Did you know that youth gain as much weight during the summer as during the whole school year? Research published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that kids often put on added pounds during the summer. The study attributes the weight gain to kids’ lack of physical activity and too much eating between meals.
Encourage Activity & Healthy Options
Encourage your kids to get outside, be active, and watch what foods are available at home. Weight gain is a matter of calories in vs. calories out.
Helpful Tips
Here are suggestions for parents who are concerned about maintaining their children’s healthy weight during the summer.
- Small containers of yogurt or individual serving packages of applesauce or pretzels may cost more, yet they can help with portion control. Parents can make up small baggies or containers of snack foods and limit how many are available. Preventing kids from eating directly from a large bag or box of anything is another way to help keep portions in control.
- Drinks provide more calories than most people realize. Keep sugary, sweetened juice, pop, and sports drinks out of the house. Water will keep most kids hydrated, even in summer. Leave some filled, reusable bottles of water in the fridge.
- Let the kids choose fresh fruits or vegetables for snacks. Buy a little each time, so produce stays really fresh, and kids stay excited about the produce they choose.
- Keep fresh fruit and veggies cut up in the refrigerator in see-through containers or plastic bags. Keep them visible-don’t let them get lost in the lower bins.
Don’t Forget to Enjoy Summer!
What about those summer staples – popsicles, ice cream, and frozen treats? Nobody says parents have to take away all the fun summer foods. Just realize that they have sugar, and many frozen treats have a lot more calories than you expect. Frozen fruit smoothies with 100 percent juice, frozen fruit, and low-fat ice cream parfaits, or homemade frozen juice treats are tasty, easy to make, and healthier.
Leave Easy to Prepare Meals
Discourage kids from continuous snacking by leaving easy-to-prepare meals for lunch and limiting “snack food” choices.
- Whole wheat bread and sandwich fixings, including pre-cut veggies.
- Leftovers from last night’s supper, including salad.
- Cold pasta, potato, or tuna salads made with lots of veggies.
- Fresh, cut-up vegetables with dip.
- Corn-on-the-cob, husked and ready to go in the microwave.
- Fruit salad made with summer fruit in season.
- Yogurt, granola, and fruit for yogurt parfaits; yogurt and fruit for smoothies.
- Make a “burrito kit:” tortillas, refried beans, salsa, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. The leftover tortillas can be used to make roll-ups with hummus and veggies or peanut butter and bananas.
- Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese – cold foods are more appealing on a hot day and don’t require cooking. These foods all have some protein, which will help kids feel full longer and hopefully decrease snacking later.
Keep Nutrient Dense Foods On Hand
To help kids choose the things you want them to eat, buy less of the things you don’t want them to eat. Skip the frozen pizza, frozen meals, and prepared foods. Buy less “food in a box,” like macaroni and cheese, rice mixes, and pasta meals. Replace big bags of chips and cookies with smaller packages of lower-fat, lower-salt snacks. Institute a policy of “when it’s gone, it’s gone,” so kids don’t eat all the snack food the day after you shop–or if they do, they understand the consequences.
Keep the Whole Family Active
Health guidelines issued by the federal government last year recommend that children and young adults get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
Make physical activity a reward, not looked at as this thing kids have to do. Make exercise a family affair. After all, children learn by example.
Create structure by enrolling the kids in a summer recreation program or just setting a time each day for when they should go outside and play. Consider activities such as swimming and bike riding for younger kids and summer sports like baseball and basketball for older ones.
Keep toys handy, like a stash of balls, racquets, jump ropes, and hula hoops, to guarantee your kids will always find something to do while home.
Perhaps, as parents, you can commit to one outing a week with your family. Provide them with a list of outing ideas, including a park walk and healthy picnic, time at a lake or river, swimming pools or water parks, a visit to the mountains, bicycle rides, morning or evening family walks, sports and recreation activities, or dancing time. Even moving to fitness videos or fitness television shows each week can be fun.
Take Advantage of the Summer Days
When you’re finished eating dinner, go outside for a walk, play catch, shoot some baskets, or take your dog for a walk – that’s always a good breath of fresh air that helps everybody.
Summer doesn’t have to mean weight gain–it can be a time for kids to enjoy fresh foods and make some healthy physical activity choices when parents make those choices available.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator