Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight
Good nutrition and regular physical activity are important parts of an overall healthy lifestyle. They can also help you and your children achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
To maintain weight, both kids and adults must balance the calories they eat with the calories they burn through physical activity. If you eat more calories than you burn during physical activity, you gain weight. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you lose weight. Get your family eating healthier with a few simple steps:
Try to keep track of your children’s meal, snack, and physical activity patterns so you can help them balance the amount and types of food they eat with the amount of physical activity they get.
Encourage your family to eat at least 5 servings of brightly colored vegetables and fruits a day. You can start the day with 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, or slice fruit on top of cereal. Serve salad with lunch and an apple as an afternoon snack. Include vegetables with dinner.
Leave the candy, soft drinks, chips, and cookies, at the store. Substitute them with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat or nonfat milk products. Your child will soon learn to make smart food choices outside your home as well.
Make a commitment to helping your family eat sensibly and move more often. Start with small steps; it’s easier than you think.
B-man 