The roles of diet and nutrition in kids have become increasingly popular subjects in the last few years, with good reason. Child obesity is running rampant throughout the Western World and shows no signs of letting up.

Still, how does a parent know when its time to put their child on a diet?

The first thing a concerned parent should do is talk to their childs doctor. What your physician will do is measure your childs height and weight and compare them to other children their age.

Next, theyll use those numbers to come up with a body mass index, or BMI, which they will again compare with other children their age. If a childs BMI is higher than 85% of the other boys or girls their age, then that child is considered to be at risk for being overweight. A BMI over the 95th percentile means that the child is overweight.

Losing weight is not always the answer, believe it or not. As pediatricians, we will often tell parents that we dont want kids to lose weight, but that we would rather see them not gain any more weight for a while, so their height can catch up to their weight.

Using diets are also something not typically recommended by most pediatricians. A diet usually has a beginning and an end. Instead of the latest fad, we would rather see children make adjustments to their lifestyle that will last a long, long time.

Your doctor should be able to provide you with some information, but you will probably have to learn more than what they will be able to explain to you in a short office visit.

Start educating yourself about healthy eating habits, and how to teach them to your children.

Learn how to read labels and make better choices when you go shopping.

Make sure that your doctor clears your child to start an exercise program, and integrate that with your nutrition plans.

Study the reasons why kids overeat and take steps to prevent that from happening.

Put everything that you learn into a comprehensive plan and check back with your physician from time to time to make sure youre on the right track.