by Victoria Tiegert

Created on: August 18, 2010

The world today is a very busy place. Most of us find that we barely have enough hours in the day to do all that we need to do and this problem affects many areas of our lives. One of the things that is affected is our health. When we are parents, we are responsible for both our own health as well as the health of our children, who are still growing and developing. This is a heavy responsibility and should not be underestimated. There will be lifelong habits formed in the lives of our children that are based on what they are learning today.

Parents need to encourage their children to be healthy so that they can increase their chances for avoiding a variety of ailments and illnesses, as well as the ever-increasing problem of obesity which leads to many diseases and sometimes death. There are many ways that moms and dads can do this and it is really a gift that will last your child a lifetime. The first thing that parents need to realize is that their children are looking at them as examples of what is good and right, even in the area of health. Take an honest inventory of your own life and find ways that you can show your children an example of a healthier lifestyle. The following are some tips that you might want to use to encourage your children to be healthy.

Diet is one of the essential components of developing a healthy body. Feed your family a diet that is rich in lean proteins, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. Be sure that there are healthy snack options in your home for when the children are wanting to grab something quick to fill up on. Cut up fruits and vegetables to keep in the refrigerator. Sliced or cubed cheeses and whole grain crackers make tasty snacks that are good for kids, as well. Another idea is to make wraps with whole grain tortillas, cream cheese, meat slices, and alfalfa sprouts. Cut them up into thirds and wrap in plastic. The kids will be happy to grab these from the frig when hunger calls. When you do your shopping, a good rule of thumb is to stick to the outer edges of the store. The aisles are typically stocked with boxes, cans, and cartons of processed foods that are low in nutrition and high in sugars and other fillers.

There are many germs, viruses, and other diseases that children come into contact with on a daily basis. It is very important to teach children about the importance of hand-washing in order to kill of the germs and viruses that would otherwise live on their skin. Rent a book or a video from the public library

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