Confused about what a healthy lifestyle for your children should be? We found a nice tool for parents to keep themselves and their children on a healthy track.

Nemours, a not-for-profit children’s health organisation based in Florida in the United States of America, has developed a formula to help parents and teachers all over the world teach children healthy lifestyle habits. The formula is simple, yet effective and so easy to follow.

Formula: 5-2-1-almost 0

This formula provides a guideline for healthy daily living. It is a simple way to teach healthy habits and guide healthy choices and is also a helpful tool to help children to stay on track in keeping these habits.

So, what must children do who live 5-2-1-almost 0 every day? They must:

    • Eat 5 or more vegetables and fruit. Healthy eating habits support healthy physical and mental development and can also prevent chronic disease. Apart from sticking to five portions of veggies and fruit, also ensure that their diet contains lots of whole grains; stick to fat-free or low-fat milk for children over the age of two; and beware of oversized portions.
    • Limit screen time to 2 hours or less. While screen time does offer benefits in terms of education and socialising, it needs to be limited as spending too much time in front of screens can lead to a sedentary lifestyle.
    • Have at least 1 hour of physical activity. Regular exercise builds physical strength, bones and muscles and develops their immune systems and motor skills. Schedule exercise throughout the week to stay motivated.
    • Almost never (almost 0) have soft drinks and sports drinks or fruit drinks that are not 100% fruit. These drinks have lots of added sugar that can cause dental cavities. Most of these drinks also offer no real nutritional value. Water remains the best and healthiest choice.

 

Sources
kidshealth.org
www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au
www.nemours.org
www.phoenixchildrens.org