In Asia, plump children have traditionally been associated with prosperity and wealth. Today, health experts warn that tipping the scales is not without accompanying health problems. Children usually don't have heart disease and high blood pressure, but what they eat now can set the stage for these diet-related diseases later in life.

Healthy eating is important for children. They need energy and nutrients from food to support their rapid growth and also for the repair and maintenance of body tissues. Childhood is also the time when eating patterns and food preferences are formed. Developing good eating habits in children means they are more likely to choose a healthy diet as they grow up.

• Encourage your child to eat a variety of foods. There are no good or bad foods, just good and bad diets.

• Offer healthy, balanced low fat meals and snacks more often.

• Try to use wholegrain products such as brown rice and wholemeal breads. These fibre-rich foods are more filling.

• Do not ban foods or beverages. Teach your child to eat small portions of foods that are higher in calories.

Childhood consists of a series of growth spurts and lulls. For example, babies may gain 7 kg in their first year of life. From then on, they may gain only 2 kg per year. There is an expectation that the quantity of food a child eats will gradually increase, but this may not be so.

The food guide below will help you plan your child’s diet. But remember, just as adults vary their food intake from day to day, so will children. So don’t expect your child to eat as much as he did yesterday. It is better to look at the balance of nutrients eaten over a week not just in a single day; what is missed one day will often be eaten the next day.

It is much easier to prevent children becoming overweight than to shed excess fat. Happy mealtimes are important for the development of healthy children. The way food is served and the general atmosphere at meals can be as important as the food itself for the total enjoyment of a meal and the development of healthy attitudes towards food and eating.

• Encourage your child to be involved in meal planning and preparation.

• Try not to bribe your child with food.

• Never use food as a reward or punishment.

• Show your love by giving children attention, time, hugs and taking them for outings.

• Do not coax your children to eat when they have had enough. Help your child recognize internal appetite cues: that is to eat when he is hungry and to stop when he is comfortable not overstuffed. Serve small portions and if your child is still hungry he can ask for more.

• Do not nag, criticize or complain. Children are more likely to eat in a relaxed and positive atmosphere.

• Encourage your children to undertake exercise that they enjoy.

• Set a good example yourself. Eat healthy meals and snacks and exercise regularly.

It is a common myth that sugars and sugar-rich foods make children overweight. This is not true. Sugar is a carbohydrate. Rice, noodles, bread and biscuits are also carbohydrates. They break up into sugar before the body can use them. Foods such as fruits and milk also contain sugars. These "naturally" occurring sugars are used by the body in exactly the same way as sugar added to foods. In fact, our bodies cannot tell the difference!

Used in a healthy diet, sugar can be used to encourage children to eat a variety of nutritious foods. For example, a spoonful of sugar will help your child eat a bowl of green bean soup or soya bean curd.

Just how do you distinguish between a cute, plump child and one that is overweight? Before you start guessing, remember all you need is a bathroom scale and a tape measure to make an accurate judgement. Compare your child’s weight for height against a growth chart. You can pick up a growth chart at your pediatrician’s office. If your child’s weight tops the 120% mark over the "ideal weight for height and age", he is overweight. And if he is 140% over the ideal weight, then the problem is more serious and he is considered obese.

Recent studies in Malaysia indicate that the prevalence of obesity in children under 10 years of age is about 8-9%. Other preliminary studies in Malaysia indicate that in children 10 years and above, the incidence of obesity is as high as 25%.

Overweight children should not be placed on a crash diet for rapid weight loss. However tempting and painless the weight loss advertisements seem, there is no substitute for healthy eating and regular exercise. Crash diets will jeopardize the growth of your child.

Just like every other child, overweight children are also growing and require sufficient calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, calcium, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. All you should try to achieve is to hold your child’s weight at the present level over a period of six to twelve months while height naturally increases. This should bring your child into the ideal weight for height range. The key to growing a trim and fit kid is to provide healthy, balanced, meals and to encourage regular exercise.

Family support and encouragement are essential for successful weight loss in children. Parents serve as role models. So, Mom and Dad, if you are overweight, now is the ideal time to change your eating habits and activity levels.

Most overweight children are extremely inactive. Overweight children tend to watch more TV and sit indoors more than their normal weight peers. The more overweight a child is the less likely they are to be good at physical activities or to enjoy the activity. This makes it even harder to lose weight. Exercise not only burns off fat; it channels children’s interest away from food and reduces psychological problems associated with being overweight.

• Encourage your child to be active through the day. Tell them to take the stairs rather than the lift; encourage them to walk more.

• Limit sedentary activities like watching television, playing computer and board games.

• Encourage your child to take part in games at school and to play active games with neighbors.

• Participate in games and sports as a family. Try a family stroll after dinner; bike riding on the weekend or a long bush-walk.

A nutritious diet should include satisfying meals, which fit in with the rest of the family. To ensure that your children grow into healthy adults, teach them good eating habits and encourage regular exercise while they are still young. Good habits formed and nurtured in childhood will place them in good stead for the rest of their lives.

FOOD GUIDE FOR GROWING KIDS