Raising Healthy Kids & Families....

By Dr Orly Zuker, Chiropractor
(B.Appl.Sci: Comp Med, Clin Chiro: Masters, B.Nursing)

 Life is not the same as it used to be in the 1980s and 1990s, let alone the 1960s. Families in general are less active and unhealthy with preventable lifestyle diseases. Australian families are becoming more and more aware of the importance of not only educating their children about health, but also about creating a home environment that promotes health, vitality and sustainability. 

As our children grow up, it is imperative that they be educated about the human body, that they learn healthy eating behaviours and that they practice all elements of a healthy lifestyle (treats are fine, however ‘healthy’ is the fundamental key). This is so important because sadly childhood obesity rates have increased dramatically in Australia over the past 10 years, as has the incidence of diabetes, allergies, ADHD (and other behavioural issues) and autism.

The cause of these conditions or illnesses are of course multifaceted, however are strongly implicated with an unhealthy lifestyle (including poor diet, insufficient exercise, inadequate sleep and so on). Today, with schools increasing the amount of homework our children bring home and with TV and video games, children are simply spending too much time indoors. This has led to hyperactivity, inactivity and obesity.  

In the adolescent age group, smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse have remained an issue for centuries. Today, the dangers of these 'unhealthy' behaviours are obvious and well documented, yet adolescents, young adults as well as mature adults continue to indulge in these harmful habits and choices. Why this is will remain a mystery to the health and medical field. However, campaigns such as 'Quit' along with other government initiatives are doing a great job at reducing drug and smoking related illness and death.

As adults, parents or future parents we must realise our position as a role model and must do our best to set a high standard, valuing and encouraging health, clean behaviour and vitality. A good start is to include children in grocery shopping, gardening and in the kitchen, making healthy food choices and to not make too big a deal about eating vegetables/ healthy food. Children are often put off by the texture of green vegetables, however enjoy the taste of fruits, so get creative with your cooking and make healthy eating fun! You can do this by shaping fruit and sandwiches with dough cutters and so on.

From a young age, if exposed to a healthy lifestyle as a 'norm', children will more likely continue on great values of a health as they develop into independent adults. This article will cover a few aspects of how to 'raise healthy kids and families'. Have fun guiding your family towards optimal health and wellness…

1.Eat Together

Enjoying dinner as a family is one of the easiest ways to promote a healthy lifestyle. All around the world, meal-time is considered a sacred family time. Interestingly, studies have found that family meal-times offer our kids a sense of support and feeling of belonging, resulting in better coping, less labile moods, reduced anxiety and overall better academic performance.

Dinner is especially a great opportunity to reflect on your day; sharing achievements, discussing challenges, planning goals and picturing dreams together.  However, between our work and social commitments, kid’s activities, and home responsibilities, life is busy.

In order to make family dinners an everyday occurrence, be sure to prepare for the week. Create a set time for dinner and follow a routine. To take the load off a little too, have the children contribute and get their hands dirty, they love helping in the kitchen!! Meal preparation time is an opportunity for parents to teach their children about nutrition, the purpose and intent behind eating and about food appreciation.

Encourage the entire family to eat slowly and chew multiple times before swallowing. In addition, a helpful tip for digestion is to avoid consuming fluids with your meal and to not eat when you are stressed, upset or angry. In addition, avoid eating in front of the TV as this is not a practice congruent with raising healthy kids and families.

2.Eat A Healthy Family Diet 

Young children have what seems like an unlimited store of energy. They grow at an astonishing rate, are incredibly active and have energy demands that are double or triple that of an adult. Needless-to-say, for their health and development it is essential for their health and energy that nutrition be impeccable. Unfortunately in today’s day-and-age of being ‘time poor’, busy and in a hurry, for some people convenience has taken precedence over quality.

Packaged, processed and fast-food have become the first choice for family meals and snacks. Unfortunately these options are laden with salt, preservatives, flavour enhancers (MSG; 621, 622, 623), colouring, sugar and other hidden nasties... To make matters worse, a poor diet coupled with inactivity have quickly becomes the root cause for childhood obesity. 

This is easy to avoid by ensuring that your children eat an abundance of fresh and raw fruits, vegetables, nuts & seeds (if allergies are not a problem), a variety of grains (not only wheat; perhaps try spelt, rye, kamut, oat and rice), omega-3 fish oil and other healthy fats (olive, coconut, avocado, nuts). In their lunchboxes try not to take the 'easy option' and be conscious of offering something from all food groups. Perhaps try substituting items such as potato chips and sweets with veggie sticks & dip and or fruit kebabs (kids love making these). For further information on healthy diet options and recipes for your family, consult with your naturopath, chiropractor, dietician or your preferred health care provider and search the web for delicious recipes.

3.Limit Screen Time & Get Outdoors

Due to the fact that child obesity and problems such as ADHD have increased (although this often an over diagnosed problem and label that can in most cases be alleviated by a diet reform and by increasing exercise!), the government is encouraging that children limited screen time to less than 2hrs a day (this includes tablets/ video devices/ TV/ computer games, DVDs, and the internet!). As children grow and become more aware it is important to have restrictions in place and to commit to them.

Encouraging your children to have 'TV free days' throughout the week is a healthy practice, and avoid exposure to world and local news programs (our children don’t need this negative form of information or ‘education’).

Encourage your children to play outdoors (like we all did in the good old days!), play in sandpits, build cubby houses, join sporting clubs, take swimming lessons, attend dancing classes and implement music tuition instead of relying on technology for their entertainment and leisure. A family walk before or after dinner (with or without the dog) is a positive family activity too.

It is not rocket science, but funnily enough, researchers are strongly considering that if children exerted more energy outdoors and consumed a healthier diet (free of artificial colouring, flavouring and preservatives) that their health, behaviour and ability to concentrate would in fact improve. 

4.Educate & Empower Your Children

An educated person is an empowered one who would prefer to be independent, showing responsibility and leadership. Always give your child time and space to determine and develop who they are based on their own choices (of course with limitations and guidelines). It is important to control parental 'pushiness' or bullying, which often discourages them and hinders their self-esteem and confidence.

Rather encourage the sporting, academic or musical talent that they display and only guide them in the direction of being their best. 

Children need to 'get back to nature', so expose your children to the great outdoors, have them walk in the hills or countryside, swim in the ocean, climb trees and play in a park. Have them plant flowers or vegetable seedlings, and watch them grow. They will enjoy the sense of achievement when it is harvest time or will benefit from dealing with disappointment if the harvest fails (both are priceless lessons).

5.Be Persistent With Your Children

Every parent has moments where they are frustrated, exhausted, tired and fed up of nagging children, who are bored or difficult to please. In saying that, one of the greatest tests of parenting is patience. Mealtimes, specifically dinner time is a good opportunity to practice your patience…

No doubt the battle of convincing your kids to eat their broccoli or brussel sprouts may be difficult, so perhaps try to educate them about the benefits of eating these vegetables (again be patient and try not to influence your children by your likes or dislikes of food). With children under 5 years of age be prepared for tantrums and food throwing, although try not to give up as it may take multiple attempts before meal times become an effortless pleasure. In addition, do your very best to avoid using food as a reward (especially sweets!), this will only lead to an unhealthy perception of food, poor eating habits in the future and lead to more stress and tantrums for you. It’s not worth it.

6.Look After Yourself

Children are like sponges, they “do as you do” and as a part of their developmental milestones they will mimic you verbally, repeat you physically and copy your body language. In saying that, the best and only thing to do is to lead by example by being a terrific role model! This will in most cases give your children a head start in transitioning into adolescence and adulthood as healthy, well-mannered and polite young people.

It can't be emphasized enough how important it is for you as a parent to look after yourself and to have your children regularly see you attending exercises classes or playing organised sports and by eating well etc... If they only see you being reactive with your health, then they are also likely to grow up only ‘fixing something when it’s broken’.

If you are bored with exercise, the couch will definitely have more appeal than hard, sweaty workouts, so be creative and find the activity that interests you. There is so much on offer these days such as; fitball sessions, swimming, yoga/ pilates, gym classes, dance classes or workouts such as ‘Zumba’, daily walking/ cycling, team sports, cardio-tennis, PT bootcamps are all available. Try to exercise at least 3+ times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes per day.

Show your children that you eat well and avoid packaged and processed foods and if you do have ‘treats’, cook or bake them yourself. Children love baking (and licking the spatula), so have them help you! 

A note to mums’- it is okay to share the load and have time out for yourself!! If your responsibilities as a mother become challenging or you are finding it difficult to find the time to schedule some exercise or ‘you-time’, just ask your partner, friend, family or support person for help.

7.Take Care of Your Spine & Nervous System

The nerve system is the master controller of all body systems and functions. From a Chiropractic perspective, ensuring that it is free of interference is essential for health. Families all around the world report that when they have regular chiropractic adjustments, they are a happier and healthier family unit. Research into the effects of Chiropractic care suggests that Chiropractic adjustments may support a child’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical development. Whether you are a pregnant woman, have a new born baby or a young children, are a father, a grandparent or anyone else, Chiropractic care may assist you on your road to recovery or may enhance your overall health and well-being, naturally.

8.Posture, Posture, Posture

Today school bags are heavy and a slouched posture has become socially ‘cool’, however it is not so ‘cool’ for the spine. As bipedal mammals (those that stand on two feet), our spine is our foundation. 

Prolonged poor posture places gravitational stress on the fine peripheral nerves and the vertebral joints, in many cases leading to pain and dysfunction (referred to by Chiropractor’s as vertebral subluxation).

To promote good posture, when sitting on the couch place a pillow in the small of the lower back, and try to sit up straight. When standing, draw your shoulders back, tuck you tummy in and be tall/ upright. When sitting, try to sit upright on the edge of the chair or with your spine up against the back rest and avoid crossing your legs. For adults and older adolescents, avoid sitting on your wallet as this can imbalance your pelvis and lead to all sorts of problems.

Try to use desktop computers instead of laptops, as they promote better posture. 

During sleep, ensure that all family members have a supportive foam-contoured pillow (each individual can be fitted properly by a Chiropractor) and avoid tummy sleeping as this will place strain on the delicate structures of the neck and strain the lower back.

Lastly, have your children avoid carrying a heavy school bag or backpack (and mum, your heavy handbag is no different!!). Encourage them to put their school bag down when they don’t need to be carrying it and always have them carry their school bag or backpack on both shoulders!!

The journey of raising healthy and happy children is not always smooth and easy. At the end of the day, you are doing your best, so try to be easy on yourself! Parents often comment that they wish their baby/ children came with a handbook or instruction manual. Of course children are not born with this advantage, so in order for you to give them the best start in life, educate yourself and be the best parent you can be.

There is an abundance of parenting information out there (some can be conflicting and confusing!), so find 2 or 3 information sources that you can trust and rely on. For instance, the book; 'Well Adjusted Babies' by Dr Jennifer Barham-Floreani is a terrific source of unbiased and well referenced information. As is the book 'Changing Habits, Changing Lives' by Cyndi O'Mera. 

Be judgemental and question all information you read (without becoming a sceptic), as marketing and advertising are frequently biased and when we are tired and unknowing can lead us in the wrong direction.

Good luck and enjoy watching your children grow and develop into our future leaders.

            References:

1.     Fiese, BH etal. (2006). Routine and ritual elements in family mealtimes: Contexts for child well-being and family identity. New Direc Child Adolsc Dev. Vol 2006 (111). Pg. 67-89.

2.     Fiese, BH & Schwartz, M. (2008). Reclaiming the family table: mealtimes and child health and well being.  Soc Res Child Dev. Volume 22 (4). Pg. 3-17.

3.     Fulkerson, JA etal. (2006). Family Dinner Meal Frequency and Adolescent Development: Relationships with Developmental Assets and High-Risk Behaviors. Journ Adolesc Health. Vol 39 (3). Pg. 337-345.

4.     Alcantara, J & Davis, J. (2010). The Chiropractic Care of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Retrospective Case Series. Vol 6 (3). Pg. 173-182.

5.     Feingold, AJ etal. (2002). The effect of education on backpack wearing and posture in a middle school population. Work: Journ Prev Assessm Rehab. Pg. 287-294.

6.     Ebbeling, CB etal. (2002). Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. The Lancet. Vol 360 (9331). Pg. 473- 482.

7.     Morningstar, MW. (2003). Spinal manipulation and anterior headweighting for the correction of forward head posture and cervical hypolordosis: A pilot study. Journ Chirop Med. Vol 2 (2). Pg 51-54.

8.     Dwyer, T. (1983). An Investigation of the Effects of Daily Physical Activity on the Health of Primary School Students in South Australia. Inter Journ Epidem. Vol 12 (3). Pg. 308-313.

9.     O'Dea, JA. (2003). Why do kids eat healthful food? Perceived benefits of and barriers to healthful eating and physical activity among children and adolescents. Journ Amer Diet Assoc. Vol (103) 4. Pg. 497- 501.

10. Bell, AC & Swinburn, BA (2004). What are the key food groups to target for preventing obesity and improving nutrition in schools? Europ Journ Clin Nutr. Vol 58. Pg. 258-263.