TOP TIPS FOR TOP KIDS

fun, free and easy ways to get your kids happy and healthy

Top Tip 1- Sugar Swaps
Swapping sugary snacks and drinks for ones that are lower in sugar can really make a difference to kids’ calorie intake. Not only that, but its better for their teeth too. Here are a few ideas on what to swap:

• Swap to water, semi-skimmed milk( but remember children under 2 need full-fat milk) or diluted fresh fruit juice instead of drinks with added sugar like cola or squash
• Switch to snacks like fresh fruit, carrot sticks and unsalted nuts instead of sweets or biscuits
• Swap to lower sugar cereals, fruit or toast instead of cereals with lots of sugar added to them

Top Tip 2- Meal time
It’s important for kids to have regular, proper meals as they may miss out on essential nutrients otherwise.
• Try to organise the day around three regular mealtimes – it’s easier to keep kids from pestering for snacks if they know when their next meal is coming!
• Eat together whenever you can. Kids copy parents, brothers, sisters and friends – so when they see other people happily eating lots of different, healthy foods, they are more likely to follow suit
• They call breakfast the most important meal of the day and its certainly a great way to give kids the energy they need to give it a kick start, so don’t let them skip breakfast. Try cereals with no added sugar or toast, and if you add chopped fruit or a glass of unsweetened fruit juice then that counts toward their 5 A DAY too!

Top Tip 3- Me size meals
Even though they’re growing, its important to make sure kids get just the right amount of food for their age – not too little and not too much. So here are a few tips to make sure they’re getting the right sized portions.
• Remember that kids are smaller than adults. It sounds obvious, but an adult tummy is much bigger than a kid’s tummy- so try and give them a portion that matches their age and not the same amount of food as you
• It’s also healthier to give a smaller portion to begin with, then let them ask for more if they’re still hungry. And try not to nag them to ‘eat it all up’ if they’re full
• Watch packaging sizes. Lots of food and drinks, like cans of pop, are designed for adults or for sharing

Top Tip 4- Snack check
Many snacks can be high in sugar, salt, fat and calories (all the things we shouldn’t eat too much of). So try and keep a careful eye on how many of these less healthy snacks the kids are having. These tips might help keep the snack attacks at bay.
• Keep count. Many people are surprised when they actually count up how many sweet, crisps, and biscuits they get through. Keep count and you’re more likely to cut down – which is good for your kids and for your purse
• Don’t forget that it is sometimes kinder to say no. We all love to give our kids what they want, but try to find different ways to reward them – stickers, or a trip to the park

Top Tip 5 - 5 A Day

Its easier than you think to give your kids five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. For a child one portion is roughly the amount of fruit or veg they hold in the palm of their hand. Here are a couple of ideas on getting some good things into them:

• Frozen and canned fruit and vegetables count too. Its quick and cheap to boil some frozen peas or open a can of sweetcorn
• Get them to drink a portion. One glass of unsweetened 100% fruit juice or one smoothie a day count as one of the five
• A piece of fruit or vegetable can help cheer up a lunch box. Try carrot sticks, baby tomatoes or banana with a face drawn on the skin

Top Tip 6- Cut back fat
We all know too much fat is bad for us. But its not always easy to tell where its lurking. Here are a few fat-busting tips:
• Cut down on snack foods as they’re often jam-packed with fat. Try and keep foods like crisps, buns, cakes, pastries and biscuits as occasional treats only.
• Grilling or baking food in the oven rather than frying it on the cooker can cut the fat content by about a half
• Literally cut the fat. Trim off any fat you can see from meat before you cook it, and skin chicken and turkey first/ Draining off the fat after cooking will also help.

Top Tip 7 – 60 Active Minutes
Kids need to do at least 60 minutes of activity a day to help them stay happy and healthy. They need to do it to burn off energy and help their muscles and bones grow strong. The more active they are the less likely it is that they will store up excess fat in their bodies which can lead to cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The 60 active minutes doesn’t have to be all in one go and it doesn’t have to be sport – running around having fun outside and getting from place to place count too.
• Get them off the bus and out of the car- if its’s walkable, walk it
• Clock up 60 minutes worth of active play each day after school and at the weekend – this includes running around, going to playgrounds and kid’s outdoor games. And it’s all free!
• Get the splashing about. Whether it’s lengths of the pool, or just playing about in the shallow end, a trip to the pool is a great wat to et them moving and wear them out

Top Tip 8- Up and about
The way life is today means the most of us spend too long sitting down doing nothing. Remember kids’ bodies are designed to be active and moving around will help them burn off energy. Not being active means our bodies don’t burn off enough fat, which leads to it storing up inside
• ‘2 hours max’ – You may find it helpful to set a limit to how long your children can sit still in front of the TV, computer or video game. Some families have found saying ‘ 2 hours max’ of screen time each day helps them to make sure kids jump up and play, or go outside after they’ve bee sitting around for a while.
• Get them running around after school. We tend to think that they get loads of exercise at school, but they still need to be active out of school hours too
• Get them up and about after eating, instead of plonking down in front of the telly. Moving around helps digestion and can be fun.

Date Updated: 09/11/10