Children can reduce their risks for obesity and a variety of diseases and conditions by following a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity. The American Heart Association recommends children get at least one hour of physical activity each day and reduce the amount of unhealthy foods they eat. Getting children to exercise and eat right can be a challenge, but making good nutrition and exercise fun can increase your chances of keeping your kids healthy.
Healthy "Junk" Food
Keep familiar favorites in front of kids, but use substitutes to make them healthy. Decrease the saturated fat, calories and cholesterol in pizza by using a whole-grain crust, low-fat cheese and vegetables for toppings. Sausage, bacon, hamburger and pepperoni are the main culprits in making pizza unhealthy. Serve turkey burgers with veggie sticks and baked beans instead of hamburgers with fries. Bake chicken fingers and serve with a fat-free honey mustard instead of buying deep-fried chicken nuggets and serving them with a ranch dressing. Serve fat-free frozen yogurt with berries instead of ice cream.
Chef for a Day
Let kids prepare their meals, starting with picking the menu, finding recipes, shopping for the ingredients and making the dishes, the PBS Parents website suggests. Kids will be less likely to turn up their nose at foods they choose and make. Introduce kids to kitchen gadgets such as blenders, mixers, food processors and juicers to make meal preparation more of an adventure.
Heart Healthy Snacks
Encourage your child to eat snacks. Eating five or six times each day keeps their metabolism running efficiently and prevents hunger that leads to overeating. Write a list of snacks your child can eat each morning and afternoon. Try popcorn, sliced veggies with hummus or bean dip, baked pretzels or chips, homemade trail mix, yogurt, granola bars, fresh fruit, nuts and other items kids like that are low in saturated fat, calories and cholesterol.
Triathlons
Have your child complete triathlons, either during one activity period or during the week. You can combine any three physical activities to create a triathlon. For example, have your child swim one day, speed-walk or jog one day, and ride an exercise bike or road bicycle one day. Take her to a gym and have her do 10 to 15 minutes of each activity in one hour. If your child likes skating, jumping rope or hula hooping, create a triathlon leg using one of those exercises, or use all three to create the circuit.
Seafood
Seafood is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Some shellfish contain higher amounts of cholesterol, but that may not be an issue for a child with a healthy weight. Experiment with different types of fish dishes to introduce more seafood into your child's diet. For example, if your child doesn't like broiled halibut, try fish sticks that you bread without egg wash and bake, rather than deep-fry. Try canned tuna in spaghetti sauce instead of ground beef, and make tuna salad with fat-free mayo. Try peel-and-eat shrimp with fat-free dipping sauces for a fun, messy meal kids will enjoy.
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