Experts reveal a simpler way to keep kids healthy

Small changes in calorie intake can work better than diets to help kids lose weight, a new study reveals.

Helping kids lose weight is as simple as swapping soft drink for water, or a muesli bar for an apple, a new study has found.

Small changes in calorie intake pay off in the long run, and are better than fad diets, the study, from more than a dozen prestigious institutions, has found.

Dietitian Simone Austin said the simple advice was still necessary, as parents tended to think more about restricting their kids’ food rather than including healthy food.

“Rather than focusing on what you take away, focus on foods you want to add, and make them appealing and easy for kids to eat,” she said.

Twins Alice and Tom Perillo-Phipps, 9, with healthy and unhealthy snacks. Picture: Tony Gough

The study of more than 100 weight-management interventions for children above a healthy weight range found nutrition advice from accredited dietitians led to the best long-term changes.

The study, led by University of Newcastle Laureate Professor Clare Collins, found simple steps such as eating more fruit and vegetables or having healthy after-school snacks and lunch boxes, paid off in the long run.

Such changes can lead to 800kJ less consumed a day six months later, and even 12 months later, children eating 500kJ less a day.

Prof Collins said it was important to “take away all the bells and whistles suggested to families, such as when to eat and when not to eat”. Instead, her message focused on reducing calories by “changing the types and amount of foods selected, such as increasing fruit and vegetable intake and cutting down sweetened soft drink”.

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