In modern society it is estimated that one in three children is currently overweight. The statistic for adults is closer to one in two (50%), for this reason it’s crucially important that parents be proactive in dealing with childhood obesity in order to bring this disturbing trend under control so this generation does not become the first in hundreds of years to have shorter lifespans than their parents.

We all understand that there are several factors which have contributed to this dramatic increase in childhood obesity:

1. We have busier lifestyles and therefore have less time to prepare nutritious, home made meals so more processed and fast food is consumed. It seems odd that with all the advances in technology that are supposed to make life easier we are busier than ever. This phenomena is easily explained however. The fact is that the technologies cost money so we are all working longer hours etc in order to afford the technologies so in fact it doesn’t make life easier at all, just increases our need for a greater income.
2. Then of course we also tend to engage in less physical activity. It’s not as safe for children to play outside as it was 30 years ago when I was growing up. Combine that with the invention of gaming consoles and computers and children spend so much time on those pursuits. Thankfully, the giant gaming companies have started listening to parents and doctors concerns about the lack of activity in children and have begun developing console games that require movement like Wii sports etc.

While recognizing the causes is relatively simple, it’s not always so simple to create a solution.

Here are a couple of things you can do to help your children lose weight or lead a healthier lifestyle to avoid becoming overweight in the first place:

• Lead by example. Provide your children with an example of healthy eating and excercise habits. Let them see you enjoying these things, don’t make it look like a chore. Encourage them to come when you take the dog for a walk. A couple of times a week after work or school, rather than vegetating in front of the t.v., go for a swim, bike ride, kick a football, shoot some hoops or fly a kite. Arrange weekly family activities like bike rides, picnics in the park, ten pin bowling etc. The point is that if we foster a love of healthy food and outdoor activities our children are more likely to carry that outlook with them into adulthood, thus avoiding obesity in the first place.
• If your child is already showing signs of being overweight there are a several things you can do to turn the tide. To start with, take them to your family physician for a complete checkup (the doctor can also offer advice on how to help them eat better). Then work with your child to lose weight, because if your child is overweight there is a good chance that you are also. Just as in step one, spend quality time together engaging in a wide range of fun activities. It’s vitally important that you don’t make this seem boring or a bore. Have fun with them but don’t lie to them about their weight (don’t tell them it’s ok to be fat because they have grandma’s hips) but don’t make them feel bad about themselves either. Let them know they are beautiful and worthwhile regardless of their weight and abilities. Just handle it logically and teach them the changes they need to make when it comes to what they should eat, and how much, as what they do for recreation.

When it comes to helping obese children develop healthy eating and exercise habits it’s all about making permanent changes to their outlook on food and exercise. Try to refrain from focusing on weight loss, focus on living a healthier lifestyle instead. Doing this will make your child less likely to feel negative about themselves and more likely to enjoy the time spent with family engaging in fun activities. Again, it can’t be stressed enough, DON’T FOCUS ON ‘WEIGHT LOSS’, FOCUS ON EATING PROPERLY AND BEING ACTIVE. If you make a big deal about their weight then they may develop self esteem issues. Focus on healthy living and your kids will learn great, healthy eating and exercise habits without feeling negative about themselves!

As parents in a fast food society, we all need to know how to avoid the health effects of obesity in childhood. We all want what’s best for our children, we want them to live long, healthy lives. It would have to be most parents worst nightmare to outlive their children after all. The problem is that in this fast food society, an increasing number of children will experience lifelong health issues related to obesity. The health effects of obesity in childhood have become a growing concern in many developed nations where childhood obesity is estimated to effect as much as 33% of children in some places.

The longer someone is overweight the more likely they are to experience obesity related health issues so if they are overweight from childhood then they will be younger when they develop obesity related diseases. Everything from heart disease and diabetes to psychological issues like depression and anxiety. For more information on specific obesity related diseases read this post on the Health Effects of Obesity in Childhood.

There is hope however. Children have a huge learning capacity to learn to healthy food and exercise choices, but it has to begin with parents. Did you know that it only takes an average of 21 days to change a habit, that’s how long it will take a child to learn healthy eating habits. It’s important to remember that even our favorite foods are mostly habitual and that it is possible to retrain ourselves, at least to a degree. While your child may never like spinach, with time they may find that apples or sultanas will satisfy their craving for sweet foods just as effectively as ice cream used to.

Here are a couple of things that you can begin with today that will help retrain your children with regard to their eating and exercise habits:

1. Lead by example, don’t just tell them. Telling a child to do something you don’t do yourself is a sure fire way to end up looking like a hypocrite in their eyes. It’s like telling them that smoking is unhealthy while we are chain smoking ourselves. While it can be difficult to lead by example, it’s something we need to do. It’s not sufficient to tell a child they need more exercise or that they can’t eat fast food several times a week, it’s up to you to start preparing healthier meals and prove to your children that you don’t expect them to do anything you’re not willing to do yourself.
2. Set aside and half an hour everyday (or an hour every second day) to spend time together getting some exercise. Make it something fun. Take the dog for a walk, go to your local park and fly a kite, go for a family bike ride. If the kids like game consoles play one of those active games like Wii Sports. If they like dancing then get a Zumba kit. These activities will teach your child that exercise can be fun and you will have the added benefit of spending more time together and improving your own fitness.
3. Reduce the amount of high energy, high fat foods you store in the house. When you go grocery shopping load up on healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, low fat popcorn, nuts, raisins, etc. You probably need to retrain yourself as well as your children.

Following these tips will not only help our children but we will also benefit from them ourselves. We all want our children to live long and healthy lives so it is important that we commit to assisting them to exchange bad eating and excercise habits with good ones in order to avoid the potentially serious health effects of obesity in childhood.

The health effects of obesity in childhood are as many and varied as they are in adults. Obesity is a growing epidemic in western society, it’s growth throughout the world is reaching pandemic proportions. While obesity is the root cause of many health problems, it’s particularly bad for children since many of the effects of obesity are long term, if not life long. People who are overweight from childhood will suffer the effects of that throughout their lives. It’s estimated that one in three children in western society are overweight. As parents, it’s vital that we understand the potential for long term health effects of obesity in childhood because our child’s future depends on it!

There are several health issues of obesity in childhood. Here is a list of some common, potentially deadly diseases children could face if they don’t maintain a healthy weight:

1. Type II diabetes: Type II diabetes can cause the body to produce insufficient insulin, or cause produced insulin to be incapable of bonding with sugar in the bloodstream which means the body effectively ignores the insulin which causes excess sugar to float around in the blood stream. Type II diabetes also leads to kidney problems, heart, eye and other organ diseases. Type II diabetes used to develop mainly in middle aged adults but the increase in child obesity has made it increasingly common in young people. In addition, being overweight can cause fatty deposits to build up around the pancreas where insulin is produced, this fatty tissue inhibits the passage of insulin into the bloodstream causing the development of type II diabetes. If this occurs, then losing weight will most likely cure the diabetes unless permanent damage to the pancreas has occurred.
2. Gangrene: Being overweight can cause circulatory problems that result in gangrene in the extremities. In time, this tissue death can result in the amputation of toes, feet, legs, fingers, hands etc. This is particularly common in those who suffer from diabetes, however it also occurs in those with no history of diabetes. If you think it’s okay for a child to be seriously overweight, just imagine the impact of having to live with a disability of this type.
3. High blood pressure (hypertension): Overweight children are particularly prone to experiencing elevated blood pressure levels. Hypertension leads to several serious health conditions including stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular disease.
4. High cholesterol: Long term high cholesterol can lead to a condition called ‘atherosclerosis’ which refers to a buildup of fatty plaque in arterial walls. Over time, this buildup can dramatically reduce blood flow through those arteries. Without oxygen rich blood flowing freely the body can suffer from several extremely dangerous issues including stroke and heart attack.
5. Joint diseases: Carrying excess weight causes wear and tear on the joints. The longer this excess weight is carried the more damage is caused to the joints. If a child is overweight most of their life, it can potentially cause a great deal of pain in their back, legs, ankles and hips later in life caused by joint diseases like arthritis. Similarly, losing weight can dramatically reduce the amount of discomfort caused by arthritis simply because there is less strain upon the joints involved.
6. Heart disease: The symptoms of heart disease tend to appear much earlier in life in those with a long history of obesity. These days, it is not uncommon for this to occur in teenagers.
7. Psychological: In some ways, perhaps the most damaging effect of childhood obesity is psychological. Obesity carries a huge cost to a child’s self esteem and self confidence. Obese children often endure horrendous teasing from their peers. This can have a significant negative impact on their self image that can last their whole life. This can lead to anxiety and depression, make them socially introverted and can cause them to avoid many milestones in life, like school dances, that many take for granted. Ultimately, it can even lead to teen suicide.

Note that this is certainly not a comprehensive list of the health effects of obesity in childhood. These are provided as a guide for you to understand some of the things that may occur.

It’s a very frightening scenario isn’t it? While this news is grim, the good news is that it is never too late to address the health effects of obesity in childhood. Many of these issues can be totally reversed simply by making better lifestyle choices. Initially, it will be up to the parents to make these lifestyle choices on behalf of the child. Eventually, the child will be able to make similar healthy lifestyle choices for themselves. Making healthy lifestyle choices is as simple as eating a more nutritious diet and getting more exercise. This can have a huge difference on the weight of a child. Not to mention the huge improvement in their self esteem as they overcome the health effects of obesity in childhood.

The way children eat pizza you would think that pizza was a new food group, but of course it isn’t a food group. Pizza is generally a junk food. Pizza includes many of the different food groups. But why is it so popular?

I remember my first pizza. Dad bought it from the local pizza take away. But that pizza was nothing like the junk available in restaurants today. It wasn’t overloaded with cheese and had heaps of fresh vegetables. Of course, in those days Pizza joints were generally owned and run by Italians so the pizza was made according to the traditional Italian pizza recipes.

If you are like many people you love pizza, but there are potential problems.

• Do you eat one or two slices or the whole pizza?
• What pizza toppings do you use?
• Do you have any idea of the calorie content?
• What food groups are represented on the pizza you eat?
• How can you make the pizza healthier?

Many people are insufficiently disciplined when it comes to eating pizza. They will scoff down a whole pizza without considering the calories being consumed.

As an example, lets examine a supreme 12” pan pizza. This is usually sliced into 8 portions. Are you ready for a reality check here?

One slice can contain as much as 330 calories which means the whole pizza is 2640 calories. If you are trying to restrict your calorie intake in order to lose weight and you eat the whole pizza in one sitting then you have blown your calorie intake for the WHOLE DAY.

But let’s examine the nutritional facts here. The figures below apply to ONE SLICE of pizza, The figures need to be multiplied by the number of pieces you consume.

	Calories	Quantity (g)	% Daily recommended
Calories per slice	330
Calories from Fat	160	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	N/A	6g	30%
Cholesterol	N/A	35g	12%
Sodium	N/A	850mg	35%
Carbohydrate	N/A	29g	10%
Dietary Fiber	N/A	2g	8%
Sugar	N/A	N/A	3%
Protein	N/A	N/A	14%

When seen this way it doesn’t look healthy, does it?

How often do you eat pizza? You need to understand the consequences of what you eat. You also need to decide whether to order pizza to make your own which is healthier an more fun, especially when you allow each family member to add their own toppings.

Try making your own dough so you understand exactly what goes in it. Basic dough to make more than one pizza is a simple recipe. 16 oz (450g) white flour (or wholemeal flour if you want to make it healthier), 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and sufficient warm water to create a dough. Note: sugar and salt can’t be reduced as both are required to cause the yeast to ferment. Notice that you are not adding any fat, milk powder or extra sugar and salt.

Make your own tomato sauce, with tomato, garlic and onions. You don’t need fat or sugar either. It’s low in calories and can be used as the base for tomato soup or pasta sauce.

Load your pizza with lots of fresh vegetables.

What about meat? Take a piece of skinless chicken and dice it, cook with garlic or spices. You can dry fry if you have a non stick frying pan. Again no fat required.

But what about the cheese, mix together some low fat mozzarella and parmesan. You don’t need a large quantity of cheese. Try it and see if your family prefer the home made pizza.

If you eat a whole pizza (2640 calories) you would need to walk for 11 hours to burn off all those calories. You can eat your calorie laden pizza if you want but are you prepared to walk for 11 hours? A leisurely walk burns approximately 240 calories per hour.

But maybe you don’t eat a whole pizza, that is great, but how many calories do you consume in a day? Don’t forget to take into account your snacks and sugary drinks, a can of regular soda contains up to 160 calories, so four cans of regular soda means 640 calories. Yeouch, theres 25% of your daily energy needs right there. You need approximately 2000 calories to live if you are a woman and 2200 calories for a man. This is based on average activity levels.

Yes you can eat pizza but keep in mind the consequences!

Aside from it’s primary purpose, there are several monosodium glutamate side effects. Technically speaking, monosodium glutamate is a “flavor enhancer”. It stimulates your childs taste-buds, making them more sensitive to food flavors. This improves the taste of food, or rather, your child’s response to that food.

If that was all MSG did, it wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, it isn’t. Monosodium glutamate side effects go far beyond this purpose, and not all of those side effects are positive. Unfortunately, the FDA has not acted on the problems and monosodium glutamate maintains the status of “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS). Considering the negative side effects of this chemical on children and adults alike, MSG should be banned, especially since it is abused by the food industry so much.

So what are the negative monosodium glutamate side effects?

1. Some children are allergic to MSG: A child can consume a small amount of it and have an anaphylactic reaction to it. Like other allergies… peanut, wheat, citrus, shellfish etc. the reaction varies from causing discomfort to being life threatening. Because MSG is commonly used in a wide variety of products that are consumed by children, it should be banned. The reason is simple. If your child had a severe peanut allergy, you would avoid giving them peanuts and products containing peanuts. Products containing peanuts or potential traces of them are required to indicate this on the packaging. Compare this with monosodium glutamate where most processed foods contain it but, because of insufficient labeling laws, it is not required to be listed in the ingredients. This creates a potentially dangerous situation that requires government intervention. Companies should at least be forced to label the foods correctly.
2. Monosodium glutamate dramatically stimulates appetite and causes binging: Have you ever wondered why one potato chip is never enough? Monosodium glutamate is the reason. Your child can be physically full, but monosodium glutamate stimulates a part of their brain that tells them to eat more. Food manufacturers use monosodium glutamate to make their foods addictive. Binging on any food causes obesity. MSG takes away a child’s choice in what they eat by creating a dependance similar to drug addiction. That is immoral and should be illegal. Monosodium glutamate has also been identified as a major contributor to the dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes in society. It’s also a major factor in bulemia. Monosodium glutamate encourages children to binge. That’s why snack producers use it. Thankfully, people are becoming savvy to this and choosing not to allow their children to consume food containing MSG. However, companies are not content to allow even this level of personal choice. Because of the GRAS (generally regarded as safe) designation, they are permitted to include MSG as an ingredient in a list of so-called “secret ingredients”. These are ingredients that are not required to be listed on food labels because doing so may allow competitors to copy their recipe and steal their business. Further, some products contain MSG and if companies list that product, they are not required to label the individual ingredients. The names of these common products include ‘Natural Flavorings’, ‘Naturally Flavored’, Artificial and Natural Flavors’. These are PRODUCT NAMES rather than FDA designations. These names conceal the fact that those products are additives. The primary ingredient in many of those products is monosodium glutamate, so if you see them in the ingredients list, replace them with the words monosodium glutamate…because that is basically what it really means.
3. The most controversial problem with MSG is HOW it stimulates your child’s appetite: MSG is referred to as an “excitotoxin”. This is a chemical that stimulates your child’s nervous system using a mechanism usually used to fight infection or remove damaged tissue. A child’s brain is generally sterile and doesn’t have the same immune system as the rest of their body. The main immune system is based on an inflammatory mechanism. Inflammation in the brain is potentially deadly, so the brain uses a glial system instead. The glial system releases chemicals that destroy invading particles and stimulate the brain. Guess which mechanism MSG uses? Guess what the side effects are? If your child consumes large quantities of MSG then in the long-term it will destroy brain tissue. Monosodium glutamate has also been implicated in Alzheimer’s.

As you can see from these side effects, the consumption of MSG should be avoided not only in children but in adults also. Most modern Chinese restaurants understand this and have now removed this ingredient from their recipes.

The main problem in modern society is packaged and processed foods, especially those at fast food restaurants and snack foods. If you want to avoid your child consuming large quantities of monosodium glutamate you need to limit consumption of those foods.

This post published with thanks to Mr Roger of Fatzilla.org who graciously permitted me plagiarize his work.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “Monosodium Glutamate Side Effects” is intended for informational purposes only.

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Making fun and healthy snacks is a challenge for all parents. Children love snacking and they can be good to encourage fussy eaters, but are they having healthy snacks for kids?

The problem is that many children love to snack on foods that are high in sugar, fat and calories that, whilst nutritionally sound in themselves, are not healthy for them in large quantities. Modern parents are so busy that it is easy to purchase processed snacks from the grocery store. It can be muesli bars, crisps, fruit bars, muffins and single serve packets of cookies etc. Many children go to school with several of these snacks in their lunch box, placed there by well meaning parents who don’t want their children going hungry but who simply do not understand the potential harm that can be caused.

One of the problems for parents is to know what constitutes healthy snacks for kids. Many foods designed for children contain far too much fat and sugar, even when the packaging says they are healthy. It all comes down to moderation. Even foods that are labeled low fat can contain high amounts of sugar. Parents need to learn to read and understand food nutrition labels.

In a report produced in the United Kingdom it showed that children who eat a packet of crisps/chips per day consume 5 liters of cooking oil per year. That is a huge amount of fat. Unfortunately, many children eat more than one packet per day. Some children regularly consume 3 or 4 packets per day. Consider the implications of the calories they are consuming and the potential damage caused by their arteries becoming blocked at a young age.

Children are always hungry when they return home from school. They want to be fed instantly. They don’t want to wait for dinner. They want something to satisfy their hunger immediately. Maybe they open the fridge and grab the closest food, it may be a pie or pastry but most children know where snack foods like crisps and candy bars are kept and these are the foods they grab.

But if you don’t have any in the house and give them an apple instead, the tantrum starts because they want their favorite foods. They are children who have no idea about nutrition so you need to take control. Maybe it does mean removing processed snacks from the pantry. It may take a couple of weeks for them to stop grumbling but in time they will get used to you providing healthy snacks.

So what are some healthy snacks for kids? Here are a few pointers:

• Stay close to nature: Fresh fruits and vegetables make a great snack
• Purchase or prepare a dip for them to have with celery or carrot sticks
• Make a fruit smoothie with fresh fruit, milk or juice and a dollop of low fat yogurt. You can even add an egg for extra protein to satisfy their hunger
• Make your own crisps by using a peeler to create thin slices of potato then lightly spray with extra virgin olive oil spray and bake in the oven, then you control the fat and salt
• Cut up a range of their favorite in season fruit to create a healthy fruit salad, or poke a skewer through fruit chunks to make fruit kebabs
• Always keep a store of fresh fruit in the house
• Make up your own fruit and nut mixes with their favorite things like sultanas, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, cashews, almonds etc and leave a bowl on the bench

Doing this will ensure that there are always healthy snacks for kids laying around where kids can grab for them rather than processed snacks that are high in calories, fat and sugar.

Learn to be creative regarding the snacks you allow your children to eat. A good way to look at it is to treat it like you would an allergy. If your child had an allergy to nuts then you would ensure that no nut product was provided for them. Well, do the same with high calorie snacks, treat it as though they have an allergy to excess sugar and fat and provide foods that won’t cause health issues in the future.

As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your children remain fit and healthy and eat balanced meals. Make those unhealthy foods they love an occasional treat. Don’t make a big issue if when they eat unhealthy foods or they may develop emotional issues based upon their physical appearance. You expect them to live for at least 70 years so you want to encourage healthy eating habits early on. Do you really think they will never eat another packet or crisps/chips, chocolate bar, pizza or burger? They will still eat these foods but they need to learn how to eat these foods in moderation and not see them as easy snacks and quick energy fixes.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “Making Fun and Healthy Snacks for Kids” is intended for informational purposes only.

Building child self esteem would have to be one of the most difficult tasks that parents face. First we have to ask ourselves, how is our own self esteem? You see, those who have self esteem issues will have difficulty building self esteem in their children. Being confident in ourselves is the first step in building child self esteem.

This doesn’t mean that if you have low self esteem that your children are doomed to suffer the same issue. Not at all, it simply means that building child self esteem will be more of a challenge for you. The good thing is, you already know at least some of the things that can undermine their confidence in themselves. Therefore, you know some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Life is a cycle in which we learn good and bad lessons from parents and peers. Whatever conclusions we draw from our experiences we pass on to the next generation, and they then pass it on to the next etc. Although it may be tempting to blame school or society for the issues children face, we have to keep in mind that most of the lessons they learn whether good or bad are learnt in the home. Remember the old saying, ‘children learn what they live’.

If we lack self esteem or have weight problems then it shouldn’t be surprising if our children face the same problems. If you watch every thing you eat and make a big deal of it because you’re worried about getting fat or if your self worth is based on how fat you are then don’t be surprised if your children think the same way.

If children think they can only be loved if their body is slim then maybe you need to look at your attitude. Do you comment about how unnattractive fat is? While it’s true that the media portray many narrowly circumscribed images that children aspire to (often inappropriately), it doesn’t help if all the magazine does is reinforce the messages they receive in the home.

Parents must take responsibility for raising their children. If you allow your children to rule the home then don’t be surprised when they don’t respect your authority. If you’ve permitted your children to control you rather than the other way around then they won’t permit you to control them without a fight.

Every child is unique and they need to understand who they are and why they were born. They need to be taught that self worth isn’t dependant on size, weight, or how well they perform academically. They need to understand that they are loved and accepted regardless of their appearance. Children should understand that even if they suffer weight related health issues they are still beautiful, worthwhile people. They need to feel accepted and understand that losing weight is important for their health but has nothing to do with their self worth.

Children hate the words overweight and obese because they don’t understand what the words means but receive the impression from society, peers and sometimes parents that it is ugly and means they are a failure. Name calling will only cause your children to lose self esteem. Teach them positive lessons so they can lose weight without losing self esteem. Encourage them in what they do, they might be good in an area then praise them. But don’t reward them with food. Children are crying out to be loved and many eat to fill that empty void, they want to be loved and accepted and have a good image about themselves.

Building child self esteem doesn’t have to be difficult. Try not to make negative comments about them. That can be easier said than done when they try your patience and you become frustrated and angry. If a child receives a positive message at home it can go a long way towards helping them deal with the negative messages they receive elsewhere.

It is important to evaluate your own self esteem to see what lessons you have taught your children, are they positive or negative? Remember both positive and negative lessons are learned and if they have low self esteem maybe it is because you have low self esteem.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “Building child self esteem” is intended for informational purposes only.

How to pack a healthy lunch for kids is a skill that all parents need to learn. Do you know what your child is eating for lunch? Do they take a packed lunch or do they purchase lunch from the school canteen?

Whatever they have, have you ever considered the nutritional value of what they eat. Children they have no concept of what is a good or bad choice nutritionally until we teach them. They naturally choose what they like rather than what is healthy. Because sugary foods and fried foods are tastier they gravitate toward them without any consideration of whether those foods represent healthy food choices.

If you don’t know how to pack a healthy lunch for kids and supply them with junk food then they learn that it is acceptable to constantly eat unhealthy foods. Of course, in practice, this will lead to health issues. Children must be taught about healthy nutrition and how to make healthy food choices, either through the school or home environment.

It isn’t enough to rely on the school to educate your child about this. You need to be educated about healthy nutrition so you can incorporate the knowledge into family meals and pass those lessons on to your children. After all, children learn more from example than by being told. Discuss what they are eating in school. Explain that while all foods are okay to eat, that they need to balance their food intake in order to supply their body with all the nutrients it requires to function properly. Explain that too many sweet or fatty foods can lead to future weight issues. Help them to see that they can make choices about what they eat. Help them to understand that eating chocolate occasionally isn’t bad but that eating chocolate bars daily may be unwise.

If you want to pack a healthy lunch for kids you need to consider what is included in it! Schools in some countries are banning certain foods from school lunch boxes. No more crisps/chips, chocolate, cake or sweets. If your child’s lunch box contained these items would you know what to replace them with?

Of course, when it comes to how to pack a healthy lunch for kids the biggest problem isn’t what to replace unhealthy food with but getting children to eat what goes in. A sudden change in foods from unhealthy to healthy can be a huge shock. Suddenly they no longer receive the foods they like and must start eating foods that they may be unfamiliar with.

Did you ever watch Jamie Oliver’s ‘School Dinners’ program? When he got the canteen to stop serving junk foods like turkey twizzlers and replace them with healthy foods, an enterprising group of young students mutineed against the whole idea by boycotting the canteen and starting a petition to bring back the junk food. Good for them to demand their rights but sad that they are using it to achieve something that is actually bad for them.

So how can you help them get over this problem? Start by introducing foods into their other meals. Instead of soda try giving children pure fruit juice or water. There are lots of different flavored waters around with no added sugar, buy those and try them out. Many are only 1 or 2 calories for 1 liter bottles. Soda drinks contain so much sugar (at least 5 teaspoons of sugar) and up to 160 calories per can.

Replace white bread with whole-wheat or multi grain bread. If they are fussy about this then try one slice of white and one slice of whole-wheat. Put in a filling that they might enjoy, but be adventurous. Open a tin of tuna and chop a little onion into it. If they don’t like mayonnaise then substitute ketchup to it to bind it together. You could also chop a little tomato or cucumber into this mixture.

Give them chunky vegetables to eat. Tomato, cucumber, carrot sticks, celery etc. Give them a little low fat cream cheese as a dip. Increase their fruit consumption, add a piece of fresh fruit to their lunch box. Or add small packets of dried fruit.

Once you know how to pack a healthy lunch for kids it’s easier to work with school recommendations.

Child and adolescent health issues are of greater and greater concern in modern society. More children and adolescents are suffering from illnesses that previous generations only experienced in adulthood. Current dietary and exercise trends mean that many children and adolescents could develop heart disease during their teens.

Many child and adolescent health issues are directly related to their eating and exercise habits.

Some examples of these child and adolescent health issues include

• Heart attack
• Coronary disease
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Type II diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Malnutrition
• Stress/depression
• Digestive issues
• Some cancers (including rectal)

Did you know that despite more children being overweight or obese, these same children also suffer from malnutrition. Amazing isn’t it? Gone are the days when malnutrition was a tragedy only experienced in third world countries, many children in the West now suffer from malnutrition. The only difference is that visually, the picture is not of a child who is all skin and bones, rather, the children are those being ostracised for being overweight or obese.

Many child and adolescent health issues could easily be avoided if the eating and exercise habits of families were addressed. Of course, only parents can accomplish this under the guidance of family health care providers.

None of us wants to see their child face a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and weight gain. By addressing their nutritional and exercise requirements now you could be saving your children’s lives.

We need to stop reaching for foods that are appealing or convenient for us with our busy lifestyles. It really doesn’t take that much more effort to prepare healthy, low fat, nutritious meals. Too many of us try to cater to our children’s fussy eating habits by giving them only the foods they wanted. Forty years ago, parents never let us get away with that, we ate what was on the plate or went hungry. As a result we learned to eat, and enjoy, most foods.

Here are some tips on how to change some of the things that are currently leading to all those child and adolescent health issues.

Eat more:

1. Fruit: Remember the food pyramid, two serves of fruit per day
2. Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are great, generally more nutrients than fresh vegies because they are frozen within hours of harvest which retains nutrients
3. Lean read meat: Red meat should generally only be served once per week as it tends to be very high in saturated fats
4. Chicken: It is important to remove skin prior to cooking where possible as that is where most of the fat is
5. Fish: Fish is low in fat and high in omega 3 fatty acids which help control blood cholesterol levels
6. Whole grains: Eat wholegrain or multi grain bread, wholegrain pasta etc as they are fiber rich which makes them burn slower keeping your appetite satisfied for longer
7. Legumes and Nuts: These are really high in protein and can be used as a meat substitute.

Eat less:

1. Fried foods: Grill, boil, bake, steam or poach foods instead
2. Processed foods: Foods like frozen battered/crumbed fish fillets and frozen pizza are really high in fat, sugar and calories
3. Sausages: Commercially prepared sausages are high in fat, salt, sugar etc and are really unhealthy.
4. Cookies, cakes, potato crisps, snack bars, candy and sweets.
5. Salty foods: Salt is the major cause of fluid retention.

Exercise more:

1. Walk the children to school instead of driving if possible – Start a ‘walking schoolbus’
2. Schedule a family activity each week: A bicycle ride or picnic and ball game in the park, even a Wii session with a game that requires the family to get up and get active
3. Encourage your child/adolescent to take up a sport or dance classes.

NOTE: A walking schoolbus refers to a group of children walking along a designated route where other children join them along the way. The ‘bus’ is accompanied by at least one adult who picks the first child up. The role of guardian (or driver if you want to think of it that way) is generally rotated between the parents of participating children who are available to perform the duty.

As you can see, it’s relatively simple to make the changes necessary to avoid the child and adolescent health issues that result from unhealthy eating a exercise habits.

What do you do if your child won’t exercise? How do you teach them the benefits of exercise for children?

About a generation ago (20 years), a tremendous change took place that forever altered the lives of many. What am I talking about? I’m referring to the rise of personal computers and gaming systems. It seems these days that children’s fingers get much more exercise than their bodies do… sure, they’ll have good strong finger muscles, until they hit about 50 when their hands are all twisted into claws from arthritis.

Children in previous generations always exercised. It wasn’t called exercise, it was called ‘play’ and was a normal part of life but this is no longer the case. Children are surrounded by so many forms of instant entertainment that many have forgotten the joys of active, outdoor play. As humans we need to exercise and children should always be encouraged to take part in some form of exercise in order to reap the benefits of exercise for children.

Most parents today remember school days when they were constantly in the playground kicking a ball, skipping or engaging in other activities. Then there was physical education (PE) included in the school curriculum. We also tended to walk to and from school.

So what are the benefits of exercise for children? The benefits are many, including both physical and emotional benefits including:

1. Physical fitness: Strong muscles, good endurance and flexibility
2. Physical appearance: Leaner, more toned appearance so the child is less likely to be teased about their appearance
3. Health benefits: Less chance of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Good cholesterol (HDL) levels are increased by exercise and HDL combats bad cholesterol (LDL)
4. Improved self image
5. Improved sleeping patterns due to physical fatigue
6. Reduced stress levels: Exercise produces hormones called endorphins which create feelings of wellbeing. Endorphins are the body’s natural analgesic and anti depressant
7. Improved concentration: Exercise improves brain function by making us more alert and academic progress can thereby be improved

So how do we encourage children to exercise? One of the best ways is to exercise with them.

Walking: It may not be safe for children to walk to school anymore but if a parent is available to walk with them it improves security dramatically. Or, you could go for a family nature walk once a month

Cycling: Why not purchase a cheap, second hand bicycle for yourself, pack a healthy picnic and ride as a family to a nice park somewhere. It is a great way to have fun and exercise at the same time. I ride with my daughter at least once per week, weather permitting of course.

Dancing: Children love dancing, just play a music CD or DVD and watch them dance. If you have very young children buy some of these great activity DVD which calls for children to dance along with their favorite characters. Alternatively, you could do dance aerobics or zumba (a Latin American dance class aimed at fitness). You’ll have heaps of fun, a good giggle and be shaking away those excess pounds at the same time.

Swimming: Swimming is another great exercise and one that could save your children’s lives. It is an ideal family activity. Go swimming and have fun but make sure you swim and use those muscles. Although you are weightless in water, you will probably be surprised at just how tired your muscles are when you climb out of the pool

Gym: A gym membership is another option (though a potentially costly one). Talk to the gym trainers before making this decision. Ensure they are qualified to train children. Children’s bodies work differently to adults and they will require a personally tailored exercise program designed just for them. The trainer will need to consider whether the child has exercised before. If their only exercise has been the fingers they use to operate the gamepad, joystick or computer keyboard then they will have to be taught how to warm up otherwise injury may occur.

Nintendo Wii: Yes, a gaming console! Since children these days are so into their video games then why not utilize something they are interested in? There are plenty of games for the Wii that will get the whole family active and having a hoot of a time together including Wii Sports.

While you may not enjoy exercising you should try not to pass bad exercise habits on your children. Nobody wants to see their children become obese and suffer from the host of medical ailments associated with being overweight… especially not because of lack of exercise.

One of the most important aspects of exercise is discussing your child’s exercise preferences with them. Don’t pressure them to become the next gold medalist swimmer because it is a dream you had but didn’t fulfill. They need to develop their own likes and dislikes. Pressuring them will only make them less likely to exercise.

Finally you need to ensure that whatever exercise your child selects that they warm up correctly, use muscles correctly and drink plenty of water so they won’t suffer from damaged muscles or dehydration.

This post does not constitute medical advice nor should it be substituted for professional medical advice. This post titled “The Benefits of Exercise for Children” is intended for informational purposes only.