Nutrition Tips for Parents

Nutrition tips for parents aid in helping them to prevent childhood obesity and related issues in their children. These help the parents in identifying the risk factors that contribute to childhood obesity. Tips for helping children gain stronger bones and making them healthy is the ultimate objective. . The best way to prevent any child related disease is to lead a healthy life themselves.

Children try to emulate their parents and being a good role model proves beneficial. Keep your focus on the family as a whole. Do not give advice to overweight children separately.

Enhance the workouts and eating pattern in a gradual manner. Good health should be the objective, rather than a specific weight limit. Meal times are fixed. Try to sit and dine with the entire family. This emphasizes healthy eating practices in children and is one of the most recommended health tips for parents. Avoid continuous snacking, as it might contribute to excessive eating. Do not encourage eating in front of the television. Avoid reading books or playing, while eating. Occasional treats prevent their over indulgence or curiosity for those foods.

Physical activity, as a family is effective, such as jogging, cycling, walking and so on. Watching the television continuously automatically decreases physical activity. Avoid indulgence in excessive fruit juices. Carbonated beverages are not recommended. Emphasis on the importance of food pyramid and the foods in them. Kids who eat a healthy breakfast are sufficient in vitamins, such as vitamins A, C, folate and B12 and minerals, such as magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.

Feasting or fasting is not suggested. The American Dietetic Association recommends fruit smoothies, cereals with milk, fruit filled breakfast bar, whole grain toast with peanut butter for breakfast in children. Skipping breakfast, results in loss of calories and nutrients. This loss is not compensated even by the end of the day. Many kid's lunch is replaced by foods from the vending machine. Fizzy drinks and whole chocolate milk are some of them. Replace them with natural fruit juices, low fat milk and so on.
Choose a meal pattern that provides all the foods from the food pyramid. Whole grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables help in relieving issues of complications. A diet low in saturated fat with adequate amount of vegetable oils is helpful. Moderate sugar and salt is included. Calcium, iron and other minerals are supplemented. Avoid stacking junk and processed foods in the kitchen stores.

Help your children grow healthy!
Enjoy this responsibility!

Submitted on January 16, 2014