Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Eat More, Weigh Less?

While it's good to be cautious about any product that says you can eat more and weigh less, this may be true about one food: beans. Findings based upon data from a recent National Nutrition and Health Examination Survey showed that teens who eat beans regularly (3 cups per week) weigh less - about 7.3 pounds - than their peers who don't eat beans, yet they eat as much as 335 more calories each day.

Study authors contend that this is because beans, in addition to being a nutritious and low fat protein option, are high in fiber. And high fiber diets are thought to help reduce weight.

Try these tips for adding beans to your diet:

  • Try a breakfast burrito: scrambled eggs, black beans, low fat cheese and salsa wrapped in a tortilla shell
  • Sprinkle kidney beans on your salad or in your soup for lunch
  • Make a quick dinner out of baked tortilla chips spread with low fat refried beans, low fat cheese and salsa

Posted By: Lori S