Healthy Lifestyle - Don't Forget About Your Kids!

by Bob Lachniet
President - Fitness 4 Home Superstore

So, you try to eat healthy while keeping your weight down. But, what about your kids? Sure, when they’re at home, you have some control over how they eat. But, how can you make sure that when you’re not around, that they still follow healthy eating habits?

Now, of course, you can’t always keep an eye on them when they’re away from home. But are your pantry shelves have high-fat snacks and sugar-filled cereals that you’d never buy for yourself? And, have you worried about what the combination of peer pressure and your kids desire for fat-and-sugar filled snacks might be doing to their health?

Well, if you haven’t started to worry – you should. Kids today are fatter and less fit than previous generations. Between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, obesity increased 54 percent among young children (ages six to 11) and 39 percent among adolescents (ages 12 to 17). Food companies spend millions of dollars on television advertising to convince children that high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods are worth eating. Food is consumed because it's cool, fun or comes with a free toy rather than for its impact on health or even for its taste!

You know where the easiest place to start is? Simpe - eat your words! The fact is that parents who have adopted a lifestyle that includes healthful foods and regular exercise are living role models for their children. The habits and behaviors that you exhibit at home have the proven benefit of carrying over to your kids. But, it won’t happen overnight.

The first step is to stop battling with your kids about food. Take it slow, and introduce reasonable alternatives as you gradually reduce those high-fat, high-sugar foods. Be sure to include some of their favorite foods in daily meals.

Make sure that the majority of the items you have in your pantry are healthy. Keep cut up veggies in your refrigerator, for example. Cut back on butter – if they want popcorn, either air pop it, or purchase plain microwave popcorn – and sprinkle it with low-fat, grated parmesan cheese.

Also, get them involved with both shopping and cooking. Look for cookbooks that have their favorite recipes, but in a healthy format – if they learn how to cook healthy, those habits will stay with them.

And, don’t forget to let them have their favorite foods on occasion. If they’re never allowed to eat them, they’ll look for every chance to sneak them behind your back (just like we all did when we were kids!). Having them once in awhile might actually make them feel a little bit guilty once in awhile – and over time, can help keep them following healthy dietary habits!