Healthy Family Lifestyle

This article discusses the influence of the family on aabout good and bad food habits, but what better
healthy lifestyle.education there is than providing wholesome and
Diseases: A healthy family lifestyle always begins withnutritious foods for the family as a starting point. For
a disease free lifestyle. A hundred years ago, peopleexample:o Eating a balanced diet is important for the
succumbed to communicable diseases like small pox,heart as well as making sure your family gets all the
cholera, malaria, dysentery, tuberculosis etc. To a largenutrients they need to grow.o Avoid or reduce the
extent, these diseases are well under control today ifintake of certain foods for example fast foods; these
not totally eliminated from the face of the earth, thanksare often loaded with fats, salt and sugar and low in
to advances in scientific research. Nowadays, we arecomplex carbohydrates.o Eating more plant based
plagued with different diseases. The world is plaguedfoods like fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes.o
with modern diseases like AIDS, obesity, cancer,Reducing sugar intake and avoid sugary drinks, salt
diabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc. Here are someand salt related food products like preserved meats
alarming statistics:o Cardiovascular diseases and(bacon, ham)
stroke claim almost 18 million lives a year worldwideo2. Maintaining right body weight: This is the single most
750 million people worldwide are overweight of whichimportant factor in maintaining a healthy family lifestyle.
300 million are obese. Obesity is a more serious formMany dreaded diseases owe their origins to
of overweight and has been classified as a chronicoverweight and obesity. Foremost among them are
diseaseo This year about 547,000 Americans will dieType 2 diabetes, thyroid problem, cardiovascular
of cancer. Globally, approximately 7.6 million people diedisease, hypertension and many types of cancer. The
from cancer each yearo According to the Americanimportance of maintaining a healthy body weight can
Diabetes Association, Type 2 diabetes grows annuallynever be over-emphasized enough.
at a rate of 5% since 19903. Exercise: Impress upon the importance of exercise.
Prevention is better than cure. Healthy family lifestyleIt is highly recommended for all of us to have half an
will mitigate many health risks only if you are aware ofhour of vigorous exercise or one hour of less vigorous
what is at stake. Educate your family about theexercise a day. Set a good example by doing it
diseases, and what they must do to prevent them.yourself. Lead a more physically active lifestyle and
Role of parents as role models: Children often look upget the whole family involved. Get the children to play
to their parents as role models. Parents can influenceless computer games and more outdoor sports. Lead
children to a large extent to make a good start in lifeby example; don't be a couch potato yourself! Do
by inculcating in them good values. A healthy familyeverything together the healthy family lifestyle way.
lifestyle is a good starting point. It will instill in them the4. Smoking: Quit smoking. Cigarettes are known to be
right values that they can pass on to their own familiesa leading cause for lung cancer and a host of other
in future.serious ailments. Besides, you don't want your family
Healthy family lifestyle will require attention to theexposed to second hand smoke, do you? Educate
following areas:your children about the dangers of tobacco.
1. Foods: Fundamentally important to healthy familyHealthy family lifestyle requires serious effort and
lifestyle are foods and diets we ingest daily. It is a wellcommitment from you chiefly as the head of the
known medical fact that foods have a very large rolefamily and co-operation from the whole family. The
to play in the state of our health. Educate your familybenefits far outweigh the effort.