This week's reporting says that now 1 in 3 children are obese.
This is a recipe for poor health for decades to come if American families do not step up to the PLATE and take responsibility for their children's well being.
1.
Step one would be for the person who buys the groceries to beef up on good nutrition and purchase healthy food for the family.
Children eat whatever is in the house.
2.
Step two is to teach children what good nutrition does for them and practice that before them.
Good nutrition helps performance in school and physical activities.
(Most children do what their parents do.
) 3.
Pledge together as a family to do right for their bodies with food and exercise.
4.
Find activities other than technology to do together.
Computer and game boy games do nothing for a person's body.
5.
Walk, run, picnic, play ballgames of any kind, or if you live in an apartment without activity facilities, get some gear for exercising.
Better still, get bikes for everybody in the family.
6.
Remember, exercising your body also improves your brain power.
A typical grocery list for a healthy family would look like this: 2 fresh fruits 3 fresh vegetables 1 pasta selection 2 whole grain cereals (low sugar) 2 whole grain breads Chicken for at least 2 meals Fish (baked or grilled) Beans for soup (canned or dry) Beef for one meal Healthy snacks (Nuts, cereal bars of all flavors, fruits, carrot sticks are healthy ones.
) Most families can find selections in all of these categories that their members prefer.
Stay open to trying new fruits and vegetables.
Snacks can be healthy too.
Read the labels until you know which snacks are not loaded with sugar and cholesterol.
To your good health and more happiness, joyduf.