Healthy Foods & Exercises For Kids

Children must consume nutritious foods and develop good exercise habits to establish a strong and positive foundation for a healthy lifestyle well into adulthood. A kid who eats chicken nuggets and french fries excessively will likely become an adult who eats fatty and fried foods too frequently, increasing his risk of chronic diseases. Such diseases include diabetes, obesity, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Milk and Orange Juice

Calcium is essential for the development of strong bones and teeth during the childhood years. Kids between the ages of 4 and 8 need 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Those between 9 and 18 years of age need 1,300 mg of calcium. Consuming the required intake of calcium helps your child build close to 90 percent of the bone she will have by the time she is an adult, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Provide your child with calcium-rich foods like skim milk and light yogurt. One cup of milk or yogurt contains 300 mg of calcium. If your child is lactose intolerant, serve calcium-fortified orange juice, which has 350 mg of calcium per 1 cup.

Whole Grains

Whole grains provide energy from slow-digesting carbohydrates, fuel for the brain and the muscles. Whole grains include wheat bread, brown rice and wheat tortillas. These grains are digested and absorbed into the bloodstream slowly, providing a steady release of energy. If you serve your child primarily fast-digesting grains like white rice, potatoes and sugary foods, he will experience a rapid surge in his blood sugar and energy levels, followed by a drop even lower than his pre-meal level. This also predisposes him to diabetes, according to a 2004 article by Dr. Shelby Rush published in "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal." Whole grains with some protein, like boiled eggs or chicken breast, will satisfy your child for two to three hours until it is time for him to eat again.

Pushups

Kids can definitely do pushups, but with adult guidance. This exercise engages most of the muscles of the body to keep the head, back, pelvis and legs in a straight line. Show your child how to do a proper pushup with feet on the floor. If she cannot do one correctly, show her how to do pushups on her knees. Make it a game or reward her with quarters or more play time. Do pushups with her one to two days per week.

Running, Jumping, Skipping

Running, jumping and skipping are plyometric exercises, or exercises where both feet leave the ground at any given moment. Such exercises will likely stimulate bone growth in children, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Encourage your child to participate in sports that employ plenty of plyometric exercises, like soccer, gymnastics and basketball. He may also jump rope or go with you for a run. Have him do these activities at least three days per week for 10 to 20 minutes.