If I could give my children only 5 basic tips for a healthy life through scientifically proven nutrition and exercise, then these would be:
✅ 1. Eat “real” food
🥦🍎🍚 Prefer unprocessed foods, with minimal packaging and few ingredients.
Rely on fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, nuts, olive oil, whole grains.
Systematically avoid ultra-processed foods (fast food, standardized sweets, snacks with an ingredient list like a short novel).
➤ NOVA classification study (Lancet, 2019): the less ultra-processed, the lower the risk of obesity, diabetes, depression.
🥤 2. Water > Sugar. Always.
💧 The number one change with the greatest impact: replacing soft drinks with water.
➤ Meta-analysis (BMJ, 2015): Sugary drinks are strongly linked to childhood obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and tooth decay.
🕺 3. Get some daily exercise — not necessarily the gym
🚶♂️ Walking, cycling, climbing stairs, playing outside, sports, dancing — it all counts.
Aim for 60 minutes of active play or activity a day for children and 30-45 minutes for adults.
➤ WHO guidelines: A sedentary lifestyle is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, cancer and premature death.
🧠 4. Don’t eat out of boredom, anger or sadness — learn to listen to your body
🍽️ Mindful eating is a lifelong ally.
Eat when you’re hungry, not because “it’s time”.
➤ Clinical Nutrition (2021): Mindful eating reduces overeating, boosts psychological well-being, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
👨👩👧 5. Remember: nutrition is a family affair — not a diet
👩🍳 Meals at the table promote healthy behaviors and mental health.
Create positive experiences around eating, cooking, and sharing.
➤ Harvard Public Health: Family meals are associated with fewer eating disorders, better choices, and lower substance use in teens.
❝ You don’t have to be perfect — you just have to be consistent. ❞
Small habits repeated daily build the big picture of health.