The Importance of Proper Nutrition for Healthy Children

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Proper nutrition is absolutely essential during childhood as it is a critical time for growth and development of the body. Ingrained eating habits that lead to these diseases are very difficult to reverse. Poor nutrition creates many potential short and long term risks. Aside from obesity, possible long-term effects include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and some cancers, along with mental health issues including anxiety, learning disabilities and even depression. Proper nutrition starts at home and parents need to learn how they can improve the quality of their children’s nutrition and instill the good habits that will ensure they have the greatest chance for a healthy, successful future. We all want our children to grow up happy and healthy, but we also have busy life-styles and find it all too easy to hit the drive-through before soccer practice or toast a pop-tart to eat on the way to school. We know our kids have access to school lunch, but we can’t always rely on that to be as healthy as we’d like it to be, and we really can’t guarantee that they will eat it. There are so many ads for junk food and fast food and sugary, chemical laden sodas out there, it can be hard to keep kids eating healthy. Children’s bodies are still growing and their brains are still developing, so it is critical that we make sure they are getting the nutrition that they need and develop healthy habits now. For the first time in history we have a generation of kids that are less likely to have a lifespan as long as their parents. They face higher instances of obesity, diabetes and heart disease and even learning disabilities, due to improper nutrition. We are literally filling them with poisonous chemicals and food devoid of real nutritional value. We are filling their bellies, but starving their bodies. It can be easier than you might think to make the changes necessary,

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