Approximately one in six preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years are overweight or obese. All parents should ask their pediatrician if their child's weight is right for his or her age and height every time they visit the doctor. This will give parents an opportunity to discuss credible nutrition and physical activity behaviors associated with healthy weight and explore any medical conditions that may be associated with their child's weight.

The following recommendations are associated with healthy weight:

Limit juice to 3/4 cup per day.

Limit sweetened beverages by offering water with snacks.

Serve fruits and vegetables as snacks.

Reduce screen-time (time spent watching television, computers and electronic games) to no more than 2 hours per day.

Encourage at least 60 minutes of active physical play. This can be spread throughout the day such as 6 10-minute bouts of activity.

To learn more about promoting healthy weight visit: http://fcs.tamu.edu/food_and_nutrition/promoting-healthy-weight.php

Texas AgriLife Extension Service offers free and low cost nutrition education classes. To learn more, contact your local county Family and Consumer Sciences County Extension Agent Claudann M. Jones at 598-7744 or 598-3223 or email at cmjones@ag.tamu.edu.

Educational programs of Texas AgriLife Extension are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.
Texas AgriLife Extension Mission: To provide quality, relevant, outreach and continuing education programs and services to the people of Texas.