Holiday Game Plan Can Tackle Unhealthy Habits

If Thanksgiving kicks off a holiday season of non-stop noshing and sports-channel surfing at your house, you might want to call a time-out.

"Families who engage in too little exercise and too many high-calorie, low-nutrition snacks are setting their kids up to become overweight, sedentary adults prone to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension," says Becky Gorham, a research dietitian with the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

To help parents develop a strong defense against these unhealthy habits, Gorham offers these tips:

• Call interference on excessive television, video and computer time that keeps kids inactive. Hold a team meeting to negotiate sitting-time limits.
• Break up boredom by sending kids outside to play, helping them make holiday gifts, cards and wrapping paper, or inviting them into the kitchen to help prepare meals.
• Negotiate tradeoffs involving free-time activities. Trade participation in family touch football games, 20-minute walks or other physical activities for extra time to view those must-see football games.
• Build "team spirit" by asking the kids to help plan holiday activities, decorate the yard or prepare homemade gifts. Take turns being the "tour guide" for after-dinner walks past neighborhood holiday displays. Plan a family weekend tree-cutting excursion, get kids involved in organizing a neighborhood Jingle Bell Run, lead a canned food drive or host a holiday skating party.
• Stock up on nutritious snacks such as air-popped popcorn, whole-wheat crackers, low-fat cheeses, flavored hummus dips, small bottles of water, low-fat ranch-style dip, ready-to-eat vegetables, homemade cereal and nut mixes, dried and canned fruit, ready-to-eat fresh fruit wedges, and peanut butter.

Stick to a game plan of balance and moderation for family meals and activities. Kids and their parents need to maintain some routine and structure, especially during the busy holiday season.

"Parents can't expect a couch-potato kid to miraculously grow up to be a healthy, active adult. But, by setting a good example, tackling unhealthy eating patterns and encouraging physical activities every day of the year, parents can help kids develop winning habits that are likely to stay with them as they grow," Gorham says.

- From Baylor College of Medicine

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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