Raising Healthy Kids
By Sandra Gordon

You want your kids to be healthy and grow into healthy adults. But with tempting vending machines infiltrating schools and physical-education programs being cut or eliminated, it's no wonder that 15 percent (almost nine million) of kids ages six to 19 in the United States are overweight or obese.

Overweight kids have as much as a 70 percent chance of staying that way as adults and suffering from weight-related health problems earlier on, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. What's a parent to do? The old-fashioned answer may surprise you: Set a good example.

Although it may not necessarily seem like it, "children model everything they see their parents do-from, for example, perceiving exercise as a chore, to their TV-viewing habits to how and what they eat," says Christiane W. Rivard, R.D., program director and head of pediatric nutrition at Kidshape Foundation ( www.kidshape.com ). KidShape, a family centered, Los Angeles-based program, helps children develop healthier eating and lifestyle habits. Your influence carries more weight than TV commercials or peers, especially when your kids are little.

The key is not to simply tell your kids what to do-"have an apple," for example, while you polish off a bowl of potato chips, or even necessarily to talk about what's considered healthy and what's not, but to do it yourself consistently. You're being watched, and your actions convey strong messages, says Rivard.

So to help your kids eat right and stay in shape now and for the long haul, here are five health habits you should be sure to practice yourself to set the tone from the top down.

Play With Your Kids
If you want your children to embrace a lifelong fitness habit, exercise with them rather than just urging them to go outside and play. Or, as Sarah Levin, PhD, assistant professor of health education at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky likes to gently put it, "Enjoy activity together."

Levin urges parents to make a commitment to do something active with their kids on Saturday or Sunday: hiking, going to the park or to the zoo, playing ball in the yard, walking at the mall, cycling side by side at the gym, if your kids are teens, or even just turning on music and dancing in the living room. "Family time is so important in and of itself, so if you can incorporate activity into it, it's a double bonus," Levin says.

According to the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit fitness advocacy organization, the name of the game is to choose activities that each member of the family can enjoy, regardless of age, fitness level or athletic ability. One guideline: The family-friendly activities you choose should include those kids can do solo, including walking, hiking, cycling and in-line skating. Why? "Non-team-related activities teach kids how to exercise on their own," says Frances M. Berg, author of Underage and Overweight (Hatherleigh Press). In other words, your kids probably won't always play soccer. But if you play your cards right, they'll walk, hike, cycle or in-line skate for the rest of their lives.

The Joy of Exercise
When you exercise by yourself -- and your kids are around -- make sure you like what you're doing. Otherwise, having a scowl on your face, say, while you're on the treadmill, can convey the message that exercise is drudgery. "Be active every day your way," urges Berg. "Move for the sheer joy and power of it." Besides the benefits you'll reap from physical activity such as having more energy and a firmer grasp on stress, your kids will take notice.
Similarly, to help your kids want to be active, pick activities they favor. If you're not sure what those are, talk with them and be willing to experiment. "Keep trying if an activity or sport doesn't work," advises Berg. "And whatever you do, don't use exercise as a punishment or force your child to do something 'for his own good.'"

Drink Water
To help keep your kids' weight in check, encourage them to drink water or juice spritzers (seltzer with a splash of fruit juice) between meals instead of juice boxes or regular soft drinks, though an occasional diet soda is okay. Researchers have found that kids who regularly drink soda consume more total calories than those who don't.

Besides promoting the intake of water, drink it yourself between meals. Meanwhile, have your kids and yourself stick to milk at meals. For growing bones because kids need the calcium, and chances are, you do, too. Plus, studies show that a calcium-rich diet causes cells to hold on to fat," explains Robert Heaney, MD, a bone researcher and professor of medicine at Creighton University in Nebraska.

Jettison the Junk Food
High-fat, high calorie foods such as ice cream, potato chips, and regular soda aren't verboten - at birthday parties and for special occasions. But don't buy them regularly, especially if you or your children are trying to keep the scale tipped in the right direction. If you do, you'll validate those foods as everyday options and they'll be tough to avoid once they've crossed your threshold.

Start Eating Breakfast
Even though you're rushed in the morning, make time for a bowl of cereal with milk and a piece of fruit. "That type of breakfast takes about seven minutes to eat and it provides nutrition that's absolutely critical," says Keith-Thomas Ayoob, EdD, RD, associate professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in The Bronx, New York. "Studies show that breakfast eating has been associated with lower body weight and better overall health habits," says Ayoob. "And kids who eat breakfast tend to eat more fruit, whole grains, and calcium." The same applies to parents, and if you eat breakfast, your kids are more likely to as well. "It's a win-win for everybody," says Ayoob.



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