Encouraging healthy habits: Safe ways to talk to kids about healthy eating and exercise
Updated: Aug 10, 2022
Jun 9, 2021 12:22 PM
Source: NZ Herald
It's no secret that despite our clean, green image and myriad of sporting successes New Zealand's children (and adults) are far from the healthiest they can be.
Unicef's latest The State of the World's Children report ranked us second-worst in the OECD for childhood obesity, with 39 per cent of our 5 - 19-year-olds overweight or obese.
This rating sees us just behind the United States and it is an issue we need to address without subjecting our kids to the toxic diet culture we grew up with.
But how do we do this? Firstly, we need to keep it simple. Give your kids choices and talk about how healthy food and moving your body makes you feel – not about how it makes the scale move or their bodies look.