Healthy Habits You Can Pass Onto Your Children With Almost Zero Effort

Parents often think that teaching their children to be healthy is something that they have to do. But that’s not true.

You don’t have to force healthy practices on your kids. You just live them out yourself, and, eventually, your children will instinctively follow along. It’ll come naturally to them.

Here’s our advice.

Drink Water And Herbal Teas

Practically all beverages besides water and herbal teas come with downsides. Coffee, for instance, comes loaded with caffeine. Soft drinks are full of sugar.

And even zero-calorie drinks can lead to damaging changes in the microbiome, eventually leading to allergies, asthma and weight gain. 

Try drinking only water and herbal teas. Make them a staple of family life from an early age. That way, your child will come to expect them and not go hankering after sugary sodas or caffeine. 

Make Physical Activity A Part Of Your Daily Routine

Being active is something that children need to learn from the start. That’s because getting them to engage with physical exercise when they get older becomes progressively more challenging. 

Encourage Their Immune System To Develop Naturally

Asthma is one of the scariest conditions children get. But what is asthma?

Superficially, it’s a narrowing of the airways leading to the lungs. But more fundamentally, it’s an immune system problem. The body is reacting to perceived threats in the environment, causing the condition.

What’s causing this? One factor, researchers believe, is excessive cleanliness in the home. Living in a clinical environment stops the immune system from developing normally, leading to unpleasant allergies and flare-ups. 

The solution here is to allow children to get a little dirty from time to time. Our ancestors actually ate dirt regularly. So our bodies are primed for that kind of experience.

Thus, getting your child out into the yard or nature can help switch on favorable microbiomes. 

Teach Healthy Oral Health Habits

Oral health is another common problem area for children. Many wind up with fillings even before their adult teeth come through. 

Two factors are driving this: lack of proper oral hygiene and too many sugary foods. 

Again, you can take the lead here. Show your kids that you always brush your teeth and that you avoid eating sugary processed foods, preferring to eat naturally instead.

Experienced orthodontists can work with you to limit any damage to your children’s teeth and show them that visiting a dentist every 6 months is a good thing and can help them to continue this habit into later life.

Avoid Smoking

If parents smoke, children are much more likely to grow up as smokers. Thus, avoiding smoking is essential.

Eat Meals Together As A Family

Eating meals together as a family is actually a health-promoting activity. That’s because your children get a chance to see what you’re eating. And, naturally, over time, they’ll copy you. 

If you just put ready-meals in the microwave, your child won’t get the nutrition they need. And they’ll run into trouble. But if you prepare fresh meals with vegetables and salads, they’ll naturally want to eat that way when they are on their own. 

When serving foods, pay attention to the types of meals you create.

Healthy families always focus their plates around whole foods: beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruit.