A healthy home for the family: 6 small changes that last

This article is about the home, not only the plate: six small changes that make the healthy choice the easy one for the whole family.

1. Make the healthy choice the easy one

Keep a bowl of fruit where everyone can see it, and put cut fruit and vegetables at eye level in the fridge. Keep sweets and soft drinks out of sight, or do not buy them. Make fruit the easiest snack in the house.

2. Water and milk as the everyday drinks

The NHS says the best drinks for children are water and milk, and that children should avoid sugary fizzy drinks, squash and juice drinks completely. Put a jug of water on the table at every meal, and give each child their own bottle to carry. Juice and smoothies are fine with a meal: more in our guide at getjuicy.vn/nutrition/juice-for-kids.

3. Move together, every day

The World Health Organization advises an average of 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous activity for children and teenagers, and 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate activity for adults. Children aged 1 to 4 need at least 180 minutes of activity a day, at any level, spread through the day. It is easier together: a walk after dinner, a swim at the weekend, badminton in the park or a morning at the beach.

4. Protect sleep

Sleep is part of a healthy routine too. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises 10 to 13 hours a day for children aged 3 to 5, including naps, 9 to 12 hours for ages 6 to 12, and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers. For young children, the WHO adds that bedtimes and wake-up times should be regular.

5. Fewer screens, more time together

For young children, the WHO does not recommend screen time before the age of 2, and no more than 1 hour a day from 2 to 4, with less being better. It suggests reading, telling stories, singing and puzzles with a parent or carer instead. For everyone, one simple rule helps: no phones at the table.

6. Shop, cook and eat together

Take the children to the market and let them choose a fruit. Let them wash vegetables or blend a smoothie with you. Eat together as often as you can, which the NHS also suggests for children who are fussy about food. More ideas: getjuicy.vn/nutrition/help-kids-eat-fruit-and-vegetables.

A family stop at Juicy

GetJuicy was started by a family, for families. Our smoothies are blended from whole fruit with yogurt and milk, a 360ml bottle of juice is two servings and easy to share, and the sugar in each juice, smoothie, shot and Juicy Pops is on getjuicy.vn/nutri. We are at 529 Tran Hung Dao, An Hai, every day from 8am to 8pm.

Sources: World Health Organization, 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (Bull and others, British Journal of Sports Medicine), and guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 (2019); American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations (2016); NHS, Water, drinks and your health; NHS, Fussy eaters.