What is a meal I could cook for an obese child?

Question: What is a meal I could cook for an obese child?

What is a meal I could cook for an obese child? I don't want it to be a plain salad but something my child would actually enjoy! Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Hayley - About.com User

Answer: Obese children often eat too much sugar, too much fat by eating portions that are too large. A nice tasty meal would include a lean meat like baked chicken. Try our Low Fat Cooking guide's baked chicken nuggets. Follow the recipe exactly and remember that one recipe makes 4 servings. Your child's meal should have just one serving of the baked chicken nuggets.

A salad with fresh greens and vegetables would make a great side dish and add lots of vitamins. Use a low fat dressing or lemon juice on the salad to keep the calorie count down.

Baked sweet potato fries are a tasty side dish that can be a healthy substitute for french fries. The sweet potato fries are very low in fat and high in vitamins and anti-oxidants. One serving could be just enough strips that would fill a one-half cup measuring cup. Small amounts of barbecue sauce, mustard, or ketchup can be used for dipping sauces.

Make sure you control the portions by serving the meal on a plate rather than in large serving dishes at the table. Add a glass of water or low fat milk as a beverage. A meal like this would have about 500 to 600 calories.

Our Pediatrics guide has a great article called Teen Diet Makeover that will help you a great deal, too.