WHILE there are no guarantees that your children will enjoy
perfect health as adults, there’s plenty you can do to lessen
their future risk of cancer and other serious diseases, in part by
teaching them lifelong healthy habits.
Check out these six tips from Laura Sova, FNP, family
medicine provider at Aspirus Medford Clinic:
1. Promote active play. At least
one hour of daily activity helps
promote overall health and weight
control. Among other risks, unwanted
pounds can set the stage for cancer
and other chronic diseases when kids
become adults. Encourage your kids to
step away from screens and be active
outdoors. Better yet, set a good example
and join them on a bike ride or a walk.
2. Serve up a diet rich in fruits and
veggies. In addition to helping control
weight, plant-based foods contain
nutrients and compounds that may offer
disease protection. Include fruits and
veggies with daily meals and make them
available as easy snacks.
3. Get them into grains. Eating whole
grains can help lower the risk of
colorectal cancer. To help your kids get
more, offer whole-wheat sandwich bread
instead of refined white bread. Switch
to brown rice, and give whole-wheat
pastas a try too.
4. Save them from sunburns. Painful
sunburns can make kids prone to
skin cancer—including melanoma, the
most deadly kind—in later years. For
protection, have them always wear
sunscreen before heading outside and
teach them to seek out shade (especially
when the sun is high). Encourage a sunsavvy
dress code (think hats, pants and
long-sleeved shirts, when possible). And
point out that indoor tanning also causes
skin cancer.
5. Set the tone for a tobacco-free
tomorrow. Most adult smokers started
the habit when they were kids. Set
firm, no-tobacco rules for your kids and
look for opportunities to talk about the
dangers of tobacco.
6. Get their HPV shots. Vaccinating kids
helps protect them as adults from
several cancers caused by the human
papillomavirus (HPV), including cervical
and throat cancers. Both boys and girls
should begin getting the HPV vaccine (it’s
a series of shots) at age 11 or 12. But it’s
not too late to get your kids caught up if
they’ve missed any shots.