Parents must also practice what they preach

If your children get to the age of ten and have unhealthy eating and exercise habits the chances are that they will keep them for life. It is essential that at an early age your children understand the benefits of eating healthily, that they have some idea of nutrition and what food is good for them. They must also know that exercise must be part of their day and parents should greatly encourage them to exercise.

Parents should not underestimate the responsibility they have for the future health of their children and the earlier they instil healthy eating and healthy exercise in them the higher the chances of them being healthy when they grow up.

Parents must also practice what they preach. It is no good being a couch potato and consuming unhealthy fast food in front of your children while at the same time telling them to eat vegetables and fruit. You should also try to participate in sports with your children. This could mean getting a ball or a frisbee and going down to the park on a Sunday afternoon.

One complaint that we hear very often from parents is that it is very hard for them to completely ban junk food for their children especially if their friends often go down to McDonnell’s and other junk foods restaurants. Our advice at Ukmedix News is that you should let your kids go to these places but you must stress that it is a special event for them to go there and that if they go too often they will get overweight and unhealthy.

Parents must also be aware that by constantly mentioning the fact that their children are overweight is very bad for their morale and self esteem. You must talk to your children who are overweight on a one to one basis and explain to them carefully and calmly the dangers of being overweight. Children with low self esteem are more susceptible to obesity.