Encouraging your children to eat healthily is something that you should be doing on a daily basis, as they will need your guidance in order to stay fit and healthy. According to government statistics, around one in ten children aged 2-10 are now obese, which opens the door to many health complications in later life. Whether you are trying to get your child onto a diet for healthy weight loss or simply want to make sure that they are getting all of the right foods and nutrients they need, there are a number of things that you can do to encourage healthy eating. You should start looking at food labels to find out the nutritional values of the foods you give to your children. Just as there is a recommended daily intake of calories for men and women, so is there one for children. A boy between one and three years of age should consume around 1,230 calories a day, whereas a girl should consume 1,165. This rises until adulthood, when the recommended intake is 2,500 calories for men and 2,000 for women. You can look online now or visit your GP to find out more about your child’s daily intake. If you have decided to help your child to eat healthily it is something that you should do as a family. You should find that this is more successful as well, as the whole family will be joining in. One of the first changes that you should make is to mealtimes – rather than sitting in front of the TV when eating tea, sit around a table and eat as a family. Not only will this help to kick start your family’s healthy eating but it will also give you a chance to catch up with everyone and get some family time in. Giving your children snacks that are high in fat will be one of the main contributors to a poor diet, so switch them out for fruits and vegetables. Both adults and children should aim to eat around five portions of different fruits and vegetables every day. This is very easy – simply add fruit to cereal or porridge in the morning, drink freshly squeezed fruit juice, have a piece of fruit with lunch and add two portions of vegetables to your evening meal. Eating properly isn’t the only thing that you will need to do if you want to ensure that your children are healthy though, you will also need to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. Go for walks as a family, go swimming or just go to the park for a game of football. You can find more health advice online now.
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