Healthy Habits For Kids: Why You Should Teach Them

Remember the good ol' days when you thought that trading your whole wheat turkey sandwich for an extra bag of potato chips at lunch time was a victory? We've all been there. Our parents simply didn't know how to make healthy habits for kids look appealing, and measures sometimes had to be taken into our own hands! Those were the days when many a processed carb seduced its way into our bodies, and made vegetables as irrelevant as Vanilla Ice.

Now that you are a parent, you are probably realizing it is not so easy to make healthy food pass as Chef Boyardee. Sometimes it feels like getting your kids excited about healthy food prompts vegetables everywhere to go on a major strike. But ever the 6 Packer, you keep your cool, and remember that where there is a will there is a way when it comes to encouraging healthy habits for kids.

Studies show that taste preferences and health habits are established when we are very young, so the habits we adopt as children have a major impact on the future of our diets. The food industry is fully aware that eating habits are established early on, and they utilize it to the full extent. It's easy to market to kids, because they are not yet aware of the fact that there is underlying intent lurking beneath the surface of their favorite McDonald's ad. Therefore, stretched truths and branding conspiracies are received by the child as simple fact.

Schools are also culprits for reinforcing not-so-healthy habits for kids. They often miss the mark when it comes to offering well balanced meals. This reinforces the idea that it is fine to prioritize what tastes good over what is healthy. Sending your kid to school with a pocket full of lunch money may seem harmless, but studies show that children and teenagers consume the majority of their calories outside of the home.

These meals tend to have less nutritional value and way more calories than home cooked meals, which helps explain how childhood obesity has become a national epidemic. When given a choice, kids will usually take fries over fruit, especially if you are not there to point them in the right direction.

If you think that's bad, then get this. Studies also show that eating fast food three (or more) times a week may increase your child's chances of developing health conditions such as rhinitis, asthma, and eczema.

The solution is simple. Meal prep for your kids, and get them on board with the tupp life before saturated fat slithers its way into their sense memories!! Teaching healthy habits for kids when they are young will prime them to make healthy choices for life and will optimize their brain development when it matters most. Heck, you may even save a little money to put towards that next Disneyland trip!

Why you should teach healthy habits for kids has been brought to us by 6 Pack's social media maven Jade. For more of Jade's work, check out her feature on Ian "Silverback" Butler, as well as interviews with Justin Moore on how to be a fit dad and Maribel Lalanne on how to love your body. You can also learn more about clean eating for kids in one of our guest posts from fit mom Tiffany Gaston. Browse meal management systems, gym totes, gym backpacks, and more to find the perfect 6 Pack Bag for you!