Ancestral pearls of wisdom
As a parent, you pass more than genes for your children. Children also pick up on your habits – both good and bad.
Tell your children about the health advice you care about by telling them that you will be with them long enough to carry them.
Habit 1: Make colorful food
Eating foods of different colors is not only fun – it also has health benefits. Help your children understand the nutritional value of including a rainbow of colorful foods in their regular diet.
This does not mean that every meal should be multicolored. But you should try to include different types of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Allow colors to range from red, blue and orange, to yellow, green and white.
Habit 2: Do not skip breakfast
Starting a regular feeding routine in childhood may make it more likely that your children will continue this good habit when they grow up. Teach them that a healthy breakfast:
- Kick starts their brain and energy
- Helps keep them strong
- Chronic diseases lives in the bay
Harvard Medical School confirms that going without breakfast is four times more likely than obesity. And high fiber in many breakfast cereals can help reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Look at the sugar content, though.
Habit 3: Choose enjoyable physical activities
Not every child likes sports. Some may be afraid of gym class. But if they see you being active and enjoy physical activities, then they remain healthy and active.
They can possibly carry their love of these activities into adulthood.
If your child hasn’t found his game yet, encourage them to keep trying, and be active with them. Expose them to a range of physical activities such as swimming, archery, or gymnastics. They are bound to do something that they enjoy.
Habit 4: There will not be a couch potato
Get the kids, and yourself, off the couch and out the door. The Root India Healthcare reports that children who watch one or more television a day have a number of health problems, including:
- Impaired performance in school
- Behavioral difficulties including emotional and social problems and attention disorders
- Obesity or being overweight
- Including irregular sleep, falling asleep and difficulty sleeping
- Less time to play
Habit 5: Read every day
Developing strong reading skills is an essential component of your child’s success in school now, and working later in life.
According to the Apollo Clinic, reading leads to a child’s self-esteem, relationships with parents and others, and success in later life.
It is recommended that you read a part of your child’s play time and bedtime routine.
The Apollo Clinic also suggests that daily reading to children can begin as early as 6 months of age.
Have your children choose books that they see as a discipline rather than reading.
Habit 6: Drink water, not soda
You can keep the message simple. Water is healthy. Soft drinks are unhealthy.
Even if your children do not understand all the reasons that too much sugar is bad for them, you can help them understand the basics.
For example, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), sugar in soft drinks provides no nutrients. It also adds calories which can cause weight problems. On the other hand, water is an important resource, without which man cannot survive.
Habit 7: See label (food label, not designer)
Your children, especially preteens and teens, may care for the label on their clothes. Show them another type of label that is more important to their health: food nutrition labels.
Show children how their favorite packaged foods are labeled with important information about nutrition.
To avoid dominating them, focus on a few key parts of the label, such as the amount per serving:
- Calorie
- Saturated fat and trans fat
- Gram of sugar
Habit 8: Enjoy a family dinner
With a busy family schedule, it is hard to find time to dine and enjoy together. But it is worth to try.
According to the University of Florida, research has shown the meaning of sharing a family meal:
- Family bonds are strong
- Children are more well adjusted
- Everyone eats more nutritious food
- Children are less likely to be obese or overweight
- Children are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol
Habit 9: spend time with friends
According to research published by Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review Trusted Source, friendliness is very important for the healthy development of school-aged children.
Playing with friends teaches children valuable social skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem solving. Having friends can also affect their performance in school.
Encourage your children to develop various friends.