Simple Ideas for Healthy Kids
Help Children Develop Healthy Habits With These Practical Steps
Be a positive role model. If you're practicing healthy habits, it's a lot easier to convince children to do the same. Get the whole family active. Plan times for everyon
Once again it's truly up to the parents to help their children develop healthy habits. How often have we read or heard, "Don't do as I do, do what I say?" It would be a lot easier on parents and children if they learned to incorporate healthy habits into their family routines. Everyone benefits and it's not a chore, but an adventure.
Don’t reward children with food. Candy and snacks as a reward encourage bad habits. Find other ways to celebrate good behavior. This is extremely difficult for a grandparent to do. Isn't that the true calling of a grandparent, to give the grandchildren everything they can't get at home. However, your goal as a parent or grandparent should be to help children by being supportive by focusing on positive instead of negative. Everyone likes to be praised for a job well done. Celebrate successes and help children and teens develop a good self-image.
Set specific goals and limits, such as one hour of physical activity a day or two desserts per week other than fruit. When goals are too abstract or limits too restrictive, the chance for success decreases.
Make dinnertime a family time. When everyone sits down together to eat, there’s less chance of children eating the wrong foods or snacking too much. Get the kids involved in cooking and planning meals. Everyone develops good eating habits together and the quality time with the family will be an added bonus. Make a game of reading food labels. The whole family will learn what’s good for their health and be more conscious of what they eat. It’s a habit that helps change behavior for a lifetime.
Limit TV, video game and computer time. These habits lead to a sedentary lifestyle and excessive snacking, which increase risks for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Encourage physical activities that children really enjoy. Every child is unique. Let children experiment with different activities until each finds something that he or she really loves doing. They’ll stick with it longer if they love it. Experts recommend that kids get no more than 1–2 hours of TV/computer/video games a day — most kids get 4–6 hours. You know your child needs to watch less TV but you’re dreading the screaming, yelling and crying that may follow. First and foremost, remember YOU are the parent. You run the show; part of your job is to set limits. Here are some ideas about how to limit your kid’s sedentary time.
Have a plan. Be prepared to offer alternative activities to TV or video games. You might consider family game night, shooting some hoops, walking the dog or exploring a nearby park. Be active with your kids. Experts say that what kids want more than anything else is time with their parents. To give them that, don’t just send them out to play — go play with them! Don’t position your furniture so the TV is the main focus of the room. Remove televisions from bedrooms. Plan TV watching in advance. Go through the TV guide and pick the shows you want to watch. Turn the TV on for those shows and turn it off afterwards. Don’t just watch whatever comes on next. Avoid using TV as a reward or punishment. Practice what you preach. Your kids won’t accept being restricted to two hours of TV watching if you can veg out for four hours. The best way to influence your kids’ behavior is through example. Remember, you can do it! Be strong, have a plan and don’t back down. Your child’s health is worth fighting for.
Children older than 2 years should gradually adopt American Heart Association dietary recommendations. That means saturated fat intake should be less than 7 percent of total calories, trans fat intake should be less than 1 percent of total calories, and dietary cholesterol should be limited to no more than 300 mg daily. Children should also get the majority of calories from complex carbohydrates high in fiber.
Try accomplishing that while driving by a popular fast food chain. There are options even there now. Yogart, cut up apples, salads. Introduce them even if it must be next to the hamburger and fries. Supply ample choices and watch your kids taste buds mature as they do.
