Help Children Develop Healthy Heart Habits

By Janet V. Johnson, MD

Loving Care Pediatrics

More Child Health and Safety Articles

Help Children Develop Healthy Heart Habits

Parents and caregivers can help their child develop heart healthy habits early in life. They can encourage their children to evaluate their food choices and physical activity habits. Here are some tips to help get you started.

Be a role model. No one is perfect, however if your child sees that you are trying to eat healthy and are exercising, they will notice your efforts and begin to understand that good health is important to the family.

Keep things fun and positive. Don’t focus on the restrictions but offer praise for a job well done. Celebrate successes along with helping children and teens develop a good self-image. Don’t reward with video games, TV, candy or snacks, these habits lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which increase obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Get moving. Plan family time for every member to participate including family pets. Take walks, hikes, bike rides or just play outdoors. Everyone in the family will benefit from the exercise and time together.

Dinnertime should be family time. All members of the family should come together to sit down and eat, there is less opportunity for children eating the wrong foods or snacking too much. Have your children help in meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking the meals. All involved will develop good eating habits and benefit from the quality time with the family.

Make a game of reading labels while shopping and at home preparing your meals. This way the whole family learns what is good for their health and are more conscious of what they eat. Developing behavioral changes that will bring lifelong benefits.

Eating healthy on a budget can be done. One just has to be creative to stick within the budget to incorporate nutritious foods into the diet. Include in your diet: Bananas, apples (raw with skin), fat-free milk, oranges, pears, lentils, barley, brown rice, oatmeal, beans and a host of other fruits and vegetables. Try to incorporate some of these healthy foods under $1.00 into the weekly menu planning.

It can be challenging cooking for children who refuse to eat some foods. It is also concerning since they miss out on important nutrients found in foods. Include picky eaters when shopping for and meal planning of foods. Asking them to help with the shopping and cooking gives them investment in the final product and kids are more likely to taste a dish if they helped plan or prepare it.

Start at home, and insist on good food choices in the school for breakfast and lunch, along with healthy choices for vending machines located in the schools and fundraisers. Your children’s healthcare provider will be monitoring cardiovascular indicators like blood pressure, BMI and lipid panels. Make your voice heard, know and understand your child’s numbers.