cdkitchen > cooking experts > pamela chester
On a day that’s all about love, Valentine’s Day is a great time to check how you are doing in taking care of your heart, and what you are doing to pass those healthy habits on to your kids. Heart disease is a major killer, of both men and women. With the rise in childhood obesity come risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and type 2 diabetes; heart disease has become a major concern for our youth too.
With all of this talk of hearts and love in the air, I thought it is a fitting day to give you some ideas of how to protect your and your family’s hearts. Simple dietary and exercise habits, when started young, can pave the way for a lifetime of heart health.
First off, it makes sense to do whatever possible to encourage your children to have an active lifestyle. Even if it means making some changes in your own routine so you can set a good example.
With temperatures dipping below freezing for a lot of the country this winter, many children have had to spend their recess time indoors. In my area, playgrounds have been covered over with snow and ice for months now. Many of the indoor playgrounds (at least the free ones) are connected to fast food restaurants. That's okay for a once-in-a-while treat, but all the good activity that kids get at those places comes at a price of meals that are high in heart damaging saturated fat and calories.
Studies show that kids who don't get enough exercise aren't able to focus as much on their schoolwork and other necessary tasks, along with all those health risks. So you may have to pick up some of that slack at home. You can get creative with different ways to encourage activity with your kids at home – try an obstacle course or do an exercise DVD together. Every time you go out to shovel snow or do another outdoor chore, even if just to get the mail, bring your little ones along. My gym even offers fitness classes such as Yoga and Zumba for kids starting at a very young four years old!
Of course the other piece of the puzzle involves promoting extra smart eating habits. Parents must set the tone for their kids to develop a healthy diet. It’s a challenge, especially if you have a picky eater on your hands. But by offering only healthy meals and snacks as a general rule, and serving the treats and sugary drinks in moderation, you’ll set them up for a lifetime of healthful eating.
The nutrition advice at my favorite grocery store is to "strive for five," that is five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. For adult that should be five one-cup servings and for kids it can be five servings the size of their fist. This store makes it easy by showcasing a huge produce section as soon as you enter; you can make it easy at home by doing the same thing.
Encourage your kids to eat their colors; the more colorful a food the more it is likely to be packed with nutrients (Blue and green ketchup don’t count). Keep a bowl of fruit out on the counter for easy snacking. In the refrigerator and pantry, place healthy snacks at your kid’s eye level. For dinner try serving a salad full of crunchy veggies each night, and make sure you eat your veggies too. Kids learn by example!
Heart healthy snacks include whole grain crackers and pretzels, low fat yogurt, unsalted nuts or sunflower seeds, and fruits and veggies. You can try the fruit kebabs below for an easy way to pack a couple of fruit servings into a snack or dessert.
So remember this Valentine’s Day, one of the best ways you can show your family you love them is by doing what you can to take care of your health and teaching them to do the same!
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1131-kids-heart-health/
Heart Smarts
With all of this talk of hearts and love in the air, I thought it is a fitting day to give you some ideas of how to protect your and your family’s hearts. Simple dietary and exercise habits, when started young, can pave the way for a lifetime of heart health.
First off, it makes sense to do whatever possible to encourage your children to have an active lifestyle. Even if it means making some changes in your own routine so you can set a good example.
With temperatures dipping below freezing for a lot of the country this winter, many children have had to spend their recess time indoors. In my area, playgrounds have been covered over with snow and ice for months now. Many of the indoor playgrounds (at least the free ones) are connected to fast food restaurants. That's okay for a once-in-a-while treat, but all the good activity that kids get at those places comes at a price of meals that are high in heart damaging saturated fat and calories.
Studies show that kids who don't get enough exercise aren't able to focus as much on their schoolwork and other necessary tasks, along with all those health risks. So you may have to pick up some of that slack at home. You can get creative with different ways to encourage activity with your kids at home – try an obstacle course or do an exercise DVD together. Every time you go out to shovel snow or do another outdoor chore, even if just to get the mail, bring your little ones along. My gym even offers fitness classes such as Yoga and Zumba for kids starting at a very young four years old!
Of course the other piece of the puzzle involves promoting extra smart eating habits. Parents must set the tone for their kids to develop a healthy diet. It’s a challenge, especially if you have a picky eater on your hands. But by offering only healthy meals and snacks as a general rule, and serving the treats and sugary drinks in moderation, you’ll set them up for a lifetime of healthful eating.
The nutrition advice at my favorite grocery store is to "strive for five," that is five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. For adult that should be five one-cup servings and for kids it can be five servings the size of their fist. This store makes it easy by showcasing a huge produce section as soon as you enter; you can make it easy at home by doing the same thing.
Encourage your kids to eat their colors; the more colorful a food the more it is likely to be packed with nutrients (Blue and green ketchup don’t count). Keep a bowl of fruit out on the counter for easy snacking. In the refrigerator and pantry, place healthy snacks at your kid’s eye level. For dinner try serving a salad full of crunchy veggies each night, and make sure you eat your veggies too. Kids learn by example!
Heart healthy snacks include whole grain crackers and pretzels, low fat yogurt, unsalted nuts or sunflower seeds, and fruits and veggies. You can try the fruit kebabs below for an easy way to pack a couple of fruit servings into a snack or dessert.
So remember this Valentine’s Day, one of the best ways you can show your family you love them is by doing what you can to take care of your health and teaching them to do the same!
Fruity Kebabs And Yogurt Dip
Made with wooden skewers, vanilla extract, honey, bananas, pineapple, melon balls, strawberries, plain nonfat yogurt
Made with wooden skewers, vanilla extract, honey, bananas, pineapple, melon balls, strawberries, plain nonfat yogurt
Serves/Makes: 12
- 6 strawberries, trimmed and halved lengthwise
- 2 bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
- 12 pineapple cubes
- 12 melon balls or chunks
- 1/2 cup strawberries, trimmed and diced
- 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 12 wooden skewers
Place halved strawberries, bananas, pineapples, and melon balls alternately on each skewer.
For dip: Blend diced strawberries, yogurt, honey, and vanilla in blender until smooth.
Serve dip in bowl surrounded with fruit skewers for dipping.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/pamela-chester/1131-kids-heart-health/