Teaching kids about key health indicators

[klomasius]

Over the years I have come to realise that there are some key indicators of an individual's health status that are quick and simple to check and help us to monitor our own health.

I've been teaching these gems of knowledge to my 7 yo son in order to help him learn to monitor his own health and teach him about the importance of eating food high in essential nutrients.

Here's a list below that I have trained him to look out for, I'd be really interested to hear if anyone else does this with their children and if they could add to my list:

* Colour of wee (dark and dull means dehydrated, pale yellow and bright is good).

* Whites of the eyes (cloudy and yellow, dull, or bloodshot means not healthy, clear and white is good).

* Poo (easy to come out means good, at least once a day for poo is healthy).

* Tongue (white and furry is not good, clear and pink is good).

* Buzzy head, irritation (too much sugar, not enough sleep, need to eat something).

There are a few other things we talk about but these are the main indicators we talk about. I find it helps him put a symptom to a reason and reinforces the need to eat healthy.

How do you guys teach your kids about their health?

Oh, also I talk about people's different diets and how that ties in to how sick or not sick they are. And I hold up crappy foods in the supermarket and say ' If you eat this, this is what becomes your bones, your blood, your body'.

He loves it!

[rawstrength]

Don't scare your kid too much :) . I'm sure you mean well.

Good mood = good health
ability to concentrate = good health
energy = good health

[klomasius]

Haha! Thanks rawstrength.

I don't think I could scare him, he's pretty clued in and thinks its fun in an 'aw gross' kind of way.

Thanks for the other pointers, we do kind of talk about them but it's good to see them in 'formula' fashion, good one!

[HolyGuacamole]

I don't think there's anything scary about that... My three year old has a basic understanding of all that.

I wish there were a direct correlation between mood, concentration, energy, and health, but I don't think that's generally true. I was a real powerhouse while I was burning out my thyroid.