pT eg Bring Healthy Eating Home for Your Childten Choosing a variety of food, and choosing more nutritious food are: part of healthy eating habit. Making healthy food choices are important in helping your children to stay healthy today and in the future. Unfortunately, the food intakes of most Americans de not meet the recommended intake as suggested by the USDA Dietary Guideline for Americans. The overweight/obesity rate is also alarming. Over 2/3 of the adults in the United States are either overweight or obese; about % of the youth (aged 2-19) are overweight/obese. Start having healthy family meals today, and enjoy the many benefits that bring: 1. Prevent weight-related health problems Healthy eating and staying active to maintain a healthy weight can prevent many weight-related health problems. Childhood obesity increases the risk of having diabetes, breathing difficulty, bones and jaint problems, fractures, cardiovascular disease and psychological problems. When they enter adulthood, their risk of developing obesity, and obesity-related disease, premature death and disability will also be higher. 2. Reduce the cost of chronic ease Childhood obesity is one of the major health problems among children. Not only does abesity lowers the quality of life, it also is costly. Over a lifetime, a child with obesity has $19,000 additional direct medical cost than a child with healthy weight. Including indirect cost, the average annual cost of obesity is $6,500-$8,400. 3. Childhood is an influential time for nutrition education Choosing healthy foads at a yaung age promotes optimal health and optimal growth development physically and cognitively. Childhood is an influential establishing healthy eating patterns. Eating habits established in childhood often will carry into their adulthood 4. Food preference is learned from family members The first 5 years of life Is a foundation to future eating pattern. Children learn through direct experience of eating and by abserving the eating behavior of others. Family members are often the one whom they learn from, Introduce different foods, and have healthy food available at home, children will be more likely to enjoy a variety of healthy foods in their lives. 5. Improve children psychosocial behavior Introducing healthy eating through family meals net alone can pass down healthy eating pattern and improves physical health; it also lowers psychosocial and behavioral problems of the children. Children who cat with their families at least 5 times a week are more likely to obtain better grades in school, and less likely to have behavioral problems (¢.9. smoking, depression). The family relationships of these families are also better. ‘Visit Jostin Asian American Diabetes Initistive (ADI) at ac Jostn.og ‘Copyright © 2015 by Justin Diabetes Center, Inc. Gosln.ora). All ights reserved.