5-3-2-1-Nearly None

“Living Healthy – it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle!”

Kids born today are the first generation in more than a hundred years not expected to live longer than their parents.  The causes for this are many, but most of them boil down to healthy lifestyle choices, which means we can help our kids to live longer healthier lives by helping them make better choices. 

Of course, our kids do what we do, not what we say, which means we need to be making and modeling those choices ourselves.  If your family is interested in feeling better and getting healthier, we have gathered some materials to help you get started with the process.

There are some general principles that the research shows can help kids have lower risk for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and other problems in the future.  They can be summarized with the 5-3-2-1-0 Countdown:

5 or more servings of fruits & vegetables a day

3 planned meals a day -                                  

•  eat breakfast every day
•  less fast food
•  more meals prepared at home
•  less inflated portions (no Super-size!)

2 hours or less of TV or video games a day

1 hour or more of active play every day

0 sugar-sweetened drinks (or nearly none)

One issue many parents have is how to support their children in healthy behaviors without every meal becoming a battle, without nagging, and without making their kids feel bad about themselves.  We have tried to address these issues in Setting Your Kids Up for Success.

If you are ready to get started, try our Habit Inventory to see where you and your family stand now on healthy habits.  The questions are linked to helpful information on these subjects, if you identify any of them as issues you want to address. 

Or look through the subjects listed below:

Active Play for Families                                       Portion control

Indoor Exercise Options                                     Snack Attack

Turn It Off – Decreasing Screen Time                 Getting kids to eat fruits and veggies        

Healthy Mealtimes Together                               Drink Think

Breakfast Go Power                                             General Nutrition Tips for Kids

Of course, talk to your health care provider about any concerns you have about your child’s health.

Here are some other links we have found helpful:

Center for Screentime Awareness - Too much TV has more effects on kids than just increasing their obesity risk.  Check out the factsheet.

Fruits and Veggies More Matters - has lots of recipes and even some videos on cooking and storing fruits and vegetables

 Jump up and go - toolkit from the NICHQ, info on diet and activity

And lots more. . . .

Websites for Kids:

Food Champs

and I have lots more. . . .