It's no secret that many parents and their children are overweight.
These 10 simple ‘secrets’ can help you change your family's lifestyle so
that you can all become fit and healthy. Diet Solutions fixes all this check it out
1) Eat Whole Grain Foods
Processed
and refined grains, such as white bread, white rice, cereal, pasta, and
other foods made with white flour have a high glycemic index, low
amounts of fiber, and less vitamins and minerals as foods made with
whole grains. Making the switch to whole grain foods, including whole
wheat bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and cereals made with whole
grains, are an easy and healthy way to make your family's diet more
nutritious.
2) Limit Soda and Fruit Drinks
Soda and fruit
drinks have low nutritional value and a lot of calories. At about 150
calories per 12 ounce serving, your kids will gain an extra pound about
every 3 weeks if they drink just one can of soda each day.
Cutting
back or eliminating soda, fruit drinks, and even fruit juice, can be a
good way to get rid of a lot of extra calories and leave room for your
kids to eat more nutritious foods.
3) Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Most
children don't eat enough fruits and vegetables and that usually means
that they are eating other less nutritious foods. With a high fiber
content and lots of vitamins and minerals, fruits and vegetables are an
important part of a healthy diet. And because they have lots of water in
them, eating fruits and vegetables can help you to feel full and
satisfied so that you don't overeat.
4) Eat More Foods with Calcium
A common mistake people make when trying to lose weight
is that they stop drinking milk, eating cheese and yogurt. Calcium is
important to build healthy bones and to help you lose weight. You should
encourage your kids to drink low-fat milk, eat portioned amounts of
cheese and yogurt to help lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.
5) Be More Active
Everyone
knows that part of the cause of the current obesity epidemic is that
people are much less active then they used to be. Getting kids involved
in organized activities, which can be either team or individual sports,
and cutting back on the amount of time in front of the TV, computer and
playing video games will burn calories and improve fitness levels.
Family
activities are also a good way to be more physically active. Even
simple things, like walking across a parking lot, using stairs, and
going for short family walks or bike rides, can make a big difference.
6) Know Where Calories Come From
While you don't necessarily need to do daily calorie counts,
keep a diary of what your family eats for a few days can help you see
where extra calories are coming from. Are your kids overweight because
of the calories they get from a bedtime snack or those two glasses of
Kool Aid or soda he drinks? Or maybe because his portion sizes are too
large?
If you know where your kids' calories are coming from, you
will know where to make changes and how you can cut back, especially on
foods that have a lot of empty calories.
7) Learn About Carbs
Carbs
get a bad wrap, especially with all of the proponents of high protein
diets, like the Atkins and South Beach Diet. Not all carbs are created
equal. While it is a good idea to avoid foods that have refined such as
white bread, foods made with white flour, and foods and beverages
sweetened with sugar, other carbs should be part of a balanced diet.
Instead of avoiding all carbs, just learn about how to choose foods with ‘good’ carbohydrates, which includes fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grain foods.
8) Learn About Fats
Like
carbs, there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats. Instead of making the mistake
of trying to stick to a low fat diet, and simply substituting other
foods that are often just as high in calories, you should eat foods that
have ‘good’ fat in them. This includes foods with polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fats. On the other hand, you should avoid saturated fats
and trans fats.
9) Choose Healthy Meals when Eating Out
Even
if your family eats healthy at home, if you eat super-sized fast food
meals a few times a week, they are probably still at risk for becoming
overweight. If you eat out a lot, review the nutritional facts of the
restaurant's menu and watch your portion sizes. Calories and fat quickly
adds up when eating out!
10) Stay Motivated!
Most people
know what they need to do to be healthier however, eating healthy and
exercising is not easy. Education about the specifics of a healthy diet,
getting the whole family involved, and setting goals, can help your
family stay healthy and fit. Hire a personal trainer or seek the counsel
of a dietitian to keep you on the healthy track.

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