Many doctors say no more than two hours of media a day and absolutely no TVs in any child’s bedroom. Yay for the doctors!
I just received that information in a packet at my son’s sports physical appointment.
Another interesting poster we noticed was the plate illustration. (See photo in gallery.) One half of your plate should include fruits and vegies (Eat like a rabbit!). The other half is split for grains and for protein.
Of course the plate is full of color from the produce, not just a yellow or brown color as is my son’s.
Some ideas for getting our sofa slugs into the sunshine: plant a garden, swim, ride bikes, play tennis, run, walk, go for a neighborhood penny hike (every corner flip a penny..heads-turn left, tails turn right) , play hopscotch, play kick the can, go to the park, fly a kite, chase a dog, play basketball, play football, play anykind of ball, play tag, go to the beach and jump in the waves.
According to donorschoose.org, more than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight. This links to diabetes, depression, anxiety, poor school performance.
It is our job as parents to not only provide the correct foods, but to put them on the plate.
Instead of the daily fattening treat, give your child fruit or a carrot stick. Instead of mac and cheese and a hot dog, give your child a turkey roll up and a yummy artichoke.
Instead of a soda, water is a great solution! (My mother read that men should be drinking 15 glasses of water a day and women should be drinking nine. Laughable.) In our home we’ll shoot for 5-7 glasses a day and work on that plate diagram for our meals.
Have fun being healthy and shop the perimeter of the stores (more healthy food there than in the middle!) Now get up and go!
