chocolates and lollies for children. Encouraging kids to ration treats out over the course of the holidays is another way to avoid excessive consumption.

"The Christmas period is a very special time and families still need to relax and enjoy the festivities. The key to preventing excessive weight gain is to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise habits the day or two after Christmas celebrations," Ms Burrell said.

If you think your child may have a weight problem, The Children's Hospital at Westmead recommends that you consult your GP or local paediatrician for appropriate assessment.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead has a library of fact sheets on a wide range of health and safety topics, including holiday nutrition tips and child obesity. Visit www.chw.edu.au/parents/factsheets

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