Parents need to pay attention to many areas to ensure that their children grow up properly. A key factor of development is a healthy lifestyle: making sure that children eat right and exercise regularly is a great way to promote healthy growth. In addition, children who learn good eating habits when they are young are more likely to continue to eat healthy as adults1.
When preparing a child’s diet, it is very important to make sure that it has a variety of fresh ingredients. A greater variety of foods means that many different ingredients are used. This alone increases the quantity of nutrients and makes the food tastier because it combines more flavours. Fresh foods are usually vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and whole grains that have not been processed into ready-to-eat food products such as pizza, cakes, etc.
Another important requirement for growth is physical activity. Ensuring children participate in some form of exercise for an hour a day is a good way to prevent obesity and future diseases related to inactivity. In addition, participating in sports or doing exercise can teach children valuable skills like teamwork, discipline, dedication and social skills. Providing your child with a balanced diet rich in fresh foods, and encouraging them to exercise in whatever activity they enjoy is a great way to ensure that they grow up strong, healthy and happy2-3.
- Åberg MAI, Pedersen NL, Torén K, et al. "Cardiovascular fitness is associated with cognition in young adulthood." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2009;106(49):20906-20911.
- Sibley BA, Etnier JL. "The relationship between physical activity and cognition in children: a meta-analysis." Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2003; 15:243–256.
- Frederiksen H, Christensen K. "The influence of genetic factors on physical functioning and exercise in the second half of life." Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2003; 13:9–18.