By Katherine Miller

THE POST SIGNAL

CROWLEY – Health experts want to remind parents, that among the items on the list of back to school supplies, healthy foods and exercise should be included.

As parents, we want our children to be as healthy as possible. In reality, with today’s busy schedules, this may not always be possible. However, studies have shown that those children who eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, and who get the exercise and rest required, have quite a few advantages over others.

Ms. Ruth Miller, Child Nutrition Supervisor for the Acadia Parish School Board, recommends for a healthy lifestyle a healthy diet, exercise, and the proper amount of rest for children to remain healthy. Children’s bodies are constantly growing, and require a steady stream of nutrients and calories to keep growing. Kids who eat a nutritious diet grow more and reach their physical potential. Maintaining a diet with good nutrition also leads children to overall better health, with benefits carrying over into adulthood. Studies prove that kids with a healthy diet are sick less often, and when they are sick, they recover more quickly.

Another great benefit that children receive from a balanced diet is that they tend to have less body image problems. Children who know the proper role of food in their lives tend not to use food as coping or control mechanisms, and are less likely to have eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Children and teens should be active at least 60 minutes most days of the week.

Obesity among children has reached epidemic proportions, and eating a balanced, nutritious diet, along with exercise, reduces a child’s chance of obesity, as well as cancer, heart disease, stroke, as well as other health problems.

Last but not least, children who maintain healthy lifestyles learn better during school. Children who fill up on sugary snacks, or even skip a meal, often end up tired and disinterested in school early in the afternoon. Studies prove that eating a healthy, balanced diet enables neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers in the brain to function more efficiently, resulting in improved concentration and memory.

Overall, the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle with proper diet, rest, and exercise will give your children a better life for years to come.