Healthy Food For Kids

 Healthy food for kids is not just about nutrition for kids, it is about your whole approach to healthy kids food and eating. If your family and you embrace that food is to be enjoyed, you should avoid “good” and “bad” foods. It is unrealistic to exclude totally certain ingredients or foods, it is all about moderation – see Kids Food Pyramid and 5 Tips for Kids Nutrition.

Salt

• A little salt is a part of a healthy diet. Too much salt is bad for the teeth and higher blood pressure later in life.
• Avoid giving your child savoury snacks that are high in salt, or prepackaged or tinned foods which can be high in salt (sodium)

Sugar

• Sugar is common in lots of processed foods, often it is referred to as sucrose, maltose, dextrose, glucose, fructose, honey or sugar syrup. There can be a lot of sugar in processed food like baked beans, peanut butter, pasta sauces, and chips.
• Sugar is a major cause of tooth decay, can be cause of diabetes, and can produce a quick burst of energy followed by a low leaving the child lethargic.
• Try not to encourage the idea that sugary foods are treats.
• Avoid giving toddlers artificial sweetners, there is a lot of contention as to what their effects on toddlers can be.
• Many processed foods contain sweetners instead of sugar, so carefully check the labels before buying them. Artificial sweetners have many names such as mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, hydrogenated glucose syrup, aspartame, saccharin, and thaumatin.

Caffeine

• Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause toddlers to be edgy and hyperactivity. It is found in tea, coffee, and fizzy soft drinks like cola.

Soft Drinks

• Lots of drinks aimed for children contain sugar, caffeine and additives. Sugar is bad for toddlers teeth.
• Try to encourage your toddler to drink water, or alternative drinks like: fruit smoothies, diluted low sugar cordial, or tr fruit teas.

Breakfast Cereals

• Lots of breakfast cereals aimed at children are high in sugar and sometimes salt.
• Try to get cereals for you toddlers that are low in sugar and salt, such as muesli or whole wheat cereals

Chips

• Try to avoid regularly buying supermarket bought precut and cooked oven chips. These can still be high in fat and have little nutritional benefit. It is better to make your own chips or wedges.

Burgers, Chicken Nuggets, Fish Fingers

• TV advertising plays a major part in creating the desire for burgers and chicken nuggets. Processed foods can contain a lot of saturated fats and additives to make them taste better.
• It is more healthy and cheaper to make home made burgers, nuggets and fish fingers. Home made burgers can be easily made with lean mince, while nuggets can be made with chicken breast.
• You migth not be able to avoid all processed foods, just try to not to make it a regular part of your diet.

Tinned baked beans

• Tinned baked beans are a good source of fibre, protein and vitamins. However, they can also contain a large amount of sugar and salt. Try some of the low salt brands that are now available.

Pizza

• Delivered pizzas can contain sweetened tomato topping and processed cheese and meats.
• A healthier and cheaper alternative, is to make the pizza at home using get your children to help with the toppings

Sweets and Chocolates

• Sweets and chocolates aimed at children can contain a lot of fats, additives and sugar.
• Healthier alternatives to try are dried fruits or good quality chocolate – 70% cocoa

Crisps

• Crisps are high in fat and salt. Even brands promoted as low in fat can contain 20% fat. Some flavoured crisps will contain sugar and lots of additives.

Yoghurt and fromage frais

• Shop bought yoghurt and fromage frais aimed at children are often high in sugar or artificial sweetners.
• An healthy alternatives is to use natural full fat yoghurt mixed with fresh fruit, honey or vanilla.

YMCA to Hold Healthy Kids Day

YMCA to Hold Healthy Kids Day: According to Childhood Obesity Action Network, State Obesity Profiles, 2009, 37.3 percent percent of children in Georgia are overweight or obese. This means that our kids are at risk for developing chronic adult diseases, such as high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes.

Lifestyles that include regular physical activity and healthy eating can lower kids’ chances of becoming obese or overweight and developing chronic diseases. As a leading nonprofit strengthening community through healthy living, the Y believes that getting kids more active and allowing them to play leads to a healthier lifestyle. We know that many parents struggle to find the time and resources to incorporate physical activity and healthy habits into their kids’ daily routine. So, the Effingham YMCA is holding YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ to celebrate and teach good health for kids, encourage active play and inspire a lifetime love of physical activity.

On April 16, the Effingham YMCA invites families throughout Effingham County to come to Healthy Kids Day for a play date. Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids and families and is the largest event of its kind in the nation. At nearly 1,600 events across the country, the Y will provide activities and educational demonstrations on how to be more active and incorporate healthier habits at home. Activities will include Family Field Day activities, Youth Fitness Classes, Youth Boot Camp Demonstration, and Scavenger Hunt.

“We know it’s not always easy to make healthy choices, and that’s why Healthy Kids Day is so important,” said Kim Dennis executive director of the Effingham Y. “At our event families will learn that it doesn’t take extra money or resources to live healthier. All it takes is planning, commitment and spending time together.

“We encourage the community to join us for Healthy Kids Day. Other agencies who promote healthy lifestyles for families and children are welcome to join us.”

Contact Dennis at 826-2199 to reserve space.

“By helping families get on track to healthier living, we can significantly improve the health and well-being of kids, one play date at a time,” Dennis said.

Eight Tips for Raising Healthy Kids

Eight Tips for Raising Healthy Kids: Every day Jose looks forward to coming home. At 3:00 p.m. school is out, and he and his friend Michael can play computer games for at least three hours before Mom gets home from work.

Every day Jose’s mom dreads coming home. With feelings of frustration and even a little guilt, she arrives to find her son has wasted yet another afternoon in front of his PlayStation.

Seem familiar? As parents struggle to balance busy work schedules, their children are often being shaped by a number of less-than-ideal influences. Children are constantly exposed to advertising, media, and peers; and the consequential sedentary lifestyle has resulted in children struggling with adult medical problems, including obesity,
diabetes, and heart disease.

Consider these facts:

• The number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980.

• The percentage of overweight children (ages 6-11) has almost doubled since the early 1980s.

• From 1994 to 2001 the percentage of overweight preschool children (ages 2-5 years) has nearly doubled.

• African- and Mexican-American youth are more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic, Caucasian children and adolescents.

While the problem is obvious, the solution doesn’t always seem quite so clear. Although the task of raising healthy kids can seem daunting at times, there are fortunately things even busy parents can do to ensure their children grow up healthy and happy.

1. Provide emotional support.

Children need the support and love of family and friends. They need you to respond to both their physical and emotional needs. Find out what’s going on with them and how they are making decisions and handling problems.

Communicate daily with your children, regularly listening and talking to them about the importance of making positive choices and resisting dangerous habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs. (Even if you had those habits when you were younger, you do have the right—and responsibility—to tell your children to avoid those behaviors.)

Avoid negative comments about their bodies, because that will only contribute to feelings of guilt. Instead, help them set goals toward a healthier lifestyle. Praise them when they participate in active games or eat more vegetables and fewer sweets.

2. Use logic.

Part of helping children take care of themselves is helping them understand why a healthy lifestyle is important. In daily encounters when children ask questions (“What’s wrong with eating potato chips?” or “Why do I need to go outside and play?”), it is essential that parents welcome the questions and use those opportunities to logically help kids understand health principles.

3. Do not be child-centered.

Of course, you never want to be insensitive or neglect your child, but the truth is, if you want to raise healthy children, you can’t cave in and cater to their every whim and fancy when it comes to food and lifestyle. Instead, help them develop skills to make wise, healthy choices rather than shortsighted, selfish ones. We were designed to enjoy life, and making wise choices will help us do that: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

4. Be a good role model.

Children watch parents in all areas of life, including their health habits. Only three out of 10 young people reported that their parents or other adults actually model positive, responsible behavior, according to the Search Institute’s survey of 150,000 American youth (grades 6-12).
Your children need to see you model responsible behaviors. Don’t secretly eat snacks or spend lots of time watching
television instead of exercising unless you want your kids to end up doing the same. Remember, teaching is most effective when it is coupled with modeling.

5. Use affirmative discipline.

It’s up to parents to set nutritional goals at home. For example, you can establish the rule that family members must eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day before having a small treat. Don’t be afraid to set clear boundaries and have high expectations. Be consistent and firm, but always avoid ridicule and punishment when they make a poor choice. Instead, use encouragement and reasoning to cheer them on when they make good choices.

6. Help children make healthy decisions.

Part of a parent’s role is to help children learn how to make safe and healthy choices, such as wearing a seat belt, brushing their teeth, washing their hands, eating nutritious food, and forming healthy relationships.

Your approach to teaching decision-making will vary depending on the child’s age. For example, with young children, you can start out by offering them a variety of healthy foods and guiding them on how much of each they need to eat. For older children, you can take them grocery shopping and actively involve them. Teach them to read the nutritional ingredients on the labels of their favorite foods. Encourage them to choose foods that are closest to their natural state (thus retaining most of their nutrients), such as baked potatoes instead of chips, fresh apples instead of apple pie, or fresh peas instead of canned peas. For less- healthy foods such as desserts, teach them to exercise moderation.

7. Get physical.

It’s an unarguable fact that many children watch too much TV and don’t get enough exercise. To change this pattern, parents can experiment with limiting television, videos, and computer games to less than one hour a day, substituting the rest of the leisure time with outdoor activities. Take walks, ride bikes, go skateboarding, or play baseball together as a family. Another meaningful and creative way to be active as a family is to find service-
oriented activities, such as doing household chores for someone, raking a neighbor’s lawn, moving furniture, or cleaning up a community center. Such projects will teach kids the importance of both activity and service.

8. Do not over- schedule.

Music lessons, French class, Little League practice, ballet class: the list of children’s ECAs (extracurricular activities) could go on and on. Not to mention all the homework! Do these poor kids ever get to play? Keep in mind that healthy development comes from living a balanced life, so don’t over-schedule your child’s life.

Remember that what you and your family do today will affect the future. So begin now to invest in a healthy future for your family by exercising regularly, eating well, serving others, and practicing a healthy lifestyle.

Raising Healthy Children - How to do it Right

Raising Healthy Children - How to do it Right: The health of your child, what is the secret? Instead, the secret that he's going to just look at the things that can affect the health of your child's well-being. At some point the children reach the stage where they begin to make their own decisions, but as a parent, you can at least do everything possible to guide them in the right direction. In this article we will discuss some of the most important issues for the health of the child healthy.

There is little doubt that junk food is the main source of children are overweight or unhealthy, and lack of exercise is another. Unfortunately, junk food almost everywhere, including, probably, your child's school. Thus, in addition to cooking healthy meals at home and packing nutritious snacks for your children, you should try to educate them on this issue as well.

Make sure they know that eating too many sweets and drink too much soda can be bad for your body, even at a young age. Children may not seem very receptive and interested in things such as long-term effects, however, repeat the message several times can let it sink in. You probably know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Children need to comply with this rule, as well as adults.

There are studies that show that children who eat breakfast score better on math and reading tests than children who do not. They also reduced the number of health problems. He also showed that children who eat breakfast are less likely to become obese. This is because breakfast contributes to a stable blood sugar level and metabolism for the day. Instead of eating a bowl of cereal topped with mountains of sugar, breakfast should be filled with food.

Make it a point to provide a nutritious breakfast that includes protein and whole grains. This will help to maintain throughout the day. This will improve their health and tests.

Children are not always aware of weather conditions that are dangerous, especially if they are having fun. So it's your job to make sure your children do not work at temperatures that are too hot or cold. In winter, children can enjoy sledding on a hill or a mess in the snow, but making sure they have appropriate clothing, including hats, gloves and multiple layers is very important. If it is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, you should put a limit on how much time your kids on the street.

The same applies to high temperatures above 90 F. In this case, you should also make sure children drink plenty of water, as children are sometimes a little too hard, playing in the heat. Protecting the health of your children is not difficult to do.

However, this does not mean to stop looking at the bad influences around you. You can not watch your kids all the time. So the best thing to do is make them understand how important diet and exercise can really be. The sooner you let them know it's likely they will stay healthy when they become adults.