Nutritionist Helps Guide Local Families on the Road Towards Healthy Living

According to a recent study by the CDC, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last thirty years. The cause? Health professionals look to current habits and environmental factors of today's families-including sedentary lifestyles, consumption of processed foods, and an imbalance in portion control, just to name a few. Susan Landgren, Registered Dietitian at The Portland Clinic, outlines how to recognize early signs of childhood obesity and how parents can help.

Early Signs of Childhood Obesity

Landgren recommends that parents first consult their child's primary care physician around the age of two if they have any concerns with weight gain. "If parents are concerned that their child is overweight, there are a few key signs  that they can look for when worried about the potential for childhood obesity," says Landgren.

These signs include:

1. Children's Preferences - the child prefers more sedentary activities, including watching TV, video and computer games, than more active activities.
2. Excessive Snacking - oftentimes, due to boredom, stress or while watching TV, the child eats unhealthy foods, including fried foods, processed foods, fast foods, processed foods, excessively.
3. Drinking Their Calories - the child drinks high calorie beverages including soda pop, power drinks, and Kool-Aid.

Tips for Preventing Childhood Obesity

Landgren and the pediatricians at The Portland Clinic have a list of golden rules for keeping families healthy and preventing childhood obesity. These rules include focusing on food and family, getting out and being active, and limiting screen time.

Food and Family

• Eat five or more servings of daily fruits and vegetables.
• Drink low fat or non fat milk and water.
• Enjoy family meals together.
• Make fast food and "junk food" a rare occasion at the table.

Get Active

• Aim for one hour or more of activity or exercise, daily.
• Actively play with your kids.

Screen Time

• Keep combined screen-time to 1-2 hours per day.
• Keep screens out of kids' rooms.
• Read or play equal, or more time spent in front of the screen.

Landgren has helped develop the Healthy Choices, Healthy Families program at The Portland Clinic to lend a hand to local families trying to make healthier choices.  A new, six-month program, Healthy Choices, Healthy Families is designed for families in the Portland area who want to create a healthier environment for their children. Each month, the families receive a newsletter with tips and tools to track healthy living and food choices. On top of the newsletters, the families have a monthly consultation with Landgren to ask questions and track progress and can reach out to her at anytime for advice or guidance throughout the program.

Families like that of Katie Newell of Portland have seen great progress with the program. Newell, a new mother, joined the Healthy Choices, Healthy Families program to break away from her family's normal habits and learn ways to incorporate exercise and healthy eating habits into their daily activities. "I learned new ways to make food fun and be a lot more creative in general," says Newell, "We just had a daughter so it was important for us to get a head start on leading a healthier life, together."

For more information about the Healthy Choices, Healthy Families program at The Portland Clinic, visit:http://www.theportlandclinic.com/whats-new/news/healthy-choices-healthy-families.