Nutrition for Families

Romina Mazlumian-McNaughton,
Health Education

Did you know that today's generation of kids is considered the heaviest in our country's history? In fact, over the past 25 years, the prevalence of obesity in kids between the ages of 6 and 11 has quadrupled and has more than doubled in adolescents ages 12 to 19.

Parents ought to be concerned about their kids' excess weight. Overweight kids are more likely to have very serious health problems when they are adults, such as Type II Diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and others. What can you do to help prevent these problems in your children? Here are a few simple things you can do to start:

Become a good role model! Educate yourself on what's healthy and what's not. Children will learn from example. Leading a healthy lifestyle with good eating habits and daily physical activity will show your children that it is important to you - and they will pick up on those cues. Walking the dog together with your children or grandchildren or setting aside time to toss the ball around with them is an example. Not keeping junk food in the house and snacking on fruits and vegetables instead is a good way to teach them healthy eating habits. (If you shouldn't be eating it … neither should they!)

Include your kids in activities that involve food, such as menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking and preparing food, even growing vegetables if you're up for it. Children - and some adults - often have the perception that 'healthy' means 'tastes bad'. Having your kids participate in these activities can help change their misconception.

Teach them proper portion sizes. Not only does junk food provide more calories and fat than fruits and vegetables, but so do improper portions. Here are a few examples of serving sizes:
- Baseball = a serving of vegetables or piece of fruit
- Deck of cards = a serving of meat, fish, or poultry
(the size of the palm of your hand)
- Rounded handful = about a ½ cup cooked vegetables, cooked pasta, or rice

A healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be all sacrifice. It can actually be pleasurable and will result in increased energy, a more diverse lifestyle, and can even lead to a closer family unit if everyone is involved. So get moving and eat well, get your kids moving and eating well, and choose health!

Sources: www.mealsmatter.org, www.eatright.org, www.obesity.org.

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