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The average calorie count required by an active seven year old should be about 1,000 calories. But the operative word here is active. If the child is active, then he will consume that kind of calorie count quite easily. But for an inactive child, that is a child who does not play too much, spend time outdoors, and is mostly seated, then you would need to take care as to the kind of calories that the child consumes. While it is essential that the calorific count remain high for growing children, you can easily eliminate the fat calories from the diet completely. The reason the child would need that many calories is that he is still in growing stages. Overall development of bones, muscles, brains and size is still a work in progress, and must not suffer due to reduced calorific intake.
You would need to take care that your son does not consume unnecessary fats and put on more weight, thus adding to the problem of obesity. In order to do this, you need to monitor his intake of fats. In all likelihood, you son is suffering from the problem of obesity because of a combination of inactivity and consumption of excessive fats. The first thing to do is to eliminate snacking from the child's diet. It is essential that you feed him three proper large meals and only two snacks a day. It is also important that all of these be monitored. The things to exclude from the child's diet are sugary snacks, salted and fried foods and drinks that contain sugar. Chips and soft drinks are often the culprit for such young children putting on that kind of weight. In meals, increase the quantity of vegetables your son would eat. Try to eliminate excessive bread and rice in meals, as they both have a tendency to make the child put on more weight. Make it a point that the child not be given direct sugar at all, if you can help it. Try to substitute sugar with fruits, which are high in natural simple sugar and will not really make him put on weight. Fruits are also healthier to eat since they contain vitamins and minerals. You can also make milk shakes which can be given as a snack in between meals. It is equally important for you to get your son to exercise a little. Try to get him involved in playing a game, which is usually the best solution.
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