Quick Tips To Create A Healthy Lifestyle For Your Child

Family health and fitness is important. Overweight children are likely to become overweight adults faced with serious health conditions. As parents it is important to set a healthy foundation for your children. Small changes in your child’s diet can make a huge difference and add up to real results.  Here are some simple tips to help create a healthy lifestyle for your child.

• Model good nutrition and exercise by the choices you make for yourself.
• Guide rather than dictate food choices. Offer a variety of healthy foods. Keep nutritious snacks such as apples, berries, carrot sticks, yogurt, string cheese, and whole wheat crackers readily available for after school.
• Remove sugary or salty snacks from your home so the temptation isn’t there. Purchase them only occasionally.
• Involve your child in food shopping and preparation. A child is usually more willing to try food he or she helped prepare.
• Offer new foods multiple times. It may take awhile for your child to accept them.
• Make mealtime a pleasant time for the family to eat together.
• Make sure your child is physically active – look into different activities you can do as a family.
• Avoid frequent fast food stops.
• Serve more fresh fruits, whole grains, and vegetables than meats and sweats at family meals. When serving dairy products, make them low-fat. Try and avoid serving second helpings.
• Designate specific snack times to avoid all-day nibbling, and discourage snacking in front of the TV.
• Limit TV time as well as time spent in front of the computer. Research shows extra hours of screen time adds extra pounds as children grow.
• Go to MyPlate.gov to see the number of calories your child should eat based on age, sex, and activity level. There are also guidelines for how much of what foods should be included in your child’s daily and weekly routine.

Tags: Children, Healthy Lifestyle

Category: Get Moving, Nutrition