Published:

04/03/2014 03:14am

Your Daughter's WEIGHT Can Affect Her Academic Performance

You intuitively know that Obesity has a lot of downsides for your daughter's health... but did you know that Obesity can also put your daughter's academic performance at risk?

A 24 year ongoing-study recently released in the UK showed that young girls who were overweight starting at age 11 performed worse academically at ages 11, 13 16 than their "normal weight" peers, if they maintained the heavier weight during those teen years. See Medical News Today for the full report.

If you are wondering where your daughter falls on the BMI index... Just Google BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen.

You can also get this chart from your local pediatrician.

If your daughter falls within the close ranges of "at or near" the Obese BMI's, certainly, there are things that you can do to help her. Don't just say to yourself "oh,it's genetic", or "she'll outgrow this." You need to be proactive with your daughter and make sure you are doing everything that you can to help her maintain a "healthy" weight.

Here are a few simple steps I recommend for all children... not just the one's with weight issues:

1. Keep "added" sugar consumption below 16g a day for kids 8-12... and then under 32g of added sugar a day for children ages 12-18. These are the American Heart Association 2010 Guidelines.

2. Increase your child's consumption of leafy green veggies and fruits.

3. Don't fall into the "low-fat" trap... Low-fat packaged foods are often high in Sugar ( #1) and additives.

4. Include good healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, & cold pressed olive oil to help your child feel satiated.

5. Trade out the sports drinks and soda for WATER:-) If you child doesn't like plain water, squeeze in some lime juice and a sprinkle of sea salt to make you own sports drink. Try flavored Teas (unsweetened).

6. Reduce & eventually eliminate the junk foods that have dyes, chemicals, excess salt, preservatives and bad fats.

These 6 changes will do wonders for your child's mood, health, and energy and if they seem doable... please share them with a friend... or add your comments below.

Carmen Johnson is a Board Certified Health Coach, trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She's the founder of The Healthy Kids/Healthy Schools Revolution. For more information about her, go www.thehealthykidsrevolution.com