Healthy Eating For The Whole Family!
It’s interesting the reasons people come up with when talking about why they don’t ea
t healthy. I hear a lot of moms tell me that they don’t eat healthy because they have small children and that they fix their family dinners around their children’s meals or what their children will eat. If you ask me when your children are young and small is the perfect time to teach them good eating habits and for them to begin eating healthy meals. It’s best to start from the moment they start eating whole foods and transition them from baby food and formula.
Teaching your children to eat healthy and balanced diet at a young age leads to endless benefits that both they and you will enjoy. It’s important that young children see their parents doing the same and being the role leader. So start your family off right by incorporating family mealtime (typically this is dinner time). Studies show that kids that take part in regular family meals are more likely to eat fruits, vegetables and grains. Teenagers may not want to participate (especially if it’s not something you’ve done in the past), but studies show that teens (as independent as they may assert themselves) still want their parents advise. The family mealtime is a chance to reconnect and eventually you’ll both look forward to the time together.
The best way to transition you and your family (regardless of the age of your children) to eating a healthy balanced diet is to make little changes over time. I recommend discussing your plans with your spouse and teenagers to avoid any confusion or riots. Prepare them for the changes and explain why you doing it. Then clean out your pantry, fridge and freezer and cupboards. Mak
e a list of items you’ll want to replace with healthier options and learn to read ingredient labels. A good rule of thumb, the less ingredients, the better and you should be able to pronounce and know what each ingredient is too. Encourage your family to add their own healthy ideas or food choices to the grocery list as well. This will keep them engaged, help with the learning process and they will be more likely to eat or try foods that they were a part of the selection of. Make a wide variety of healthy foods available in the house. This will help your children learn how to make healthy food choices and that everyone is snacking on good things as well.
Fill your kitchen with fruits and vegetables from the fresh produce isles and from the freezer. Shop for whole grain breads and pastas, rice cakes, oatmeal and granola, nuts and dried fruits, Greek yogurt and low fat cottage cheese. Choose lean meats such as fish, chicken and turkey. Select lean choices of red meats. Plan your meals ahead of time to make shopping easier or to stick with a budget. Have already cooked and prepared items ready in the freezer. For instance season and brown 5-6 pounds of ground turkey and freeze in 1-2 pound zip lock bags for use later. Make food preparation easy and convenient for you and your family. An out-door grill or the broiler in your oven make for a fast and easy way to cook a variety of meats. Chicken in the broiler only takes about 10-15 minutes depending on how thick the pieces are. You can even cube it and season with you or your kid’s favorite flavors and broil for a finger licking yummy (and healthy) version of chicken nuggets. You can make dipping grilled chicken in ketchup just as much fun (and better for you and your family as chicken nuggets). Shrimp is another fun finger food for kids that is healthy too.
Get creative and let your kids help and be involved too. Think and plan ahead so everyone including your self are less likely to eat badly and sticks to their new eating habits. Best wishes to you and your family!
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