We all know what we must do to stay healthy. We don’t need a health or wellness expert to tell us that eating right and exercising regularly can prevent us from falling sick. But we continue to follow a sedentary lifestyle, making ourselves vulnerable to many ailments. In this process, what we forget is that we also fail to lead by example. Especially for young parents, who are the role models of their children and need to prioritise their wellness for the sake of the family’s well-being. Let’s explore some simple, healthy tips for family that can help your family raise its health and happiness quotient.
Eating better (for parents)
• Growing children need a balanced diet comprising vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Balance every meal with the right foods that provide nutrients and energy.
• Avoid the `clean plate’ rule. Don’t push your child to clean the plate. Let them stop eating when they feel they have had enough. If you force children to finish everything on the plate, they will not listen to their bodies when they are full and will tend to overeat. Also, don’t reward a clean plate with a dessert or other item, as it can lead to unhealthy eating habits among children.
• When you have to reward your child or show love and affection, don’t do it with food. Praise them, give them a hug or spend some quality time with them. If you reward children with food, they will use food unknowingly to cope with stress or other emotions.
• Keep good and healthy snacks at home like fruits, low-fat yoghurt, whole-grain breads, nuts, and peanut butter. But don’t completely ban junk food; make it a once-in-a-while rule so they don’t feel deprived.
• Choose healthier cooking options like baking, grilling, roasting, steaming, or broiling. Avoid fried foods.
• Desserts are fine occasionally, but don’t make it a regular practice. Children who consume more sugar than the required quantity are at risk of developing health issues.
• Be a role model by eating healthy yourself.
Being more active (for children and families)
• Make physical activity a part of your daily routine. Go for walks as a family before or after meals.
• Some form of exercise for 30-45 minutes every day is a must.
• Stay active at home by engaging in household chores, gardening, or taking pets for a walk. These can help burn calories.
• Spend your vacation not in front of the TV but by hiking, biking or doing adventure activities.
• Limit screen time such as TV, video games, computers, or other gadgets to less than 2 hours a day.
Things to Consider to Stay healthy and happy
Here are some tips to keep yourself and your family healthy and happy:
• Have family meals at least once a day, preferably in the evening when all the members are home. This will be a good time for parents to catch up with their kids.
• Eat only when hungry. Make it a habit not to gorge on junk foods because you are stressed, bored, or tired. Instead, pick up a book, go for a walk, or talk to a family member or friend.
• Consume more fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains and healthy snacks. Avoid fried and junk foods.
• As mentioned earlier, there’s no need to clean the plate. Tell your children not to overeat if they feel full.
• Eat only at the kitchen table. Avoid eating while watching TV, while at work or in the car. This will help you know how much you eat and stop when you are full. It will also prevent overeating.
• Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water every day. This will keep you hydrated and also flush out toxins from your body. Avoid carbonated drinks.
• Limit consumption of alcohol.
• Stay active with 30 to 45 minutes of physical activity every day to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
Conclusion
Healthy tips like eating right, workouts, regular check-ups, and good lifestyle habits are great ways to ward off diseases and infections. However, medical emergencies due to an accident or illness cannot be predicted. So, staying financially prepared with health insurance for medical emergencies is the wisest thing to do.
