Healthy Living: It's A Family Affair

By Nicki Anderson
Special For eDiets

August 11, 2005

When my Grandmother was a little girl, a couple of   times a month she and her family would ride into town, and if everyone behaved themselves, they would get a piece of hard candy. Candy was a rare treat because it was expensive and reserved for special occasions. My Grandmother was raised with three meals a day and rarely if ever had a snack. In addition to the scarcity of sugar laden treats and snacks, there was no Nintendo, no computers and no television. In fact, the only down time she remembers was bed time.

Fast forward to the present and just about every home in America has a computer and television which set the stage for a sedentary lifestyle. Along with the scores of inactive kids, comes an abundance of junk food, sweets and soda pop.

Therefore, it's no surprise that obesity amongst children has more than tripled since 1980. In fact, nine million Americans ages six to 19 are considered overweight today. An adolescent who is obese has a 90 percent chance of being an obese adult, officials say. And because things don't seem to be getting better, our country along with the medical community braces for scores of unhealthy adults which will ultimately cost our country millions of dollars.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that being overweight or obese increases the risk of other diseases and health conditions including hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and some cancers including endometrial, breast and colon cancer.

The phenomenon is not only affecting our children, adults aren't faring much better in the weight and health department. Over 60 percent of adults do not get the recommended amount of exercise. The average adult weighs about 15 pounds more than they did 20 years ago, according to the Cooper Institute.

What to do? Well, it begins with the understanding that getting healthy must be a family affair. Just because a parent may not be overweight, or a child isn't overweight, does not exempt them from making healthy choices for themselves and their children. You see, the choices that we help our kids with today, set them up for a healthy adulthood.

Following are some steps you might consider implementing with your family. Why not begin making changes that can improve the quality of life for the whole family! ---

Fight the urge to buy the "fun food."

Even as parents, we fall victim to fitting in when it comes to our kids. If we don't buy the pre-packaged "fun food" we worry that our kids won't fit in. When it comes to nutrition for kids, I am not a   purist, nor do I believe that children should abstain from any treats ever. I simply encourage parents to be selective about the snack foods kids eat.

I tell parents to consider going out for ice cream a couple times a month vs. keeping gallons of ice cream in the house. The more available junk food is the more likely kids and parents are to eat it.

Buy gifts that encourage interaction or activity, versus solo games.

When we think of buying kids presents they're often items that encourage isolation versus interaction. Computer games, DVDs, CDs all encourage sitting. Why not consider buying them games that encourage activity? Find games that include more than one player.

Sometimes we forget that a world of opportunity exists outside television and movies. If you're looking for something to do inside, why not offer board games. Kids are getting into nostalgia, so buy a game that you had as a kid, LIFE or Monopoly, Twister and so on.

We have lost site of the value of sitting down and interacting with our kids other than the once or twice a week dinner. Why not have a family fun night in which a family member gets to select an activity. Miniature golf, bowling or simply playing a good old fashioned game of horseshoes are all fun and active. Think your kids won't buy it? You're the parent, you set the rules, and eventually being active will be part of the norm.

Don't allow your child to skip breakfast, ever.

I have four children and all are now in high school and college. Breakfast was never an option. It was mandatory in our house that they never leave in the morning without something in their belly or in the hand.

Even if they want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some fruit. Don't lock them in to just having cereal or eggs. If something sounds good to them that might not be a traditional breakfast, who cares? Keep fresh fruit and veggies cut up at all times.

Make healthy meals a family affair.

The sooner your kids feel comfortable in the kitchen the greater the likelihood that they will enjoy good food. When my kids were a bit younger, we would let them pick their choice for dinner. I'd have them do it the day before and I'd go to the grocery store. When their choice for dinner came up, they got to help me prepare dinner. It was amazing what my kids would eat when they had a hand in the preparation. Also, if you can teach kids how to cook at a young age, they are more likely to continue cooking for themselves which translates to less fast food.--When I stock up on fruits and vegetables, I will ask my kids to help chop them up. You can let your younger kids use a butter knife to cut softer fruits such as bananas and strawberries. I recommend Shop-n-Chop to all of my clients because when you buy fruits and vegetables and chop them up for easy access they will be eaten!

Monkey see, monkey do .

If your kids see you sitting around and being inactive, they will follow suit. Your kids are taking directions from what you do and if they see that you are inactive and prefer watching TV to being active, they will more than likely do the same.

I have plenty of parents who tell me how active their kids are in sports. That's fine, but once they grow up and life gets in the way (marriage, job, kids) they will remember what you did and do the same.

Educate your kids about healthy eating and being active.

Parents often forget that one day their kids are going to grow up and be adults, and yes, even parents. You know too well the toll that becoming a parent has taken on your life. I don't mean this in a negative sense, just that if anyone would have told you how dramatically your life would change once you had kids, you probably wouldn't have believed them. But here you are now, with your children trying to balance 18 things at once. Between school activities, homework, your job, household chores, community involvement, life rarely slows down.

As much as parents value education, healthy living is often left out of that education. Our society didn't plan on becoming so unhealthy, it was a gradual process. We marveled at modern technology and didn't think about the physical ramifications. Our parents were so thrilled with washing machines and dryers and dishwashers, the last thing they thought about was, "Well, how am I going to burn off calories now?"

Now more than ever, your kids need to learn about healthy living. They need to understand that being healthy is as important as studying hard and getting good grades in school.

Be a great role model

It's up to parents to get their kids to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. When I see fit parents taking their kids on a weekly basis to get fried food it troubles me. It's even worse when I see unhealthy parents perpetuating poor food choices.

Where you live and what your lifestyle is will certainly have an impact on foods that are available. For some regions, fruit and vegetables are far more costly than chips and cookies. But regardless of economic diversity, there are still healthy choices that can be made.

Stop buying junk food and instead, if you have to, buy canned fruit if fresh fruit is too expensive or not available. Buy frozen vegetables if fresh vegetables are too costly. ---

Bread can be very inexpensive. If you're looking for a snack, a peanut butter and jelly and a apple or banana is significantly better than a hamburger and fries or burrito and nachos. You can buy soup, even low sodium to go with a sandwich. I know that we all have limitations be it time or money, but if we are to see our children grow up and live a long healthy life, we need to start making positive choices for them now so they can make positive choices later.

Seek expert advice when necessary.

You may find that you really struggle with making good choices for your family. Check out eDiets, Trim Kids program, a great option for getting kids on the track to healthy eating.

There is also a more serious side of food and eating. Eating disorders have become more prevalent amongst kids. If you believe that your child may have an eating disorder don't ignore it. Whether it's binge eating or anorexia, this is not something to be taken lightly.

With the pressure on kids today to be a certain size, they are going to extremes to achieve what they consider to be ideal. If you believe that your child may have an eating disorder, consult your physician right away and have them provide you with a name of an experienced child psychologist. There are some counseling centers that work with all income levels so don't ignore a potential life threatening disorder.

Dismiss comments about weight and focus on health.

I receive numerous letters from kids who are worried about being fat or having a "big belly." While I know that obesity is an epidemic, it's important that kids understand that health is first and foremost. If kids simply focus on how much they weigh, they will be setting themselves up for a life of frustration. However, if they understand that their body is based upon their genetic make-up, they can make better choices because they won't be trying to achieve something that may be genetically impossible.

For example, there might be a group of girls who hang out together and all of them are built differently. Kids MUST understand that every body is different and as they get older their body will change. Too much pressure is put on young girls to be skinny and boys to be muscular.

It is our responsibility as parents to set the stage for our kids' future health. It begins in the cabinets and the refrigerator and by the example we set.

We set rules for our kids in many areas; why not have rules when it comes to food choices and activity? What better gift to give your family than the gift of good health!

Nicki Anderson is the author of Reality Fitness; Inspiration for Your Health and Well-being. She is the health and fitness columnist for the Daily Herald in Chicago. Nicki is the owner of Reality Fitness in Naperville, IL and the founder of Nicki Anderson's Real Life Weight Loss System.