Start The New Year Right By Helping Your Children Get Healthy

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A child’s health should be any parent’s priority. With the new year coming up, it’s the perfect time to make a change. Why not set a resolution for someone else this year, and vow to make your children’s lives healthier? Every parent has the best intentions, but time constraints and practicality sometimes mean they don’t work out. How often have you opted for a frozen meal, instead of cooking fresh? Making the following changes will help towards a healthier lifestyle for your family.

REPLACE UNHEALTHY FOOD

A good starting step is to replace any of the unhealthy foods your children are so attached to. Do this item by item so that the change isn’t such a drastic one. For example, replace crisps with bags of dried fruit. Replace fizzy drinks or high sugar fruit juices with 0% trans fat natural coconut water. Your children will resent the changes at first. Wait until they’re used to one new food before introducing the next. If they don’t like one change, try another. If the don’t like coconut water, try squash instead. If they don’t like fruit, try them on baked crisps with less fat. The key is compromise. Eventually, they might start picking healthier options over the foods they know.

GET THEM EXCITED ABOUT HEALTHY FOOD

As well as introducing healthier snacks, you’ll need to present healthy meals. Cut out processed foods wherever possible and get to grips with recipes that cover their major food groups. Getting the kids excited about the new foods they’re trying will make your job a lot easier. Do this by allowing them to see you enjoying those foods. It can also help to make a game of trying new things. Why not do a blind taste test and see what they enjoy? Include foods they know, so they're not rejecting new foods just because they’re unfamiliar. Avoid healthy options you already know your children won’t enjoy. Children are unforgiving. Trying a new food they don’t enjoy can block them off from trying anything else. However you choose to make the introductions, keep things positive!

WALK INSTEAD OF DRIVING

A healthier lifestyle doesn’t just include the foods your children eat. It also involves the amount of fresh air and exercise they get. If you drive your kids to school in the mornings, why not start walking with them instead? This is an excellent way to get yourself out and about as well! Of course, if the school is too far away, this option won’t work. If the distance is walkable, though, you should all be walking it! Walking as a family is an excellent way to start they day, and is an exercise you can enjoy with your kids. Again, they may be against this idea. Make sure they have fun while walking. Playing games on your journey can help. Why not play eye-spy or another fun game as you walk. They’ll soon get used to the new routine, and might even start looking forward to it!