Helping overweight children lose weight and exercise is so much bigger than the individual child. They are only a symptom, reacting to the unhealthy culture around them. Fortunately, with a change toward healthier practices they can also be the beneficiary.  To nurture healthy children it takes community involvement, education, and an ongoing commitment from parents. The recipe for getting and keeping our children healthy has three basic ingredients.

Making Healthy Choices

Instead of thinking about changing our children’s unhealthy habits, we first need to think about our own. Our children learn about healthy behaviors from us. That means we need to be educated on proper diet and exercise to pass the lessons along. And we can’t just be the enforcer. We need to be active participants as well.  If children see us enjoying nutritious foods and physical activity, they’re more likely to do the same. The best case scenario is we all live healthier lives. Here’s a link to the new food pyramid to help get you started. If you haven’t taken a look at the changes here’s your chance. There are some significant changes particularly regarding grains; formerly the base of the nutritional monolith.

Creating Healthier Schools

For too many years schools have satisfied the taste buds of our children rather than their health. It was an easy slide. In tight budgets companies like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola gave grant funding to schools in return for supporting their products. In the cafeteria the least expensive foods tend to be the ones our children prefer. Good for budgets but not so much for our kids. The cheapest foods tends to be the highest in fat and carbohydrates. Today, with the help of updated nutritional guidelines we have a better picture of what healthy school diet should look like.

An opportunity for your school is the Healthier US Schools Challenge Program. It establishes rigorous standards for schools’ food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity, and nutrition education. Schools can participate in this program by going to http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/index.html and learning about the range of educational and technical assistance materials that promote key aspects of the Dietary Guidelines, including a Menu Planner for Healthy School Meals, which provides tips on serving more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and lower amounts of sugar, sodium, and saturated and trans-fats in school menus.They are still looking for schools to participate, so forward this link to you administrators right away.

Physical Activity

The magic number is 60. Children of all ages need at least sixty minutes of vigorous exercise daily to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. Not a bad goal for us parents either. Remember that exercise doesn’t always need to be organized. Marco Polo at the pool, chasing the dog in circles, and trying to shovel a hole to China all count too. Be an example for your children and let them see you moving as well. Kick a ball around the yard. Better yet, sign up for a 5K (3.1 miles) and train to walk or run it together. Besides being a good role model, these can be great parenting moments for you. And the party atmosphere of these runs are sure to inspire you both.