Teaching your children how to maintain a healthy heart can give them a life free from heart disease in adulthood. Moreover, the best part is that you can encourage them to develop heart healthy habits at home. In this article, let us learn more about heart healthy tips for children. So, read the article below for more insight.
Heart Healthy Tips for Children
The tips are from inputs from renowned nutritionists associated with Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru Whitefield. These tips are as follows –
Plan your child’s diet.
We must encourage our children to eat more fruits and vegetables. This will ensure that they get more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals supporting heart health.
- Instead of giving them refined carbohydrates, opt for whole grains such as bajra, quinoa, barley, and jowar. Whole grains contain more fiber, which manages cholesterol, too.
- Limit your intake of trans fat and saturated fat. Instead, include healthy fats, such as canola, nuts, olive oil, and seeds. Stay away from creamy sauce, as it increases cholesterol. Your aim must be to include low-fat protein and low-fat dairy products.
- As far as salt is concerned, the diet must include a low-sodium diet. Avoid table salt and canned food.
- Fluids are crucial in maintaining proper, healthy eating habits in children. Fluids help the heart pump blood efficiently, and adequate liquid water minimizes strain on the heart. As such, instead of aerated drinks, opt for coconut water and soups.
- Avoid fried foods and use grilling, baking, or boiling as your primary cooking mode.
Healthy Eating, Heart Healthy Tips at Home
Heart healthy tips for children are not just about food and diet. There are several other factors as well. These include the following-
- Make children stay active – As a parent, you must ensure that you remain active instead of glued to a screen. Being active can involve cycling, exercising for 30 minutes daily, or cardio exercises like brisk walking and swimming. Doing these activities with your children will boost their motivation, too.
- Get regular checkups done – One of the better-known heart-healthy tips for children includes regular evaluation of your child’s health. Another advantage of regular checkups is that they will ensure that your child does not develop any heart ailment in the future. Most importantly, you will be aware of the precautions that you need to take to keep your child protected at all times from developing any heart-related disorder.
- Set realistic goals – Set realistic goals and limits. Start gradually and then step up if required regarding exercising or efforts to stay healthy.
In a nutshell, determination or willpower is vital for all heart-healthy tips for children. Adhering to the regimen is of prime importance. Being complacent does not work at any point in time.
