Forty percent of all school-age children queried in the Kellogg Survey reported having been on a diet, according to an article by Elta Saltos of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Services (Adapting the Food Guide Pyramid for Children: Defining the Target Audience in Family Economics and Nutrition Review 12, nos. 3, 4 [1999]). Given that about 20 percent of children are overweight, and 10 percent actually fall into the obese category, they're not very successful. Still, you should watch to make sure your child isn't succeeding all too well. Anorexia is on the rise, and other eating disorders pose a threat as well (see Chapter 16).

Shedding Extra Pounds

The problem with dieting is that after the first few pounds are off, the body thinks a famine is afoot and slows the metabolism so that the few incoming calories stretch farther. That makes it harder and harder to lose weight. In addition, the feelings of deprivation lead to rebound eating, so as soon as the diet is over the pounds quickly reappear. To lose weight and keep it off, children need a change in their lifestyle. Exercise increases metabolism and is a more effective way to lose weight than dieting. Furthermore, the goal shouldn't be to lose weight, but to get in shape by combining a new set of permanent eating habits with regular exercise. Staying fit is a lifetime affair.

Calorie-Cutting Ideas

Nutritionists recommend that tweens drink 2 percent milk rather than whole milk, unless a doctor advises otherwise. Sodas are the worst offenders of all the items in the grocery store that pass for food; most contain calories that are completely void of nutritional value and are very bad for children's teeth. Don't buy them. Try water with a sprinkling of lemon or orange juice. Instead of serving fruit juice, which is very high in calories and which children can down in huge quantities, serve fresh fruits. Because the fiber from the pulp of fruit is more filling, children don't consume as much, so they take in fewer calories.

Tweens do need 30 percent of their calories to come from fat, but most get far more than that. Never encourage your child to dip his veggies in sauces or add salad dressing if he can do without. If you do serve salad dressing, stick to vinegar or lemon juice, and use little or no oil. Experiment until you find a combination of spices your family likes; try mixtures of lemon pepper, parsley, Italian seasonings, salt, and, if all else fails, a dollop of sugar. Broil meat, fish, and poultry and serve them without breading and sauces. Pep up the taste of protein dishes with herbs, too, instead of frying them in fat. If you do serve chips, forego the dip. When you serve popcorn, skip the butter. It serves no purpose to add fat and sugar to anything if your child can do without it, unless your doctor says differently.

Avoid fast-food restaurants where the heavy doses of starch, grease, and salt ensure the taste appeals to most everyone, as that usually means the menu items aren't healthy for anyone. If you are taking your child out for hamburgers to celebrate something special, go with charcoal broiled rather than fried. Pizza is always a tween favorite, and it's healthy enough as long as the crust is whole grain and it's topped with veggies and low-fat cheese — that probably means making your own rather than serving store-bought. Pizza is time-consuming and a mess to make, but your child will enjoy helping, and in time will learn to do it alone. Getting him to clean up afterward, of course, will likely be harder. Lots of kiddie cookbooks are available. They make wonderful gifts and can spark interest in tackling the culinary arts.

By giving your tween nutritional information and imposing dietary restrictions, you teach him how to make good decisions and give him opportunities to develop good habits during these crucial years of rapid physical development. When he's away from home, he may not choose to follow your directives, and when he's grown, he may not use your gift for years or even decades, but it's there for him whenever he's ready.