September is National Childhood Obesity Month. According to the CDC, one in five children are effected by obesity. As kids get older, this can increase their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, breathing difficulty and joint discomfort.
As a Brownsburg mom to three boys, I know the days can be exhausting, and sometimes we want to make things easier for everyone by saying, "Just watch your tablet or TV a little longer." But, as a Registered Dietitian, I also know it’s important to build a healthy lifestyle in a fun way- not just for children, but for the entire family.
A simple way to begin a healthy lifestyle at home is to remember: 5-2-1-0.
- 5--Enjoy 5 fruits and vegetables daily. Remember to eat the rainbow and include a variety of colors on your plate and in your food choices. Sometimes it’s hard to get our kids to eat vegetables so try cooking them in different ways, include the kids in the grocery shopping, preparation and cooking of the vegetables as this can encourage them to try what they helped prepare.
- 2-- Encourage 2 hours or less of screen time daily. The more screen time kids have, the less activity time they get. Pending weather and screen time is all that’s available, make it interactive by putting on dance videos or other fun videos that get the family moving. But remember! The family should do it together, not just one individual person.
- 1-- Be active for at least 1 hour every day. Make activity fun and enjoyable. You don’t have to go to a gym to be active. Go outside and kick a ball, go the basketball courts or play tag with friends. As parents, we can often be tired at the end of the day and want to tell the kids to out and play on their own but it’s important that we get active with them and set a good example!
- 0-- Choose drinks with zero sugar and drink more water. Sometimes water can be boring but let’s try a fruit infused water or flavoring with zero sugar. If we, as parents, are buying and drinking soda daily, we can’t have the expectation that our kids won’t drink it. We also encourage limiting 100% fruit juice. You’ll get more nutrition by eating the whole fruit than the juice.
Remember, IT'S OKAY to not be perfect with this model; it's good to teach our kids that perfection isn't realistic, too. Just try to minimize the number of lax days and do your best with healthier days. If we can achieve teaching our kids the basics of 5-2-1-0, they’re off to a great start toward a healthy lifestyle and future!
Sara Gosnell is an Outpatient Clinical Dietitian and Project Coordinator at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis. Email her with questions at sara.gosnell@eskenazihealth.edu.
