Tips for Kids on Eating Well and Feeling Good About Yourself

It is no fun for you to worry all of the time about how much you weigh, how much you eat, or whether you are thin. Here are some things you can do to:

Be healthy and fit!

Have fun!

Feel good about how you look!

• Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating when you are full.
• All foods can be part of healthy eating. There are no "good" or "bad" foods, so try to eat lots of different foods, including fruits, vegetables, and even sweets sometimes.
• Try to eat lots of different types of snacks, too: sometimes raisins might be good, sometimes cheese, sometimes a cookie, sometimes carrot sticks or celery dipped in peanut butter.
• If you are sad or mad or have nothing to do--and you are not really hungry--find something to do other than eating. Often, talking with a friend or parent or teacher is helpful.
• Remember: Kids and adults who exercise and stay active are healthier and better able to do what they want to do, no matter what they weigh or how they look.
• Try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like jumping rope or dancing or karate or riding your bike) that you like and do it!! Join a team, join the YMCA, join in with a friend or practice by yourself--just do it!
• Good health, feeling good about yourself, and having fun go hand-in-hand. Try out different hobbies, like drawing, reading, playing music, or making things. See what you're good at and enjoy these things.
• Remind yourself that healthy bodies and happy people come in all shapes and sizes, and that no one body shape or body size is a healthy one or the right one for every body.
• Some people believe that fat people are bad, sick, and out-of-control, while thin people are good, healthy, and in-control. This is not true and it is unfair and hurtful.
• Do not tease people about being too fat, too thin, too short, or too tall. And, don't laugh at other people's jokes about fat (or thin) people or short (or tall) people. Teasing is unfair and it hurts.
• If you hear someone (your mom or dad, a sister or a friend) say they are "too fat and need to go on a diet,"

• TELL THEM -- You think they look just fine the way they are.
• TELL THEM -- Please don't, because dieting to lose weight is not healthy--and no fun--for kids or adults.
• TELL THEM -- Don't diet! Eat a variety of foods and get some exercise.
• TELL THEM -- Remember, being "thinner" is not the same thing at all as being healthier and happier.

Appreciate yourself for all you are--everyone should respect themselves, like themselves, enjoy playing and being active, and eat a variety of healthy foods.

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