Healthy habits formed early in life can have a lifelong impact in ensuring good heart health and managing cholesterol levels and blood pressure, so parents should encourage their children to adopt a healthy lifestyle from the early days of their lives. Should be encouraged. It’s no secret that physical activity is very important for children’s heart health and they should do daily sports, walking, biking and playing outside.
doctor’s advice
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Pooja Kedia, nutritionist at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals in Whitefield, Bengaluru, shared, “Regular physical activity contributes to a solid and efficient heart and forms the foundation of an active lifestyle. Screen time should also be reduced because being inactive for long periods of time is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Apart from physical activity, good nutrition and eating habits early in one’s life is a very important component of ensuring a healthy heart for life. “We should include all the different food groups in children’s diets in appropriate proportions.”
The secret to lifelong heart health:
Pooja Kedia suggests some essential heart-healthy dietary habits for children:
1. We should always encourage them to include more fruits and vegetables in their diet which provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support heart health.
2. Choose whole grains like oats, quinoa, millet sorghum, barley instead of relying on refined carbs like refined wheat flour. Whole grains contain fiber which helps control cholesterol levels in the blood.
3. We should include healthy fats in their diet and limit the portion of saturated fats and trans fats. Include fats in your diet in the form of olive oil, canola oil, nuts and seeds, while avoiding fats coming from things like creamy sauces and margarine which increase cholesterol levels. One should focus on choosing low-fat proteins such as low-fat dairy products, soya, legumes, etc. Consumption of processed meat should be limited as it is high in fat and salt.
4. Children should eat low-sodium diet and use herbs and spices, salt-free seasoning blends to enhance the taste of food, and not include too much table salt, canned food, preservative food, etc. because low Salt diet will control and reduce BP. Stress on the heart.
5. Include plenty of healthy fluids in the diet as this helps the heart pump blood more efficiently and reduces stress on the heart. Choosing water, coconut water, soups instead of sugary beverages and carbonated beverages would be a great idea for heart health.
6. Include fatty fish, flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts in children’s diet as these are all good sources of Omega 3.
7. Limiting added sugar also promotes heart health as it controls diabetes and obesity. Choosing natural sweeteners like honey, jaggery and date syrup would be a better option.
8. Children’s dietary needs vary depending on age, activity and growth spurt, so it is important to give them the correct portion size.
9. Instead of frying, use baking, grilling or boiling as your primary cooking method.
10. Always keep healthy snacks in your homes. Having a variety of tasty options available will reduce children’s temptation to choose less healthy options.
11. Try different and new healthy recipes for kids. Keep experimenting and you will surely find foods that are healthy and delicious to your kids.
12. It is also important to entertain children by giving them some gifts from time to time. An occasional candy bar or some potato chips won’t derail their heart-healthy diet. However, it is important to keep such occasions in check and not let them lead you to give up good dietary habits.
Remember that it will take time for your kids to get used to a new healthy diet, so be patient and make small changes to their diet and before you know it, your kids will be on the path to a heart-healthy diet and enjoying these healthy foods. Will also start wishing. Option. By incorporating these habits during childhood, we empower children to lead heart-healthy lives.
