London, Europe Brief News – Having a healthy lifestyle means that kids learn to look after themselves and to take care of their health. Here are some tips and suggestions to help your kids to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
Eat the right breakfast
Kids need the right kind of energy to sustain their learning schedules. Skipping breakfast leaves them low on energy and focus, and they are likely to overeat later in the day. Eating the wrong breakfast can be just as bad. Pastries and sugary cereal don’t fill them up for very long, and they don’t provide adequate energy for a full morning of school.
Eat at home
Although it’s OK to eat out once in a while, eating out regularly may normalize unhealthy food choices and over-sized portion for your kids. Dr. Krebs says that children who eat at home are more likely to eat fruit and vegetables than children who eat many of their meals at restaurants.
Practice portion control
Children don’t need to eat as much food as adults, but the amount of food they need can vary by age, gender and overall activity level. For example, a two-year-old needs a different portion size than a 7-year-old, and a 7-year-old needs a different portion size than a 15-year-old. MyPlatePlan can give you a general understanding of portion sizes by age, but you should talk with your child’s primary care provider regularly about what is right for your child.
Lose the soda
Children who drink sugar-sweetened beverages will on average consume an excess of 200 calories a day. Krebs notes that the problem extends beyond soda to include any sugar-sweetened beverage like fruit juice, energy drinks, sweat tea, lemonade and flavored coffees. All of these have added sugar and increase your child’s risk of obesity.
Play outside
Dr. Krebs advises parents to promote physical activity by encouraging kids to play outside safely. This can include any activity, like biking or hiking with the family, but can also include simple outdoor exploration.
