Home       Send to a friend       Français
Recipes and news on nutrition to discover each month in Focus on Healthy weight
Get valuable information on nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits!
Read the Nutrition Info
Calculate your healthy weight and assess your lifestyle habits.
Calculate my healthy weight

Read the most frequently asked questions to dietitians and physical activity experts, and most importantly, their answers which can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.


IMPORTANT - please read Waiver of responsability


image
image

Learn more about the experts

Nurture good habits

8 questions
Q: I would like to know if a 13 year old child who is 200lb @ 5ft 10 inches is consider over weight to the point to be concern about. - Seema
A: The best thing to do if you’re concerned about your child’s weight is to talk to your child’s doctor who can track their development against age-specific growth charts.

Keep in mind that at 13, it is common for children to carry extra weight to prepare their bodies for a growth spurt.

You may have heard of the body mass index (BMI) as a way of measuring a person’s weight classification. However, the BMI calculation is only appropriate for healthy adults. It is not suitable for children, the elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women or muscular people such as athletes.

Regardless of your child’s weight, it’s important for families to eat right and be active. Browse through this website for delicious food ideas and ways to be be active as a family. Another great resource is Canada’s Food Guide at www.myfoodguide.ca.

- Zannat Reza


Q: My daughter is 14yrs old, 5ft 7in and weights 154lbs. Can you let me know what her ideal weight should be. She is trying to loose weight and I want to make sure we do it right together. - rosa
A: Your physician or local health department can show you a weight chart that can give you a gauge of what the medical world thinks are healthy weights for particular heights. Body Mass Index is a guide that is used for people over the age of 18.

We all know that everyone is different, so the weight chart is only a gauge. Ideally, a 14 year-old girl needs to eat well, be active and get good sleep.

Encouraging physical activity that is fun for your daughter is very important. Not only will exercise help make her body strong, it can give your daughter pleasure and a feeling of personal accomplishment.

When it comes to helping your daughter plan her meals, Canada’s Food Guide is a good tool to use because it will help you be sure that your daughter is getting food from each of the four food groups and also enough choices within each group.

Visit Health Canada’s website at:

www.hc-sc.gc.ca and click on Canada’s Food Guide.

A very good habit for your daughter is to enjoy a glass of milk with meals. It’s a habit that will keep her strong her whole life. Milk is loaded with vitamins and minerals and also, the protein will help keep her satisfied until her next meal or snack.

Getting into the habit of having 3 meals and 2 snacks a day will serve your daughter well for the rest of her life. And help your daughter see that food is fun and for pleasure. Encourage her to cook and invent her own recipes and have fun serving food to her friends.

Lois Ferguson


Q: My 14 year old sister eats a lot. She is also 5 feet tall, and ways 57 kg. She enjoys eating snacks, and eats chocolate and ice cream everyday. She also eats in her school cafeteria and i think it's making her gain weight. Her legs look fine but she has a big stomach. What can I suggest to her to lose some weight? What meal plans or excercise should she do? She does dance (Hip Hop, Jazz, and Musical Theatre) and Yoga. Please HELP! - babvxnessa
A: While it’s great that you’re concerned about your sister’s health, how does she feel about her eating habits and weight?

The key is to get her to buy in to the fact that she may have to make some changes.

To get to and stay at a healthy weight, it’s important to focus not only on eating, but also on how active you are. So it’s great to hear that she loves to dance. How long and how often does she do this? Is she getting at least 60 minutes of activity several times a week?

You can encourage her to check out her eating habits by doing the eating habits assessment on this website (under My Healthy Weight Assessment). You can both check out the new Canada’s Food Guide (www.myfoodguide.ca) to make sure you’re getting foods from all 4 food groups, including milk products. In fact, over 30 studies have shown that milk products could help you reach and stay at a healthy weight.

Eating at the school cafeteria can be a challenge. Limiting fried foods or foods with lots of sauce would be a good strategy.

Maybe she needs a friend (i.e. you!) to join her on the journey to becoming a healthier person – both inside and out.

Start by setting small goals. The "ABCs of Healthy Weight" in the "Nutrition Information" section is an excellent place to start.

- Zannat Reza


Q: What can I do to get my daughter to eat breakfast. She is 13 and ever since she was 6 always fells nauseau if she ets breakfast before going to school. I use to force her to drink a glass of milk, but when she started almost throwing up every morning, I stopped. She leaves for school at 7:15 am. - Caring
A: As you probably know, eating breakfast improves concentration at work and at school. The best thing you can do is have breakfast yourself. Show her that you think it’s important too.

Some people don’t feel too hungry when they wake up. Sometimes this is because they snack late at night. If she’s not that hungry then encourage her to drink something nutritious and delicious like chocolate milk to start off her day. Apart from the great taste of chocolate, she’ll be getting the energy and 15 essential nutrients that milk offers. Or start her day off with some fruit and cheese. The key is not to force her. Ask her what she thinks might be okay eating/drinking before school.

It might be more realistic to eat on the way to school. Try these grab and go choices: cereal, nuts, dried or fresh fruit, juice, milk, yogurt tubes or drinks, or fruit cups.

Check out the breakfast article under "Nutrition Information" on this website. Together with your daughter brainstorm 2-3 foods she’s willing to try in the morning.

- Zannat Reza


Q: my kids don't eat healthy foods all the time like me.what do i do? - coolcat
A: Sometimes it can be frustrating when children refuse to eat healthy foods, but don’t give up! Children often go through stages; what they are willing to eat one day, they claim to hate the next. Patience is incredibly important throughout this stage, both for you and your children. Some children may need to try a food up to twenty times before they learn to like it! Providing regular (unpressured) opportunities to try foods and continuing to model good eating for your children is important.

Eating as a family is one of the best ways to accomplish this task. Just by making healthy foods available and showing your children that you enjoy eating them, helps them to develop these good habits. Regularly providing fruit and vegetables at meals and snacks and accompanying a meal with a glass of milk will help to incorporate two of the food groups most under-eaten by children.

Also, try to avoid forcing your child to eat certain foods, or using food as a reward, as this can promote unhealthy food behaviours. When you can provide nutritious choices for your children, encourage them to keep trying foods, and model good eating habits, you create an environment that fosters healthy eating. Keep at it, your patience will pay off.

Nicole Springle, RD


Q: My son used to be an excellent eater. A few years ago, he had a bad cold and lost his appetite, and it never returned. It's almost impossible to find anything that he'll eat now. All he wants to eat is peanut butter. I've been waiting for this phase to pass, but it's been a few years now and I'm desparate to find things he'll eat. HELP! - joycesavage08
A: Food jags (asking for the same food or same meal over and over again) are common in the early years. Bouts of independence are all part of being a child and this can apply to eating as well as in other parts of life. But, it sounds like you’ve waited long enough for your son to start to enjoy a greater selection of food, other than peanut butter. Because it’s been a few years that you’ve been having this challenge, it would be wise to check with your family physician and ask about your son’s appetite.

In the meantime here are some things to try:

It may help if you can get him involved in preparing meals. He can help you make a salad or a grilled cheese sandwich. Have him suggest some ideas for food to serve at family meals. Look at a food magazine together and talk about foods that people eat in different countries. Serve him hot chocolate as a good way to give him protein and a range of important vitamins and minerals.

Can you offer other foods with the peanut butter? For example, put peanut butter on celery, pita bread or whole wheat crackers. Or serve it with carrot sticks or apple slices.

Your family doctor can help give you some good advice.
Lois Ferguson


Q: I know eating together as a family is a good idea. But with our busy schedules how is this realistic? Paula - Anonymous
A: You’re right that we’re all pretty busy. But making family meals a priority will help everyone get closer to and stay at a healthy weight. We know that families that eat together tend to eat more fruits, vegetables and milk products - foods we don’t get enough of. Choose 1 or 2 weeknights with no activities for the kids or yourselves. This will give you time to reconnect as a family.

Here’s what works for us: When my husband works late, I usually eat dinner with my daughter. And if I’m off to an early morning meeting, my husband will eat breakfast with her. Do what works best for your family.

- Lois E. Ferguson


Q: My kids hate everything and refuse to try something new. any suggestions? - Anonymous
A: Patience is a virtue when introducing new foods to children. It's a good idea to keep calm and casual about it, in other words offer new foods with other foods without making the new food special. Include the new food along with other foods and slowly your kids may get used to the idea of seeing it and may try it. I can't guarantee it, but I know it works in some cases. The best thing is keep calm and wait until a time when they want to try a new food. You could ask each child to choose a fruit or vegetable, or type of cheese at the grocery store and plan together how you could serve to the rest of the family.

- Nicole Springle


 
This site is brought to you by the Registered Dietitians at Dairy Farmers of Canada with a reminder that physical activity and healthy eating habits that include milk products is the perfect combination for staying in shape.
Material to order Useful links Legal Contact Us
Please note that all the content related to www.yourhealthyweight.ca is not intended to replace the therapeutic advice of your physician, dietitian, certified fitness consultant or other health professional.
Experts who give you advice through www.yourhealthyweight.ca answer only questions relating to eating habits, physical activity and healthy weight management.
Any other subject is outside the expertise of www.yourhealthyweight.ca.
100% Canadian Milk