Serious About Wanting To Improve Your Familys Healthy Eating Lifestyles?

Dr. Christine Wood, M.D, a practicing pediatrician in Encinitas, California, is the author of How to Get Kids to Eat Great & Love It!, offers some sound advice about developing healthy eating lifestyles for your family.

Here's what Dr. Wood has to say. Today almost one out of three children in the United States is either overweight or borderline overweight and is likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, Dr. Wood warns that these obese children may not live longer than their parents ? a depressing thought!

What's causing this trend? Simply stated, Dr. Wood suggested too many calories and too little activity, although it is more complex than that. The mainstream media is marketing fast food and sedentary activities to our children. Consequently, here are some of their unhealthy options:

* Easy access to fast food for stressed out parents.

* Schools offer sodas and candies in their vending machines.

* Children are increasingly exposed to inexpensive, processed food choices.

* Since the introduction of cable TV and remote controls, Game Boy, home personal computers, among other things, more sedentary options are available than ever before.

* Food companies are taking advantage of the time children spend in front by marketing directly to them.

The bottomline, obviously, is that our children are not getting the nutrition and exercise they need. So, what are parents to do? Dr. Wood offers the following suggestions:

* Examine the foods that are brought into the home for their nutritional value.

* Understand how to read nutrition labels.

* Set limits on media and sedentary activities. Encourage family interaction: Does your child really need to have a TV and/or PC in his room?

* Decide, as a family project, the healthy menus and healthy choices of restaurant to frequent.

* Become actively informed in your child's school so that the PTA and School Board may learn about your concerns regarding food choices.

If we don't make some changes, the trends of today predict that our young children will be at high risk for obesity and obesity-related health risks like heart attacks, strokes, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

Encouraging good eating habits and physical lifestyle in our children starts with us, the parents. This includes introducing a quality nutritional supplement program with vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids that are necessary protection for our children as they face more nutritional and environmental challenges than ever before.

Remember: When you are maximizing your family's health potential, we everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Email: eagibbs@ureach.com.

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: "... helping you maximize your potential." For more information and a free health assessment, go to http://eagibbs.usana.com.

---

Calculating Your Calorie Needs

In order to eat fewer calories than you need, you... Read More

Is It Possible to Improve Your Health by Simply Drinking More Water?

To many people, this may seem a simplistic answer to... Read More

5 Tips To Lower Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More

True Culprits of High Cholesterol

What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More

Is Eating a Raw Food Diet Actually Healthy for You?

Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you... Read More

Fluoride Damages Childrens Bones, Study Says

White-spotted or yellow splotched teeth may reveal more than needed... Read More

The Worse Mistakes People Make with Food

There are a number of common food mistakes that costs... Read More

The Best Way to Consume Vitamin C

Eating orange mean absorbing vitamin C to our body, is... Read More

How Essential Fatty Acids Improve Your Brain Power and Mental Health

What is your brain made ofOver 50% of your brain... Read More

9 Tips to Stop Food Cravings and Help You With Your Diet

Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More

How to Help Your Picky Eater

One of the most common questions I am asked is... Read More

Cherries - A Natural Joint Pain Killer

Fruit Advantage Tart Cherry capsules are a nutritious, all-natural alternative... Read More

What is Organic Food?

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed... Read More

Take Back Your Life 5

In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More

Omega 3 Fat is Good for Your Heart and for Your Brain

Scandinavian fishermen are a healthy bunch. It had long been... Read More

You Are What You Eat

You really are what you eat. You are also very... Read More

How to Have Great Sex - Nutrition and Foods That Create Passion

Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More

How to Grow Sprouts

Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More

The Importance of Good Nutrition in Keeping Your Smile Beautiful and Your Mouth Healthy

A beautiful smile and healthy mouth actually can come from... Read More

Natural Foods Defined

With so many people concerned about natural and organic foods... Read More

What is Organic Farming?

Organic farming is the production of food using all natural... Read More

The Truth About the Meat You Eat

There are so many topics to discuss which affect our... Read More

Avoiding Mental Disorders Through the Aid of Vitamins and Minerals

When we think about the benefits of being ensuring a... Read More

Macrobiotics: Diet and Lifestyle for Long-term Health

A frequent misunderstanding about macrobiotics is that it is a... Read More

The In-Office Emergency Nutritional Kit

Tired of having stare-downs with those boxes of Krispy Kremes,... Read More

Heart Health ? Fish Oils To The Rescue

In a world where heart disorders and diseases are becoming... Read More

MonaVie Acai Berry Juice - The Tree of Life from Amazonian Rainforest...

What ancient tribes and people of the Amazon have known... Read More

Fruits for Summer: Summer Skin Care

Summer is the time when we sweat highly and beating... Read More

ACAI Berry Named Top 10 Superfoods For Anti-Aging by Dr. Nicholas Perricone

The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to... Read More

Chocolate Is Good For You!

Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More

Pineapples: The Healing Fruit Of The Tropics (Includes A Recipe For Pina-Banana Orange Smoothie)

For a natural and tasty way to improve your health... Read More

What is a Healthy Eating Plan?

Healthy eating is important for everyone, from babies to the... Read More

Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Reproductive System

Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More