Tuesday, December 15, 2009

16 Habits for Healthy Families

As a health and wellness professional, I am inundated daily with the latest research findings on how to keep your family healthy. I sympathize with parents trying to wade through this advice and discern the most important issues to focus on. Below, I share the topics I make a priority for my family. I keep in mind that the Center for Disease Control lists cardiovascular disease and cancer as the leading causes of death in the US1 and this statistic shapes our health goals.

1. Eat a diet low in saturated fat by choosing lean sources of animal products and eating more fruits and veggies (good for heart health and decreasing cancer risk and starts habits you want kids to follow for life)2

2. Kids get 60 minutes of physical activity everyday (Which means limiting computer and TV time! As obesity rates soar, this is important for the entire family) 2

3. We consume no foods with cancer promoting sodium nitrates (Look for nitrate free lunch meats, Coleman’s is one such brand) 2

4. Cook with heart healthy extra virgin olive oil, canola oil or Smart Balance spread. 2

5. Eat breakfast everyday (kids do better in school and everyone’s metabolism is kept more consistent and thus less likely to acquire extra weight) 3

6. Kids get 11 hours of sleep (they’re 5 and 8 years old), parents desperately try to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep (This improves mood, patience, concentration, learning ability and decreases preponderance for weight gain) 4

7. Eat a variety of fruits and veggies everyday! (This provides ample disease fighting phytonutrients, fiber and promotes food exploration) 5

8. Eat omega-3 rich fishes twice per week (We do this and take fish oil supplements daily for heart health and to decrease inflammation) 6

9. Eat dinner together at the table. (This is an opportunity for kids to be open about the events of their day and a chance for you to casually model the type of eating behaviors you want your children to adopt. They may not eat the broccoli today or even tomorrow but if they see you eating it they will eventually try it.) 7,8

10. Get adequate calcium and Vitamin D daily for bone health and a myriad of other health benefits. (We take supplements to achieve this.) 9,10

11. Kids ALWAYS ride buckled in booster seats in the car since motor vehicle injury is the leading cause of death for children. (Check-out the CDC website for height and weight guidelines www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/childpas.htm)

12. Have sweets or other “junk food” on occasion (other than just at parties or special events so they don’t become alluring, forbidden treats) 11

13. Kids drink only water, skim milk or one (3 oz.) serving of 100% juice per day. Parents drink water, coffee/tea, and no more than 1-2 servings of alcohol per day (1 servings is 1 ounce of liquor, 6 ounces of wine or 8 ounces of beer). 11,2

14. Everyone is allowed some unstructured downtime every day (Everyone needs time to decompress but kids especially need time to use their imaginations and express free will. Studies show kids allotted more free time to be better problem solvers). 12

15. Kisses and hugs are dispensed often (Affection and bonding reduce blood pressure, produce “feel good” neurotransmitters that promote a sense of well being, children of affectionate families are better students and respond better to stress and lets face it, hugs feel great!). 13,14

16. Eat a minimal amount of prepacked and processed foods. The more fresh, whole ingredients the better. They are higher in nutrients and lower in calories and potentially harmful additives. 15

References & Further Reading
1. www.cdc.gov
2. www.americanheart.org, www.cancer.org
3. www.bcm.edu/cnrc/consumer/archives/breakfast-fuel.htm, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16075563,
4. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172444.htm
5. www.ars.usda.gov/Aboutus/docs.htm?docid=4142#classes
6. www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm
7. www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/29/AR2005082901798.html,
8. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070901073612.htm
9. www.vitamindhealth.org/
10. www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/calcium.html
11. Feeding Your Child for Lifelong Health, S.B. Roberts, Ph.D., M. B. Heyman, M.D.
12. aapnews.aappublications.org/content/vol27/issue11
13. ccn.aacnjournals.org/cgi/content/full/24/3/8
14. www.smart-heart-living.com/hugs-and-heart.html
15. http://cspinet.org/nah/10foods_bad.html

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think we do all of those! The two hardest are sleeping enough and getting the kids to sit at the table to eat. Graham literally walks around while eating. I think I could get rid of all the forks in the house and he wouldn't even notice!!

Katherine Matutes PhD said...

I think those are the two hardest tricks to master with kids. It sounds like you guys are doing great!