By James Helliwell
We always want what’s best for our kids and we always want to see them happy. Having said that, what makes them happy now might not necessarily be what’s best for them in the long run. Take fast food for example. Sure it might make them happy for the half hour that they’re eating it but you can be damn sure it’s not doing their bodies a whole lot of good in the long run. The same goes with sugary sweets and biscuits. Sure it might taste good for them when they’re eating it but it could be increasing their chances of developing type 2 diabetes when they get older. So what can we do as parents to lower the chances of this happening? I spoke to diabetic strip purchasers DTS buyers about some of the ways parents can stop or severely lower the chances of their children developing the disease and these are some of the reasons they gave me. At the end of the day, it comes down to two things and if you implement these two things regularly at a young age, chances are that your children will carry on these good and healthy habits as they get older.
Diet
Now when I say diet, I don’t mean the Atkins diet or anything like that. I simply mean good healthy food choices that give your children all the nutrients they need to live a healthy lifestyle. No one is saying you can’t give them sweets and chocolate every now and again, but a good balanced diet is needed to provide them with a head start in life. Getting them to eat regular fruits and vegetables with an occasional fast food meal as a treat is all part of growing up. By giving them a good diet when they’re young, chances are they will continue trying to eat healthy when they get older thus severely lowering the risk of developing diabetes by living an unhealthy lifestyle.
Exercise
As with the diet, you want to give you child or children a healthy lifestyle. Having regular exercise is part of a healthy life so getting them involved in sporting activities or even just playing outside with friends is a great way of keeping them active and healthy. This can be quite challenging as sometimes playing the PlayStation might be more tempting! Myself, I was encouraged to play sports I enjoyed as a child and I’ve carried this into my adult life by keeping active and fit by playing rugby and going out on regular runs. Getting them involved in sporting activities when they’re young will stay with them through their life and will go hand in hand with a good diet and an overall healthy lifestyle.