Help your Kids make easy healthy choices in 4 steps

ByElizabeth Lampman
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According to Healthy Settings for young People in Canada, 2006;

“Almost half of students are physically inactive and sedentary. Also, fewer than half report daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, or low-fat/skim milk. The problems of inactivity, obesity and poor nutrition are particularly apparent in youngsters from homes with the lowest levels of family wealth.”

Consider that with the shocking statistic as to just how sedentary Canadian children are according to Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2011:

“Instead of playing outdoors, Canadian kids in Grades 6 to 12 are spending 7 hours and 48 minutes per day in front of screens.”

Photo by Jackson Elizabeth, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


So how can we help our own children break this pattern?


1.  60 minutes of daily physical activity is the goal your kids should be aiming to reach.  This might seem a lot but activities like having them walk to and from school if possible can make a huge difference!

2.  Limit screen time to the recommended 2 hours or less.  When I was growing up my parents limited us to an hour in the morning before the day started and an hour right before bed provided our chores and homework was all done.  We spent a lot of our time just playing and I have great childhood memories thanks to this policy!
3.  Make healthy snacks easily accessible.   Cut up fruit such as apples and melon and keep it at the front of the fridge so your kids can grab some throughout the day.  Keep chips and candy as a treat – it will make it more special when they do get a small bowl of these!

4.  Limit unhealthy drinks such as pop and make them just a treat.  Also limit fruit juice to meals only.  Even 100% fruit juice are fairly high in calories. Allow only water as a drink throughout the day.  This will keep them better hydrated and has the added bonus of being budget friendly!



Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!

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6 Comments

  1. I can’t believe half of them reports not eating any fruits, veggies or milk everyday! I’m trying to instill the good eating habits early. Making healthy snacks easily accessible is important, even for me it helps with keeping the extra pounds off when you don’t keep chips in the house, but there is a bowl of grapes in the fridge!

    Reply

  2. I’d like to think that we do all of the above especially considering we don’t have tv. Thanks for sharing and making it so easy to make a positive difference in our kids lives.

    Besos, Sarah
    Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo

    Reply

  4. Great tips! I totally agree with you about the water. I think it’s so important for kids to develop a taste for water. My 11 month old baby has never had juice and I plan to delay giving her juice until she’s old enough to know what she’s missing. Then, if she asks to try it, I will offer it in moderation (that’s the plan anyway!) For now, I’m lucky that she loves water. I guess we’ll see what happens in the future, because as you know, babies definitely change their minds a lot!

    Reply

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