Keeping your family S.A.F.E.
Endocrinology and Diabetes Center
For consultation, appointments, and assistance: (361) 694-4986.
With hectic lifestyles, busy work schedules and many single parent homes trying to make sure you and your family eat healthy can be a daunting task. The S.A.F.E. message was designed with four basic tips to help families’ live healthier lifestyles. People become overweight when they eat more calories than they burn. Calories are what our body uses for energy. If more energy is eaten than used, they extra calories turn to fat. If we burn more calories by increasing physical activity and eat fewer calories we will lose weight. The S.A.F.E. message focuses on ways to cut back calories and increase activity.
S - SKIP or STOP HIGH CALORIE DRINKS!
Drink at least 8 glasses of WATER each day
- Over half of out body is made up of water so it is important that we drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
- Water is calorie free, it does not cause weight gain.
Substitute DIET sodas for regular or clear sodas
- If we drink ONE 12 ounce soda everyday for 1 year that is enough calories to make us gain 16 pounds of fat.
- Many people think clear sodas are sugar free. Clear sodas are caffeine free, not calorie free. Diet sodas are calorie free!
LIMIT juice to 6 ounces (3/4 cup) per day. NO SPORTS DRINKS!
- Juice has many vitamins and minerals but also a lot of calories. Drinking a 12 ounce glass of juice has as many calories as eating 3 oranges. Also, juice does not have the fiber that fresh fruit does.
- Many kids think drinking a sports drink will help them to run faster, be stronger and even look like professional athletes. Sports drinks contain a lot of sugar. A better choice would be water with lemon squeezed in it.
A - ALTER YOUR SNACK HABITS!
Large snacks between meals cause weight gain
- Sandwiches, bowls of cereal and Ramen noodles are examples of poor snack choices because they are nearly half the size of a regular meal.
Keep snacks SMALL and HEALTHY (fruit and vegetables)
- A piece of fresh fruit or vegetables with low-fat dressing are healthy options for snacks.
F - FORGET FAST FOOD!
If you must, eat fast foods no more than 3 times a week!
- Fast foods tempt us with many high calorie choices and large portion sizes, therefore eating out should not be an every day habit.
Don’t Super Size! Make healthy choices (REDUCE FRIED FOODS)
- More appropriate meals for children are the kids meals. Avoid buying them a value meal and NEVER supersize.
- Make sure to order a diet drink, unsweetened tea, water or milk rather than a sugary beverage.
- Try to avoid fried foods by ordering a side salad with lower calorie dressing rather than French fries.
E - EXERCISE DAILY!
Try to WALK at least 10,000 steps a day
- We don’t expect you to actually count your steps. Inexpensive pedometers can be bought at most sporting goods stores and do the counting for you.
- The American Heart Association recommends 10,000 steps a day to keep your heart healthy! 10,000 steps is like walking 4-5 miles.
Watch NO MORE THAN 2 hours of TV a day
- Watching TV requires very little energy and often we are founding eating while watching it. We see lots of food ads which only encourage us to overeat.
- Limit TV to 2 hours per day. Instead go for a walk or bike ride, play a game, or even do some yard work as a family. Standing is better than sitting!
To learn more about the S.A.F.E. message and keeping you family healthy contact the WEIGH TO GO! or WEIGH OF LIFE! program at 694-4574.
Contact Information
Jennifer Amaral
Endocrinology and DiabetesStephen W. Ponder, M.D. C.D.E. - Medical Director
Endocrinology and DiabetesChildren's Diabetes and Endocrine Center
4th Floor in the Joseph M. Sloan Building
3533 S. Alameda St.
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
Clinic appointments: (361) 694-4986
Business Office: (361) 694-4864
Office Fax: (361) 694-4832
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Corpus Christi, Texas
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