Nestlé Caribbean Region. Take a High Five for Life.

Check Health, take a hi five for life

The BMI or Mass Index gives us an indication of how much fat a person has in relation to their weight and height. It helps to determine weather a person is underweight, normal, overweight or obese. Even though it does not provide us with a distinction between the fat and the non fat components of the overall body mass (muscle to fat ratio), it is still the most practical method to evaluate one’s degree of risk associated with obesity.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is less than 18.5, based on your height, you are considered to be underweight. You should speak to your doctor or health professional to help determine the possible causes, as well as for the best advice on weight gain.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, based on your height, you are considered to have a healthy weight. A healthy/ normal body weight is one that would lower your risk of nutrition-related diseases.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, based on your height, you are considered to be overweight. In this group, there is a growing risk to develop chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is 30 or more, based on your height, you are considered to be obese. At this point, there is a moderate to high risk of developing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol.

Your BMI is , if your BMI is 40 or more, based on your height, you are considered Morbidly Obese. Suffering Morbid Obesity puts you at a very high risk of developing chronic illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiac arrest, arthritis and other life threatening illnesses.

It is very important to put life measures in place to reduce your weight and as such improve your health. The best way is usually to combine a healthy diet with regular physical exercise. You should speak to your doctor, health care professional, and dietician, to determine the best suited way for you to lose weight.

Make Meal Time – Family Time

A voluminous body of research suggests that the best strategy for improving a child’s diet is simply putting food on the table and sitting down together to eat it. The importance of the family meal has been shown mainly in studies from the University of Minnesota, Harvard and Rutgers that have looked at family eating habits of nearly 40,000 middle-school students and teenagers.
These studies spanning from as early has 1999 to as recent as 2004, has shown that families that eat meals together “everyday” or “almost every day” generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as calcium, fibre, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, C and E, and consumed less overall fat and sugar compared to families who “never” or “only sometimes” eat meals together. They showed that these families generally eat more fruits and vegetables and less junk foods. Some of the research has shown that children who regularly sit down to a family meal are at lower risk for behaviours like smoking and drug and alcohol use.
The benefit of having home-cooked meals and those meals together as a family goes beyond a child’s nutrition. In fact, it extends to a holistic healthy lifestyle where, children who frequently eat meals with their families tend to do better in school as well. In 1994, a survey of high-achieving teens showed that those who regularly eat meals with their families tend to be happier with their present life and their prospects for the future.
There have been several reasons suggested as to the benefit of a home cooked meal and having meals together as a family. Some researchers proposed that the person who is preparing the meal puts better food on the table when everyone gets together. However, other researchers believe that caregivers always want to bring something nutritious to the table and give the best nutrition that they possibly can to their family - even if they ordered pizza – where selection made tend to be those that are higher in nutritional value e.g. more vegetables or they added a salad to the meal. 
It may also be that dining together allows parents to set a better eating example for their kids. Mealtime is often the only chance parents have an opportunity to be a role model or even be in charge and to actually look over their busy teenagers, catch up on their lives and visually assess behavioural or physical changes that might signal problems.
Therefore, reducing your and your child risk of diseases, of unhealthy weight and of substance abuse, meeting the daily intake of important nutrients and helping to build self confidence and esteem of children – are enough reasons for parents to give it a chance – home cooked meals and family meal.

So here is how to get started

Let us start the “Meal together as a family” revolution. Challenge yourself and family. Aim for at least 3 days of the week where you encourage everyone in the family to reach home early and have dinner as a family – ‘See you at 7 tonight”. No working late. Get the schedule right.   Prepare a home cooked meal even if it starts with leftovers. Get the children involved – to set the table or prepare a dish. Get them committed. It can be your step to eating healthy for your family.
Maybe you need to work on the “coming’ together – part of this step. Remember, the key is togetherness, not timing. Therefore, if dinner is not possible during the week – then start with the weekends – breakfast meals, Saturday night dinner and Sunday lunches and then add one day in the week. Take small steps.
If you have trouble getting them to the dining table - especially teenagers, then have “themed” meal dinning night on different days of the week e.g. Soup Day, Blue Food night, Pasta night, Lasagne night, “Home-made – Burger night”. Identify the meal that your family loves to eat and assign it to a day of the week. Be open to trying new foods and new ways of cooking goods. Get the recipe book out to keep that meal night interesting and nutritious. .
Maybe, that might get them to the table on time.
If timing is still a problem – then try just preparing more home cooked meals and plate it for your family. When you cook and serve meals at home, you have more control over the quality and quantity of your family’s food choices.
Set the example – parents - Children would be more willing to follow your parents’ attitude about food. Eat and serve sensible portion sizes and make healthy eating a priority to a healthy lifestyle.