

"Even if cheese pizza is categorized as yellow based on nutritional content," Robinson says, "we'd find kids would say, 'Oh, that's wonderful that it's yellow. Recently, he moved certain popular foods, such as pizza, from cautious yellow to stoplight red. Pediatrician Thomas Robinson directs the Center for Healthy Weight at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. Vegetables and water get the "green light." Grains, fruits, beans, meat and fish get a "yellow light," signaling they can be eaten frequently, but in moderation. "Red light" items include cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, whole milk and frozen yogurt. The program combines an easy-to-understand traffic light system to help kids and their families understand that there are foods that should be consumed rarely. With so many high-fat, high calorie foods in so many places - birthday parties, sports events, holiday parties, even Grandma's cookie jar - Zedeck says it's tough for kids to make healthy choices. "It can't be the result of pressure from the parent, because if they feel pressure or aren't clear why they're here, it won't be successful." " to explain they want to do this themselves," says Cindy Zedeck, an education specialist in charge of the program. They literally sign a contract promising to come every week for six months. Yet the parent can't make the decision for the child. At least one legal guardian must agree to attend each weekly, 90-minute learning session with the child.

A child with a BMI greater than the 85th percentile may also be eligible, if the child's parent is overweight or the child has an obesity-related condition like diabetes or high cholesterol. To qualify for the program, children or teens must have a body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's growth chart. The key, say program organizers, is motivating kids to change their lifestyle. Most other weight-reduction programs have a 50 percent success rate. Over the past decade, more than 350 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 have graduated from the family-based, behavioral program at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, which boasts an 80 percent long-term success rate.
Program lights for grandma mac free#
Scroll down for their tips to help set children free from a limited diet.Ī weight-control program in Stanford, Calif., is helping significantly overweight kids - some as young as eight years old - understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods.
Program lights for grandma mac mac#
For families with kindergarteners stuck in the mac 'n cheese, chicken-finger rut, nutritionist Cindy Zedeck and counselor Thea Runyan warn that bad eating habits now could lead to problems down the road.
