Keep Your Family Health
Today's hectic lifestyles make it difficult for families to stick to a nutritious diet.
Fortunately, using healthy habits and routines at home can make this easier.
Try these 10 tips to keep your family healthy:
- Be a good role model. Children often model their parents behaviors, including those related to food. Children won't recognize healthy eating as important if they don't see you doing it. On the flip side, if you offer nutritious foods regularly, and they see you eating them, they will be more likely to follow suit.
- Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. In addition to the 'regulars' like bananas and carrots, try kiwi or sweet potatoes.
- Encourage your family to try new foods when offered. Of course kids will encounter some foods they don't like, but they will find many that they love.
- Keep less-healthful foods on a higher shelf where they won't be noticed as much. Better yet, don't even buy them.
- Schedule a snack time and stick to it. Plan to have snacks at least two to three hours before a meal to avoid spoiling their appetites at mealtime.
- Involve the whole family in meal planning. Allow each family member to plan and help prepare one meal each week. Find time to discuss the upcoming week's schedule and any obstacles that may get in the way of family meals; then find ideas to tackle these challenges.
- Encourage your kids to help with meal preparation. Children often will eat foods they help plan and prepare. Preschool and school-age kids can set the table, fold napkins, or be a "taster." Older kids can help mix ingredients, wash produce, or serve food. Teenagers can be assigned a night to help you cook and wash dishes.
- Eat as a family and if possible, eat together at least once a day. Frequent family meals are associated with better nutrition; kids who regularly eat with their families are more likely to consume more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and fewer unhealthy snack foods. In addition to healthier nutrition habits, kids who eat meals with their family often do better in school and are less likely to use alcohol and/or drugs.
- Don't eat in front of the TV. Eat around a table and enjoy your meal. Family meals are a great opportunity to connect with each other. Take this time to engage in conversation and laughter.
- Let your kids stop eating when they say they're full. Encourage your child to eat slowly, enjoy their meal, and pay attention to feeling full. By learning hunger and fullness cues, your child will learn to eat enough, but not overeat, which will help them with weight control in the future.
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