HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. Lifestyle medicine specialist Dr. Arlene Joy Vallejo urges parents to be creative in introducing healthy plant-based food to their children during a virtual press conference Tuesday (Sept. 26, 2023). She said healthy lifestyle behaviors in the early stages of life can prevent health risks later. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Antique Medical Society (AMS) said parents must be creative in enticing their kids to eat a plant-based diet.
Dr. Arlene Joy Vallejo, lifestyle medicine specialist and the AMS resource person said there are many ways parents can introduce a healthy diet to their kids.
“Many children do not like to eat plant-based food, but these are actually rich in nutrients, low in cholesterol and calories,” Vallejo said in a virtual press conference Tuesday.
She added they can be creative, including slicing fruits and vegetables into animal shapes or preparing a smoothie to make them attractive.
The medical society, in celebrating the 66th National Medicine Week from Sept. 24 to 30, is promoting a healthy lifestyle, particularly a diet for children to prevent the risk of developing high blood pressure, high blood sugar, fatty liver, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and other diseases as a result of too much consumption of salty food, preservatives and soda drinks.
She said individuals who practice healthy lifestyle behaviors in the early stage of their lives can withstand health risks later in life.
“We all want our children to grow up happy and healthy and be successful in life,” Vallejo said.
Aside from a healthy diet, parents should involve their children in physical activities to develop and maintain cardiovascular, pulmonary, bone and muscular health.
Vallejo also recommended less use of computers and other gadgets to prevent obesity caused by a sedentary lifestyle.
“Children also tend to be irritable, anxious, and have inadequate sleeping time due to their frequent and prolonged use of their cellular phones, which is not good for their mental health,” she said. (PNA)
