Many people use candy, cake, or other sugary foods as rewards. Are you one of them? Both when rewarding yourself, but also when rewarding your children? It is never a good idea to use food or something eatable as a reward because we will get used to rewards being equal to eating or snacking.
Cake, cookies, and candy can be part of a healthy diet and can also be part of a meal plan designed for you to lose weight. Of course, it is not the best option to continue eating sugary food every day if you want to change your dietary habits or if you want to maintain a weight loss after a diet. If you hold on to your unhealthy habits after a weight loss, it can be difficult to maintain the weight loss.
Maybe you are on a diet and losing weight? Most sugary foods do not contribute to any fullness, vitamins, or minerals. Sugary food contains many calories and they could be the reason why you have gained weight and want to lose weight. It is better to reward yourself with activities or items that encourage you or your family to be more physically active. It could be some new workout clothes, a new soccer ball, beach ball, or something else.
Choosing Healthy Rewards: Nourishing Your Body and Teaching Kids Good Habits
If you have been working out or have been out for a run, it is a bad idea to use candy or cake as a reward for yourself after your workout. When you have been working out or have been running you might need a small snack, but not as a reward. You need some proteins to build up and maintain your muscles and you need some carbohydrates to fill your glycogen depots. Choose a healthy snack instead of an unhealthy one. A healthy snack after your workout could be one of the new nupo life snack bars. They contain good complexed carbohydrates that give you a portion of good energy and some proteins to rebuild your muscles. They come in four different tastes and they are all enriched with vitamins or minerals that are beneficial to your immune system.
At our house, we often use activities as rewards. For example, my husband or i will go for a bike ride with the kids after dinner, we will play a soccer game in the backyard, or we will play cards or a board game with the kids. Sometimes we all go golfing. It is fun and the kids love it.
The greatest gift you can give your kids from a health point of view is to teach them healthy habits. It is during childhood and adolescence our children adapt to good habits regarding food and physical activity. You are the greatest role model. Your kids will do as you do. If you have healthy habits regarding food and physical activity, it is likely that your kids will be healthy and physical activity too. If you use sugary items for rewarding your kids, they will likely do it too.
Health consultant, Team Nupo.
