Encourage healthy food habits to protect your child from harmful health conditions

Photo: © JIU

 We’ve all heard that because more kids are overweight now than ever before, they’re developing “adult” conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. Research shows that the simple steps below matter most when it comes to keeping kids at a healthy weight, says Y. Claire Wang, MD, assistant professor of health policy at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.

More water, fewer sweet drinks
“Many sugary beverages, including sports and juice drinks, are being marketed as healthy,” says Dr. Wang. Avoid ones with added sugar, and keep 100% fruit juice to two 4- to 6-oz servings daily.

Limit screen time to less than 2 hours a day
Less than an hour for kids younger than 6. TV is particularly bad partly because kids snack while watching—and also because they’re exposed to food advertising.

Make sure they play actively for at least an hour most days of the week
This can be as simple as running around outside, and it doesn’t have to be all at once (playing tag, throwing a ball around and riding a bike all count). Don’t use being active as an excuse to let your kids have a “treat.” To burn off one can of soda, a child would need to do about 60 minutes of brisk walking!

Source: WomansDay

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