Kid's Nutrition and Exercise

If you eat healthy meals, your children will probably follow the same example when they become adults and go out on their own. If they need a little "boost" to start eating nutritious foods, here are a few:

• Make sure there's always a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables in the house.
• Select the low-fat choices when eating fast food.
• Pack them a healthy lunch. Include something crisp, something chewy and something with color.
• Choose desserts that are low-fat and not loaded with sugar: fresh fruit, sherbet, angel food cake, frozen fruit bars, low-fat frozen yogurt or fat-free pudding.
• Allow children to be involved in making meals from scratch. It's a good time to go over the day's events. And it definitely saves money over buying frozen or packaged foods.
• Children under the age of two need calories from fat for normal growth and development. Their diet should not be restricted in fat.

Kids and exercise are [usually] synonymous! But sometimes you need to give them a little incentive. Here are a few ideas:
 

• Make it a family affair. Just about everyone can go for a walk. To make it interesting, turn it into a treasure hunt. Make a list of items for a child to find or spot -- a leaf with five points, a white dog, a stone that looks like an animal.
• Minimize the risk of someone getting hurt by wearing safety equipment appropriate for the activity, such as a helmet when bicycling or knee and elbow pads when roller-blading.
• Make sure everyone is prepared for physical activity. Drink plenty of water, both before and after the exercise, and do warm-up and cool-down stretches, even for a short walk.
• Restrict TV time to two hours a day or less.