Parent's Basics to Healthier Children

Healthy eating and physical activity don't become habits overnight. It takes time and effort to make them part of a daily routine. Here are some ideas, to get you started.

1. Get your whole family involved
Family; it's a major part of every child's life-and often the most important factor in helping a child make healthy changes. Research shows children are often more willing to eat healthy foods and be active if they see their parents and other family members doing these things first. That's why it's important to get every member of your family involved in healthy eating and physical activity.

2. Set realistic goals
When you make changes step-by-step and set realistic goals, you are more likely to succeed in reaching them. It's best to set goals for healthy eating and physical activity that apply to the entire family.

3. Make the Most out of family mealtime
Eating meals together gives you a chance to help your child develop a healthy attitude toward food. It also enables you to serve as a healthy eating role model, ensure that your kids are eating nutritious foods, introduce your family to new foods, establish a regular meal schedule and keep in touch with family members.

4. Make sure your child eats a balanced diet
Every child needs appropriate amounts of calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins to grow. The best way to ensure kids get what they need while maintaining or losing weight is to provide a variety of nutritious foods that are low in fat and sugar. The food pyramid is a general guide for a balanced diet.

5. Get active
As with healthy eating, kids are more likely to want to be active when other family members are active too. Find ways to build physical activity-step-by-step-into your family routine.