In order to raise healthy children it is important to look after our children’s physical health as this can help to prevent our children from developing illnesses.
Plenty of exercise, a balanced and nutritious diet and leading a healthy lifestyle all contribute to our physical health.
Physical Exercise
The current guidelines in Ireland suggest that children should engage in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous exercise per day. You can encourage your child to meet this guideline by playing active games such as hopscotch, catch, football or going for a walk. You can also encourage your child to try out various sports available in their school or community or to join in a team sport such as a GAA sport, soccer, etc. A leading factor in children not engaging in enough physical exercise is too much screen time on devices such as phones / tablets / laptops etc. Parents can encourage children to reduce their screen time and engage in more physical activities.Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is equally as important to your child’s health as physical activity. It is recommended that children enjoy a variety of foods from each of the four main food groups –- Starchy foods (bread, cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta, etc)
- Fruits & Vegetables (apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, mushrooms, peppers, etc)
- Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese, etc)
- Protein sources (meat – chicken, mince, fish, eggs, pulses – beans, etc)
