Hey everyone I’m really concerned about my 9-year-old. He put on some weight over the summer, and during a recent doctor’s visit we were told to cut back on sugar. I want to handle this the right way because the last thing I want is for him to develop an unhealthy relationship with food. I feel stuck between doing what’s best for his health and not making food a stressful subject for him. Anyone been through this or have any advice?
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We were in the same boat with my son last year and it’s tough. One thing that helped us was focusing on adding healthier foods rather than restricting treats. We’d make smoothies together, experiment with fun recipes, and go grocery shopping as a team. He felt more involved and less like food was being taken away.
Truth is this is a hard subject. Over the summer, I tried sneaking spinach into brownies. My 7 yr old ate one and was like, “Mom, this tastes like dirt.” 
In the end, I realized it’s not about perfection, just progress. We started going on evening walks together, and they call it “adventure time.” Somehow, that made it fun and didn’t feel like exercise at all.