Kids health

Obesity, Cholesterol, back problems have so far been linked to middle age or old age. But, recently we have seen more and more kids being affected by these. Kids health has become of foremost concern. Young people in their twenties are suffering from heart attacks. Lifestyles have changed; and changed for the worse. In cities, children have small play areas and sometimes no play area at all. We as parents need to increase awareness and do our bit in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for our children.

Just like all of us adults, healthy kids have 3 healthy habits: They eat healthy, exercise or play, and sleep well. Eating healthy does not come to us humans naturally. We are all naturally wired to like unhealthy or fatty foods. Let us see why. Originally humans had to roam the jungles in search of food. And it was found in scarcity. So, when they found food, they ate as much as possible and chose the fattiest foods as they provided most energy for survival. We haven't changed much. But our environment is completely different now. Since farming started, food has been available in abundance. This has lead to overeating and overweight.

Children know very little. As adults it is our responsibility to guide or for that matter even control their food choices. We need to regulate their habits and activities. As parents we are the ones who buy the groceries and cook the food. It is up to us, what we put on the table.
1. Buy a variety of healthy foods.
2. Keep your pantry stuffed with high fiber , high protein, low fat snacks.  If kids find snacks ready to grab when they need, they are less likely to snack on junk.
3. Kids like colorful attractive looking food. Cut different vegetables and fruits in various shapes. Invest in a good food processor and it will help in cutting down you prep time.
4. As far as possible cook at home. Loads of quick and simple recipes are available online. Home made food is fresh, low in sodium and made from higher quality ingredients.
5. Small amount of food eaten often is key to a healthy body. Overloading the body with food at one time makes us lethargic. Small quantities eaten often will give just enough energy and keep kids active.
6. Each meal should include protein. Protein keeps us full longer and will lower our carbohydrate intake which increases weight and fat.
7. Cut down on some of the carbohydrate and replace it with a portion of protein.
8. Including healthy fats in the diet keep the joints lubricated and skin healthy. Ghee, olive oil, rice bran oil, mustard oil are all good choices. Make sure the oils do not smoke while cooking. Heating  oils up to smoking point makes them rancid and takes away all the health benefits.
9. Never force feed or insist encourage them to eat over their appetite. If they get into the habit of ignoring their natural body signals of satiation, they will soon get used to overeating.

Burn what you eat. This will maintain a high metabolism. Encourage kids to be physically active. Be active yourself. Limit the TV time to half an hour on weekdays and 1hr on weekends. You will observe that when kids watch less TV, they have much more free time at their disposal. Join sports or activity classes. There is nothing better than doing an activity together or playing a game. Go trekking. If they develop a taste for an active lifestyle they will make similar choices in the future.

Last but not the least: sleep. Sufficient sleep is very important for children. They have an active mind and bodies. They need more sleep than adults do, to replenish their energy, organize their thoughts and save all the day's learning. Maintaining a constant sleep cycle, regulates metabolism and weight. Share your thoughts and ideas on: How to make our next generation healthier.

Discipling kids

Disciplining kids is a tricky task. What works with one kid may not work for others. But I would say that, the most important policy is to be consistently consistent. The repetition of the word is only to stress the fact that consistency is of extreme importance. It is the sole distinguisher between a parent who kids obey and a parent who kids do not obey. No matter what system you follow, you have to follow it to the T. If the child senses you slipping he/she will start manipulating you. Whenever you say something, the kids should know that you mean it. If they do not follow it there will be consequences to face. Avoid making unrealistic threats, like," Back answer again and you will never get to touch that remote", since not following through will weaken all your threats.  Most often than not parents start off with a bang, but loose the momentum soon. The rules that we enforce have to remain constant. When you start seeing good results you cannot start being lenient.

Discipline can be different at different ages. A toddler can be disciplined with a time-out or naughty corner concept. As per the age of the child he spends time in a corner or room, alone. So if it is a 2 yr. old then 2 min. For a 4 yr. old 4 minutes. Here too, it is important that you follow through with this. If you have told the child to go into time out you have to make sure that they do. It should not be a common threat throughout the day, which is rarely enforced. If the child refuses to go, you hold him/her take her there and sit her down and hold her there gently yet firmly. Avoid making any conversation during this time. This should be a time when the child thinks about his/her actions and their consequences. At this time if they are engaged in arguments or explanations, they will loose out on the purpose of it. Explain to them what they have done wrong, before they are in time-out, not during.

For older children, 6 and above, you need a slightly different approach. One system that my husband follows, and which works best for us is a point system. Each child maintains a chart of ticks and crosses. There is a rule book for how you earn or loose points. And each point can be en-cashed for an amount. In our case, each point is Rs.40 (approx. 60 cents). So, when we go shopping, they can buy whatever they want worth the points that they have accumulated. Here they are getting rewarded for good behavior and also punished for bad one. They like this system as they feel like they are in control. They are eager to earn points. Our rules are e.g. 1. Taking a bath before 7.00 pm. 2 points. 2. Bath just before 8.00 pm 1 point. 3. Going to bed after 9.15 pm 1 cross. etc. I think you have got the gist of it. You can make your own rules and it is always a good idea to think them through before you set them. Changing them later will make the kids think that, rules can be changed and are negotiable.

Teenagers may seem like they have grown up and understand the rules by now, but they need to be reminded every once in a while. We need to deal with teenagers lot a more sensitively. With the hormones surging, an authoritarian tone does not go down well with them. Treat them as equals. Use reasoning more than enforcing. Remember what we were like, at their age and deal with them the way we would have wanted our parents to deal with us. When your teen breaks rules, along with taking away privileges, discuss with them about their action, always being on their side. Do not point mistakes, only explain what they should do the next time. Similar to the above point system, let them earn a night where you relax the rules for them. At this age, more than any other, an occasional flexibility on the parents side shows that you understand them. It is important to maintain the trust and not only become a disciplinarian.

At then end of the day, every house has their own rules and parenting styles. Feel free to share your views with us. Happy Parenting!!