Dr. Oz is the go-to doctor for America’s health questions and concerns, and he knows a thing or two about raising a healthy, happy family too! He shared his tips on how to build a healthy family strategy with Health, offering up ten habits of healthy, fit and thin families.
Families that make healthy lifestyle choices together, stay healthy together, says Dr. Oz!
Here are his tips:
Don’t Go Hungry. “If you don’t fuel up regularly, you’ll become insatiably hungry, causing the ‘hunger’ hormone, ghrelin, to spike,” Dr. Oz says. “The problem is, it takes a half-hour for that hormone to return to normal once you start to eat, but in that 30 minutes you’ll likely chow through many more calories than if you hadn’t eaten on an empty stomach.” Keep almonds handy to snack on in between meals!
Automate Breakfast and Lunch. Avoid unhealthy, last minute grabs by having one or two go-to meals. “You don’t want to reinvent the wheel every day,” says Dr. Oz, who starts his day with a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with flaxseed oil, a few walnuts, and some raisins or agave for sweetness. Stick to vegetable soups for lunch, or turkey or tuna sandwiches on whole-grain bread.
Exercise 20 Minutes a Day, at Home. Dr. Oz says 20 minutes is all you need, and if you do it at ome, you’re more likely to do it. “What we find is that if we tell people to do 20 minutes, they enjoy it and end up doing more than 20 minutes,” which is even better for your heart, Dr. Oz stresses. Pop in a quick workout video, or go on a bike ride with the family.
Be the Food Decider in Your House. “I know this can be tough for parents, but the big decisions about what to eat must be made by you at the supermarket,” Dr. Oz says. He advices that you don’t even buy cookies and chips, even if you just plan to restrict them to special occasions. If you don’t buy them, kids won’t even miss them. Keep healthier snacks in the house, like whole-wheat pretzels, nuts, and fresh fruit. “Kids will eat healthy snacks when they get hungry enough,” Dr. Oz says.
Eat Dinner Together Every Night. “I can talk about the importance of nutrients for good health all day. But studies show that if you want your kids to have an appreciation of how precious their bodies are, you can’t beat just sitting down together,” Dr. Oz says. “When families come together to eat, they create an emotional harmony that I think is pretty sacred for long-term health.” If dinner together isn’t possible, make a point to have breakfast or lunch together.
His other family tips include playing together every night, telling bedtime stories, and bonding in bed. For more on these tips, visit Health!
