If your child eats too much or doesn't exercise enough, he could experience health problems in the future. As a parent, you can help by taking an active role in your child's eating and exercise habits and encouraging your whole family to develop healthy living habits.
Benefits
Combining a healthy, balanced diet with regular physical activity will help your child grow properly, build strong muscles and bones, maintain a healthy weight, have more energy and avoid diseases related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes.
Your Role
If you regularly eat a variety of healthy, fiber-rich foods that are low in sugar and fat, your child will learn to like them too. If he doesn't like a food the first time he tries it, be patient; it often takes numerous attempts before kids will readily eat something new.
As a parent, you also influence your child's exercise habits. Play games like hopscotch, catch or jumping rope with your child to prove that being active can be fun. After dinner, engage in physical activities together, such as walking the dog or taking a bike ride instead of watching TV. Every week, have a family fun day when you go hiking, roller skating, or to the park or zoo.
Activity
An active child will not only be more physically fit than one that doesn't exercise, but he'll also sleep better, be more prepared to tackle daily physical and emotional challenges--including studying--and even have a better outlook on life.
Many parents wonder how often their children need to be active, and the answer is every day of the week if possible, for at least 60 minutes.
To accomplish this with today's busy lifestyles, limit the time your child is allowed to watch TV, use the computer or play video games. Instead, send him outside to play with friends, or sign him up for a swimming class or sports team.
Encourage your kid to do a variety of activities so that he builds all three elements of fitness: endurance, strength and flexibility. He can work on endurance while playing tag or soccer, strength by hanging from the monkey bars, and flexibility by stretching, or even bending down to tie a shoe.
Nutrition
Your child needs to eat a variety of foods to be healthy, just like you do. To make a specific meal plan for your child, see the food pyramid (see Resources).
Serve nutritious meals to your whole family based on these dietary guidelines. You should all be eating fresh vegetables and fruits, lean proteins such as meat and beans, whole grains, low-fat dairy foods and even healthy fats like oils daily. Cook with fewer fats to avoid adding empty calories; instead of frying food, bake or roast it whenever possible. Limit the amount of sugar your family consumes, too. Instead of soda pop and fruit-flavored drinks, serve 100% juice, low-fat milk or water.
Helping Out
You don't have to do it all yourself, however. Involve your child in menu creation and meal preparation, because kids love to eat what they help to put together. Also, getting him into the habit of making and eating healthy foods will give him a positive attitude about food and help him understand the role of food in his growth, level of energy and enjoyment of life.
Starting Out
You've heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that still holds true. Food fuels the mind as well as the body. Your child needs to eat breakfast before going to school so that he'll have the energy and focus he needs to pay attention and learn. Kids who skip breakfast are often tired, irritable, or restless, and have trouble regulating their emotions.
If you find yourself running out of time in the mornings to prepare a nutritious breakfast that's high in fiber and low in fat and sugar, stock up on quick alternatives such as individual cereal boxes, trail mix, fresh fruit, yogurt and smoothies.
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