{"id":7736,"date":"2014-05-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/ten-healthy-active-habits-for-kids\/"},"modified":"2014-05-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-05-01T00:00:00","slug":"ten-healthy-active-habits-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/togethercounts.com\/es\/ten-healthy-active-habits-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Healthy, Active Habits for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s easy to get caught up in simply getting a dinner on the table that everyone\u2019s willing to eat \u2013 never mind all the worries about nutrition. Issues like: am I feeding them too much? Should I make them finish their meal? Will they be hungry at school? Are they getting enough calcium, iron, or that latest vital nutrient I just read about? Is this food nutritious?<\/em> These questions are all too often relegated to the bottom of the priority list when you\u2019ve got after-school sports and playdates to get to, and questions about homework to answer. But it pays to step back occasionally and look at the bigger picture. We all try to give our children healthy food so they grow up strong, fit and healthy. But as a partner of Together Counts\u2122<\/a>, I understand the greater aim of parenting is to prepare kids for the big wide world by teaching them how to make informed choices on their own. Instilling these balanced eating habits in your children will ensure they develop into healthy, active adults.<\/p>\n

1. Be adventurous<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the best gifts you can give your kids is a sense of (culinary) adventure. Train their taste buds to enjoy many different flavors. People who eat a wide variety of foods are more likely to get all the nutrients they need. Remember, a child may have to try a food up to 10 times before they enjoy it. So don\u2019t give up on the first try.<\/p>\n

A good tactic is to tell your kids that when they try new foods, it\u2019s a sign that they\u2019re growing up. Praise them when they try new things. Another great idea is to encourage them to try samples at the deli or supermarket \u2013 kids will try all sorts of foods, if they\u2019re fun and exciting. Take them grocery shopping and let them choose a new food. Serve it with foods they already love and they may love the new food, too. Don\u2019t shy away from giving them \u2018exotic\u2019 foods, either. Most kids don\u2019t like \u2018bland\u2019 foods \u2013 they simply like what\u2019s familiar.<\/p>\n

2. Eat five or more colors a day<\/strong><\/p>\n

All the vibrant colors in fruit and vegetables come from natural plant chemicals that have positive effects on our bodies. Different colors have different effects, so it\u2019s good to eat a variety of different colors each day.<\/p>\n

Growing herbs and vegetables at home is fun and teaches children where food comes from. If you have fruit trees, a vegetable garden or even a few pots of herbs, involve your children in planting, watering, weeding and most importantly, eating. A child may leave behind peas and carrots on the plate, or tell you they hate tomatoes, but chances are they will at least take a little bite if they have pulled the carrot from the ground, pried the peas from their pod or watched the tomato plant grow tall and produce fruit. It\u2019s amazing how much better they\u2019ll think food tastes if they have just plucked it from the earth.<\/p>\n

3. Stay Hydrated<\/strong><\/p>\n

Buy your children a \u201ccool\u201d travel bottle or two, and encourage them to take them wherever they go. Talk to them about how their body needs plenty of fluids to grow, play and learn. Demonstrate it to them by putting a sponge in some water and compare it to a dried-out sponge. When little bodies and brains are dehydrated, results like headaches, muscle cramps and feeling sluggish (and general crankiness) are common.<\/p>\n

4. Eat breakfast<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the habit of eating a good breakfast in the morning isn\u2019t firmly established at a young age, it can slide into non-existence as they become young adults and move out on their own. Even if it\u2019s just a banana and a glass of milk, teach your children that some food in their stomach in the morning kick-starts the body, making it easier to be healthy, active and full of lasting energy throughout the day.<\/p>\n

5. Listen to your tummy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although children are born with the ability to stop eating when they are full, parents concerned about whether their kids have eaten the right foods \u2013 and enough of them \u2013 often override this natural regulating mechanism. However, letting them stop when they say they are full can mean whining requests for snacks an hour later, or a 5am wake-up call for breakfast. Teach children to listen to their tummies and ask themselves both quantity and quality questions: \u201cIs my tummy full? Will I feel sick if I eat an extra snack?\u201d <\/em>The goal here is to make children aware of the many cues around them enticing them to eat, even if they are not hungry. Just because they are at the movies or passing the food hall at the shopping center, do they really need to eat? Are they really hungry? Give them the opportunity to keep and develop their ability to sense \u2018fullness\u2019 by letting them determine when to stop eating.<\/p>\n

6. Eat slowly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eating slowly is great for weight control, both now and in the future, and a fantastic way to show kids that it takes about 20 minutes for the message that they are full to get from their stomachs to their brains. As much as we would love our children to finish their meal in minutes rather than hours, it\u2019s much more important that they learn to slow down and chew their food properly. Encourage them to savor their food \u2013 and make it a habit to sit with them while they eat dinner – preferably, eating dinner with them to catch up on the day\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

7. Enjoy cooking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Children are more likely to become discerning, adventurous eaters if they know how to cook. Give children their own aprons \u2013 and let them help you regularly on small tasks in the kitchen. Buy a kids\u2019 cookbook for inspiration and, as they get older and become more confident, let them cook dinner once a week. If the thought of kids in the kitchen sounds like a recipe for disaster, enroll them in school or holiday cooking classes.<\/p>\n

8. Sit at the table to eat<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a time to play, a time to work, a time to rest and a time to eat. All too often the \u2018time to eat\u2019 gets lost in the shuffle. Train your children to focus on food when it\u2019s meal time. This means eating regular meals and sitting at the table \u2013 with no distractions. It not only reduces extra snacking, it also teaches social skills, such as table manners, how to use cutlery and how to wait your turn to talk.<\/p>\n

9. Choose wholesome snacks<\/strong><\/p>\n

How many times have you seen a child stare into the fridge or pantry and tell you that there\u2019s \u2018nothing to eat\u2019 \u2013 despite it being full of food? Stock your house with wholesome snacks like fruit, air-popped popcorn, unsalted nuts and yogurt \u2013 and don\u2019t forget to show the kids what a portion should look like, so they know how much they should be eating.<\/p>\n

10. Be active<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regular exercise, whether it\u2019s organized sport or free play, is a vitally important habit to instill in your children. It keeps them fit, builds strong bones, tones muscles, burns energy and helps kids maintain a healthy weight. Television, computers, video games, hours of homework and busy roads all conspire to keep our kids sitting, instead of playing. Here are some ideas: go biking together, walk with them to school or the store whenever possible, limit TV and computer time or take them skating, swimming, running or just head over to your local park for a play.<\/p>\n

This post originally appeared on the <\/em>Nestlefamily.com<\/em><\/a>. Nestle is a member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, and is the world\u2019s largest food company with a commitment to Nutrition, Health & Wellness. For product news and information, visit <\/em>Nestleusa.com<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>Facebook.com\/NestleUSA<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more healthy tips check out these articles from Together Counts:<\/p>\n