It’s no secret that raising a healthy family in today’s world is a challenge. Meeting that challenge comes from the ability to make wise choices through four behaviors geared toward family health: Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude and Nutrition. Here are the top tips that can make a major difference!
1. Shape Young Tastes.
Those are the three most important words of family nutrition. Introduce your children to the flavor of fresh foods right from the start. Feed your family as many foods that are free of artificial sweeteners, coloring and preservatives as you can. If you present nutritious foods as the norm (This is what we eat) and eat them yourself, your children will eat them, too. Pure families (those who eat only real foods) are likely to grow healthier children who grow up to prefer real foods later on. When you start your baby on real foods such as avocado and mashed salmon (recommendation: salmon at 7 months), your growing baby undergoes what is medically called metabolic programming. The developing gut gets used to the good gut feel of real food.
2. Raise a Grazer.
Grazing throughout the day is actually healthier than binging on three large meals. Enjoy my rule of twos: Eat twice as often, half as much and chew twice as long. For toddlers, offer a nibble tray with fun foods such as apple moons, avocado boats, banana wheels, broccoli trees, cheese blocks and boiled egg canoes. Place it on an easy-to-reach table and watch the food disappear. By the end of the day the tray will be empty, your child’s tummy will be full and food hassles will fade away.
3. Begin the Day with a Brainy Breakfast.
Breakfast is just what the word says: break the overnight fast. Eating breakfast allows you to restock the energy stores that have been depleted overnight and begin the day with a tank full of the right fuel. Breakfast also programs your child’s eating habits for the rest of the day. Children who eat a healthy breakfast such as whole grain cereal, eggs, or a fruit and yogurt smoothie tend to be more attentive and better behaved at home and school than breakfast-skippers.
Remember…Eat twice as often, half as much and chew twice as long.
4. Move!
Mother was right when she told you to go outside and play. Movement is good medicine. By increasing circulation, the body releases natural medicines that lower the highs, such as high blood pressure; raise the lows, such as depression; and heal your aches, such as swollen joints. Exercise burns fat, increases muscle, decreases the risk of a number of major diseases and releases feel-good hormones that contribute to the overall sense of well-being. If you have a child who loves to sit and watch TV or play computer and video games, have a house rule:
Time Sitting = Time Moving.
Besides nutrition deficit disorder, many families suffer another N.D.D.nature deficit disorder. A walk in the woods is a great way to get your blood flowing.
Stay tuned because next week we will go over the last 4 crucial tips to raise a healthy family!
Yours in Health,
Team at CCC