Healthy Habits In The Family: Food
Mens Sana In Corpore Sano, this famous phrase that comes from the Roman Empire, we at Alegra have adopted it as a resolution for 2023. A very ambitious purpose and for which your involvement is essential: healthy habits as a family!
Physical wellbeing, a healthy body, a healthy life, healthy habits will positively influence a healthy mind, the mental, emotional and social wellbeing of our students and vice versa.
The purpose? To inculcate and encourage healthy habits at school age, so they are more likely to keep them throughout their lives!
What do we consider healthy habits? All those actions and behaviours that are part of everyday life and that will positively influence the physical, mental and social well-being of the person.
Instilling healthy habits in the family is an investment in health.
The WHO recommends that these healthy habits should mainly include aspects of diet, physical exercise and rest.
How Do I Get My Children Into Healthy Habits?
- Make sure that the action you want to inculcate is carried out frequently,
- Make sure that the environment to instil them is positive (imposition does not favour the acquisition of good habits).
- Think about how you reward these attitudes with rewards or recognition – positive reinforcement!
It is easier and more effective to instil healthy habits in a positive environment.
At school we want to help your children to have a healthier and fuller life. So, depending on the age of the children, we will focus on 3 main key objectives that also require your participation.
The 3 Areas Where Healthy Habits Can Be Achieved:
- Healthy eating
- Hygiene routines
- Free time and rest
In this first article of the series “Healthy habits as a family” we deal with the first key: healthy eating.
Healthy Eating: Balance, 5 Meals, Hydration And Cooking As A Family
Balance. A healthy and varied diet is one that provides all the nutrients needed for proper development. To achieve this, it is necessary to eat everything in the right proportions. The general rule is that the diet should contain 55% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 15% proteins.
The school menus are assessed by nutrition experts and we try to ensure that the children eat everything they are served as it is the ration they need. At school, we don’t force, but we do try to make sure that the children eat everything, with emphasis on what they like the least.
We recently had a very interesting session at school for parents on healthy eating, given by Fátima Aguirre, a parent at the school, and we would like to remind you of some tips that can help you to prepare menus at home:
- Get children used to eating fruit and vegetables every day.
- Eat pulses at least 3 times a week.
- Eat fish at least 3 times a week.
- Limit consumption of red meat
- Switch from refined cereals to whole grains
- Limit processed foods for special occasions
– Aim at home to promote healthy habits in the family: plan weekly menus and complement the school menu, always accessible on the Clickedu platform for parents.
Respect The 5 Meals A Day
It is important to establish more or less fixed mealtimes in order to maintain stable glucose levels (necessary for school and study performance), so it is advisable to avoid binge eating, fasting, etc.
Breakfast is perhaps the most important meal of the day and yet it is usually not eaten in a hurry when leaving the house.
“A Good Breakfast Helps To A Correct School Performance”.
In Alegra this year we have especially encouraged that the snacks brought by the children are healthy; it is very interesting to take a walk around the playground and check your awareness of the subject and your creativity.
At home: make sure that at least one of the meals of the day is eaten as a family, whichever is logistically easier. This is the time to reinforce habits and bonds.
Drink Plenty Of Water
70% of the human body is water and drinking water is essential for the body to function properly. At school we encourage children from an early age to drink water between classes, aiming for the recommended consumption of 1.5 to 2 litres per day.
We limit sugary and carbonated drinks to very special occasions, such as big school parties. We encourage you to do the same at home!
- Goal at home: the only drink on the table should be water.
Continue reading the series on healthy habits in the family!
