Help your child become a healthy adult

Most parents would do anything to ensure that their children grow up healthy. But, as a parent, how much can you control?

There is little that can be done to change your genetic background or your heredity. If you or your parents have a history of high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, your children are at higher risk for developing the same problems. If your father and your grandmother had a heart attack or developed coronary artery disease before the age of 55, your child isn’t necessarily doomed to the same fate, but it is a factor you shouldn’t ignore.

Many things can be done to control the things in your environment that contribute to an unhealthy heart. Are you or other family members overweight? What is a typical week’s menu in your household? How much do you exercise? Do you smoke? Does a normal week include a high level of stress or frequent family arguments? These are factors you can control.

Even though heart attack and stroke are very rare in children, mounting evidence shows that narrowing of the blood vessels owing to fatty deposits (atherosclerosis) begins in childhood. That gives you even more reason to teach your child to lead a healthy lifestyle. If you have any of the above risk factors, those lessons should begin today.

Make a healthy lifestyle a family affair with these tips:

• If heart disease runs in your family or your parents have a cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl or higher, ask your doctor to check your child’s lipid profile.
• If you or your parents have high blood pressure, your child should have a yearly blood pressure check.
• The family’s diet should include a large amount of fruits, vegetables, and grains and only side servings of meats and small amounts of fat.
• Don’t smoke. Secondhand smoke is as unhealthy for your kids as getting it firsthand.
• Make it a family effort to control obesity by avoiding high-fat foods and having no more than 30 percent of the day’s total calories come from fat.
• Encourage activity. Assign your children chores that will get them moving, like vacuuming, dusting or sweeping walks or decks.
• Show them by your example that regular exercise should be a routine part of their lives; take an exercise class or walk the dog together.