<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Every mom thinks her children are beautiful, but when you look at your child through the haze of mom-colored glasses, you may be missing a crucial red flag: In a recent study from Deakin University, 89 percent of parents of overweight 5- and 6-year-olds failed to recognize that their own child had a weight problem. It&amp;#039;s easy to attribute this to motherly love \u2014 but experts also point to the plumping up of Americans in general. &amp;quot;If your child looks like everyone else, there is no reason for you to think he&amp;#039;s overweight,&amp;quot; points out Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian and an author of The Family Guide to Fighting Fat. But pleasantly plump can easily slide into obesity, which raises your child&amp;#039;s risk for diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. Anding suggests taking these steps to keep your child healthy:  Get a professional opinion:  At your child&amp;#039;s next checkup, ask your doctor to calculate his body mass index (BMI) \u2014 a ratio of height to weight that gives a good picture of whether your kid is overweight \u2014 then discuss if the BMI is in the healthy range. &amp;quot;If he tells you your child is overweight, don&amp;#039;t take it personally,&amp;quot; says Anding. &amp;quot;Just be grateful that you found out so you can do something about it.&amp;quot;  Eliminate sugary drinks: Just by clearing soft drinks and juices out of the house and switching from whole milk to 1 percent or skim, you can save your child 500 calories a day, says Anding. &amp;quot;Even if he sometimes eats pizza and fast food, that makes a huge difference.&amp;quot;  Play together:  To avoid making your child feel self-conscious about his weight, get the whole family moving, says Anding. &amp;quot;If you all go to the park or play tag in the backyard together, it won&amp;#039;t feel like hard work or exercise,&amp;quot; she says. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/advice/a3510/overweight-kids/?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_redbook&mag=rbk>