| PAGE-1 PAGE-2 We are glad that you have decided to work on life style changes to enable your child and family to lead a Healthy life. Changes are very difficult to make and there are no easy solutions. The changes you decide to make will be something that you must continue all your life. Our intention is to educate you in making healthy choices, not put you on a diet. There are three areas in which you can make changes: nutrition, physical activity, and behavior. It is very important that you make changes in 2-3 areas at one time continue until they become a routine part of your life, and then move on to others. 1.) Whatever changes you decide to make, do them as a family. Parents and older members of the family must be an example for younger members to follow. 2.) Colas, juices, kool-aids, and gatorade do not have any nutritional value. One glass a day of these beverages can result in 10 pounds of weight gain a year. Make it a point to routinely provide milk with meals and water as the only other choice of fluids. Children over 2 years may have skim or 1% milk. 3.) Exercise is a very important part of being healthy. It increases the metabolism so we burn more calories all day and it makes the heart strong. Plan to exercise 4-5 days per week, at least 30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise. Examples: walking, jogging, biking, skating, skateboarding, playing in the park, playing tag. Anything that gets you moving. 4.) Cut down the electronic time for children (TV, video games, computers, etc.) to one hour on weekdays and 2 hours a day on weekends. Encourage spending time reading, playing outside, doing things as a family. 5.) Eat at the dining table as a family. Do not eat in front of TV, while playing computer/video games, etc-so you are concentrating and enjoying food as opposed to eating without realizing how much you have had. 6.) Slow down while eating. Put your fork down between each bite. It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to feel full, so if you eat fast you will take in more food than you need before you feel full. When cooking meals, cook enough for one serving, so you as a parent do not have to tell your child no to the food. If you child is still hungry and wants more food you may provide a healthy food alternative like fresh fruit and vegetables. 7.) Do not try to totally eliminate certain types of foods like snacks, cookies, candies, fast food meals, etc., but decrease the frequency and amounts. 8.) Food is a basic requirement for our existence. Please do not use food as a reward and never as punishment. Instead, as a reward for good behavior try stickers, a special outing, or playing a game together. 9.) Offer healthy choices of foods, but do not make child finish everything that is on his/her plate. Let them decide how much they want to eat, but you decide the choice of foods they can have. 10.) Do not stock sodas, juices, snacks in the house if you do not want child to eat it. If it is in the house they will want it and this will create struggles. 11.) Do not worry about counting calories. Try and make food fresh from scratch, then you'll know what is in the food. |
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