The family that is healthy together, stays healthy together.

This should be the motto we follow as we live our lives. Families, big or small, need to make healthy decisions together in regards to healthy foods and healthy habits.

Healthy Foods

When it comes to what’s available in the home, that’s typically up to the adults, so it’s up to parents to make sure healthy food options are what children have to choose from. Be cognizant of the following when making options available:

• Eat fruits and vegetables: Make sure everyone is eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables each day. Fruit could be frozen or as 100% fruit juice (with no sugar added). Vegetables can be as a snack or mixed into meals, like on a sandwich or a side salad.

• Try reduced fat and reduced sugar: When buying milk, yogurt or cheese, reach for the non-fat option. Instead of butter for cooking, try olive or vegetable oil. And when reaching for a beverage, drink water rather than sweet sodas.

• Limit sweets: “Treats” are great for special occasions, but not to have readily accessible all the time. Limit the sweets in your home and they’ll be even more special and appreciated when the time comes.

• Portion control: Buying in bulk is a great way to save money, but take the time at home to divide foods into better, readily-available portions that make sense for the serving size.

A great way to have access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables (and a fun activity for families) is to plant a garden. Start from seeds or potted plants and try tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers, figs and orange trees. Plants will be fun to watch grow and healthy to eat.

Healthy Habits

Be a role model: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says research shows children follow the lead of their parents. If parents eat well and move more, kids will too.

Eating together as a family is a great way to show good food behavior to your kids. According to the NHS in England, studies show that families who have regular meals at the table with no distractions are more likely to be a healthy weight. Structured meal times promote more structured eating habits. Also, children know to choose healthy foods by seeing their parents do so. Plus, the best bonus, it allows families to spend more time together. “When families come together to eat, they create an emotional harmony that I think is pretty sacred for long-term health,” advises Dr. Oz.

One very important meal to eat together is breakfast. NHS England says children who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day. The first meal of the day doesn’t have to be a huge production either: A bowl of low-sugar cereal, toast with nut butter or oatmeal and fruit are great, easy options.

Another healthy eating habit to have is to regulate where you eat. Food should be consumed at a kitchen table not on the couch while watching television. Television watching is an “inactive” activity and can lead to “mindless munching.” This means no television while eating meals and no snacking while watching television.

Staying active is also important and it’s more fun to be active with a group, which is great for families. There are so many activities a family can do together that gets their heart pumping (and are fun). Walking the dog, going for a hike and playing games at the beach are just a few examples. Even doing chores, while not the most fun, help a family move.

Talk About It

Choosing healthy foods and staying active are great habits for families, but in order for it to be understood (why are we doing these things?) and for the habits to continue, there needs to be a discussion. If children understand the reason behind these things, they’ll make the connection between good choices and how they are physically affected. In the long run, with this knowledge, children will be more likely to care and make the “better” lifestyle choices in the future. This means your family can continue to be healthy together for years to come.

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A recent study determined that girls between the ages of 6 and 12 should walk at least 12,000 steps per day to stay healthy. Boys need to record 15,000 steps and engage in 60 minutes of sustained activity to maintain proper weight.[1] Most kids who are part of a sports team or active during school recess will reach their daily step goals. But children often spend hours watching TV or playing video games which can have long-term consequences on their health. Parents can use the following apps to encourage children to stay active, eat well, and have fun at the same time!

Free Fitness Apps for Kids

Awesome Eats was created by the Whole Foods Foundation to teach children the health benefits of the different food groups. Awesome Eats is not a dull tour through the food pyramid. It is an addicting, fast-paced game where players stack fruits and vegetables to earn points. The difficulty increases at each level as children gain healthy eating advice they can use in their everyday lives.

MotionMaze encourages children to get off the couch and navigate through a series of puzzles. Kids need to walk or jog in place to move to the next level of the adventure. The app is powered by actual motion so children will need to move around the room to earn the highest score. A range of different mazes will keep children entertained and challenge them to beat their fastest time.

NFL Play 60 is a slick game produced by the American Heart Association. Players run and jump in order to move their avatars through the obstacle course. Children will love creating their own characters and outfitting them with logos from their favorite American football teams. Parents should be aware that the game runs slow on older smartphones due to heavy graphics requirements.

Eat-And-Move-O-Matic teaches elementary-school children the relationship between eating and exercising. It shows exercises that burn the most calories and the types of physical activities needed to counteract that giant cheeseburger you had for lunch. Kids can spin the Eat-And-Move-O-Matic wheel to learn simple exercises and the right portions for a balanced diet.

Max’s Plate lets kids play with their food in positive way. Boys and girls learn about food groups and earn points by creating the healthiest meals. Each plate must include portions from the five major groups in order to earn the maximum score. Children can also track their own diets and compare it to the healthiest meals.

Paid Fitness Apps for Kids

Fitness Kids ($2.99) teaches 25 easy-to-learn exercises to kids. Children can watch fun videos that demonstrate strength and yoga activities. The app focuses on playground activities like crab walking, sit-ups, and wheelbarrow which children can perform alone or with friends. The colorful graphics and upbeat music will keep kids entertained for hours on end.

Discover Your Body ($2.99) lets kids explore the human body in an interactive learning environment. Children assemble body parts and learn about the skeleton, brain, and circulatory system. The app also teaches kids about exercises that strengthen core muscles and the best fuel to keep our bodies running. This fun app will reinforce lessons that children are learning in school in an intuitive and engaging way.

iMuscle 2 ($2.99) is geared towards adolescents who want to learn more about physical training. The app focuses on strengthening exercises for major muscle groups. Users can even customize their own training regimen from a large database of activities. This app is most useful for young athletes hoping to improve their fitness as they join sports teams and develop regular exercise habits.

Iron Kids ($3.99) was created by the American Academy of Pediatrics to teach children how to maintain their bodies and prevent injuries. Iron Kids provides advanced training exercises that strengthen the core and improve posture. The featured 45-minute workout will also get children moving and sweating in no time.

Super Stretch Yoga HD ($1.99) uses kid-friendly graphics and music to teach basic yoga poses. Yoga can be fun and relaxing for children after a long day at school. Short videos demonstrate basic movements such as Downward Dog and Warrior Pose. Parents can perform the exercises with their kids and burn calories together!

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They’re most easily and often influenced by those in their home. They look up to their parents and older siblings and emulate their actions, including what they eat and how active they are.

A Duke Medicine study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, says¹  parents are role models for their children and stressed the importance of promoting physical activity and healthy eating. If children see their parents exercising and are encouraged to do so as well, they’re more likely to be active and healthy eaters, according to the study.

Parents aren’t the only influence on their child when it comes to activity levels, but what they put on the television influences their eating habits too. A recent study at the University of Michigan found²  commercial television viewing, as opposed to viewing commercial-free, digitally recorded television or other media without food advertising, in the home was related to greater junk food consumption.

Even though parents and other caregivers are the primary gatekeepers regarding young children’s food intake, children are still learning about food as it relates to health from family, media, and other sources, and may use this knowledge later on to inform their decisions when parents or other adults aren’t there to supervise them, Kristen Harrison of the University of Michigan said.

Besides parents taking an active role in what their children do and eat, it’s also important to educate. Chef Jamie Oliver says³  “the world isn’t as educated about food as we think it is. Diet related-issues”, Oliver says, “is a global problem. It’s a catastrophe. It’s sweeping the world.” Oliver has been doing his best to start a food revolution⁴  in hopes to better educate the world about real food and eating healthy. He started the Better Food Foundation⁵  in hopes of increasing school kitchens and instructing the new generation on basic cooking skills so we can transform the way we feed ourselves and our children.

It is very important for the future of our children to bring this education into our homes. KidsHealth.org’s ways⁶  to encourage healthy eating habits in your family:

1. Have regular family meals. Children who take part in regular family meals are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables, less likely to have unhealthy snacks and less likely to smoke or drink alcohol.
2. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks
3. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself
4. Avoid battles over food. Give your kids the freedom to choose.
5. Involve kids in the process. Let them help pick the menu or even make the meal.

Jennifer Tyler Lee, mother of two children and creator of Crunch a Color⁷  nutrition games, struggled with picky eaters in her family and decided to embark on 52 weeks, 52 new foods⁸. Each week her family tries out a new, healthy food item (everything from romanesco broccoli to quinoa stuffing), which makes meals different, but still healthy, and kids are more excited to eat.

It’s important for parents to pass down healthy habits to their children and it isn’t a hard thing to do.

Stay active, research healthy food recipes and get your kids excited about doing what’s best for their bodies.

References:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/262174.php
² http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/ica-pwh060313.php
³ http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html
⁴ http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/home
⁵ http://www.jamieoliver.com/foundation/fundraising
⁶ http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/healthy_eating/habits.html
⁷ http://www.crunchacolor.com
⁸ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-tyler-lee/the-easy-way-to-healthy-o_b_2429085.html

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