Almost one-third of adolescence are overweight according to the "Parenting Teens Online" website. What does this tell us? We need to be teaching our teens how to eat healthy. Obesity causes heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other things, we have all heard it. We know this and still feed our kids McDonald's and pizza. The first step to giving our children the best life possible is to teach them how to take care of their bodies.
I know, we are tired. We work and run, then we are expected to cook a healthy meal that takes an hour of our time. But how will they learn to like healthy food if they aren't eating it regularly? There are so many websites that have quick, healthy recipes that can make a healthy meal just as fast to make as fat-filled dinners.
As parents, what can we do? The "Parenting Teens Online" website mentions a few things we can do to help improve our teens health.
- Dinnertime- Even our teens still depend on parents for mealtime. Chose something healthy. It shows them that healthy food is good and you set an example by eating it yourself.
- Snacks and Lunches- You can send healthy snacks and lunches with them to school. For example, carrot sticks or fruit instead of fat-filled chips. Some links to a few websites are listed below with some great ideas.
- Free time-Evaluate how you want them to spend their free time. If you are sitting, watching T.V. they probably will too. Set a time when the family goes for a walk instead.
The "Parenting Teens Online" website says that parents play a critical role in our teens health. Be an example.
For more information on teen health go to: http://www.parentingteensonline.com/article/show/title/Fight_Teen_Obesity
For recipes and tips go to:
For tips on healthy snacks go to:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/healthy_snacks.html
No comments:
Post a Comment