Let’s feed our kids right to keep them healthy

We have been accused of aping the West in many ways and abandoning our African culture. And nowhere is this more evident than in the lifestyle of the modern Kenyan family.

Unfortunately, some of the habits we have picked up are more harmful than useful, especially for our children.

I have noticed with dismay that the number school-going kids in Nairobi who are overweight is increasing. This is one thing most parents have chosen to ignore.

The drastic change in lifestyle has affected the way we, parents, bring up our children. We have been sucked into this busy working environment in the quest to make money, such that we have forgotten about the most important people in our lives – our children, and their health.

Parents, especially those holding professional jobs, devote so much time to their work that they have little time for domestic issues such as preparing well-balanced, healthy meals for their young ones.

Instead, they pop into the nearest fast-food joint for a pizza, chicken and chips or burgers. These fast-food joints are springing up everywhere faster than you can count them, with more and more enticing campaigns and great offers on meals. If we, parents, are not careful, we might end up raising an obese generation.

So, where exactly do you start drawing the line between sweet baby chubbiness and excessive weight?

First things first: we need to be parents to our children. We are the decision-makers in their lives until they reach 18 and are legally considered old enough to take charge of their own lives, with financial support from their parents, of course.

We decide what they eat, wear, watch, and listen to. So take advantage of this and apply it in bringing them up.

Try and ditch the fast-food lifestyle. I know it is convenient, but it does more harm than good. Ensure that your children eat a balanced diet, preferably home-made food, at all times. You might not have as much time as you would wish, but you can teach the house-help to make these meals.

You can prepare packed lunch for your kids. I remember when I was a kid, my mum made sure that we carried packed lunch to school every day. That way, you are better able to monitor what your child eats when you are at work.

I have this bad habit of peeping into people’s shopping carts at the supermarket, especially those with children. It usually confirms my worst fears about the unhealthy life we are subjecting our children to.

Reduce the amount of candy you give your children. Once in a while is not bad because it will make you look good in their eyes.

Gone are the days you would walk past a group of kids playing noisily in the neighbourhood. Play is a good form of exercise for children, and is great fun. It also gives them an opportunity to socialise and make friends and stimulates their minds.

Give them, say, an hour after school to take a break from books and play. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Limit the amount of time your child spends watching television or playing video games. Most parents are guilty of leaving the baby-sitting to the TV or Play Station.

The advent of technology in the new millennium has been a blessing to the business world but the effects are more of a curse to our households.

Techno savvy or “dot.com” children as they are popularly known, spend long hours in front of one type of screen or another, leaving them with little time for outdoor activities.

This not only makes them inactive because of lack of mental stimuli, but also creates little couch potatoes out of them.

Nowadays, many schools and clubs offer excellent sporting activities like swimming, athletics and football. Enrol them in one. Who knows, you might end up with an Olympic gold medallist!

A healthy child is a happy child. You will also save on visits to the doctor. Despite our busy lifestyles, let us not forget that our children are what we parents feed them on.