Do you feel as though your family aren’t as healthy as they could be? I feel like the kids are worse now as they are older, than when they were younger! If you feel like this then now is the time for you to make a positive change. If you follow this guide then you should find that it is easier for you to keep everyone on a positive track without compromise.
Make it Fun to be Healthy
If you can, you need to make it as fun as possible for your family to try new things. Your kids should be excited to try new things, and you should also take them to the grocery store every week. Plan together how you are going to be healthier and make sure that your family’s health plan contains plenty of greens. If possible, you also need to include bread, pasta, rice, cereal and crackers within your family’s health plan. Choose good fats where you can, and put a focus on nontropical vegetable oils. When you break it down, you will see that this includes corn, sesame, olive and sunflower oil. If you can use oils like this instead of fat when you look then you will notice a huge improvement in your family’s health, so try and keep that in mind.
Be a Good Role Model
If you want to keep your kids healthy then another thing you can do is try and be a good role model. It can be difficult to suddenly expect your kids to eat well when you aren’t eating your vegetables at all. Plan to do things together and do it healthily. You also need to educate your kids on what is healthy and what isn’t. If your kids have a good understanding of what is good for them then this will help them to make better decisions overall. If you can, you also need to make sure that you are taking every step to make this journey last, and to make sure that you are being mindful of the way that everyone feels at different points in their journey.
Read the Labels on the Foods you Buy
Sometimes you may feel as though you are being healthy, but in reality, you’re not being healthy at all. If you want to do something about this then make sure that you are doing what you can to cook more at home rather than eating out all the time. Check the labels on grocery store products and take note of what you are putting into your food. When you track the labels on things, you will soon find that it is easier for you to monitor your intake of certain foods and this can work in your favor quite a lot. Cooking at home can be time-consuming, so it’s wise for you to prepare ahead if you can. If you prep ahead then you can measure your ingredients and make sure that you are not using too much of one, or too little of another
Snack Smart
You also need to snack smart if you can. Keep any fruit that is ready to eat, to hand. You also need to make sure that you have things like celery, bell pepper and grapes good to go. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is easier for you to grab the fruit and vegetables you want, when you are in a rush. If you can make choices easy for your kids and if you can make sure that they are readily available then this will work in your favor a lot.
Focus on Being Heart-Healthy
Eat fish that is high in Omega-3 if you can. Salmon, trout and albacore tuna are all very good choices. You should ideally plan to serve fish a few times a week if you can. You can find a lot of fish recipes online and when you download them, you will be able to cook them time and time again with ease. Trying a new recipe for the first time can be daunting, but if you can take your time and relax a little while you do it then you will soon find that things end up working out.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are some of the best things for your diet. Look for lightly salted nuts if you can as they contain lower levels of sodium. If you can’t do this then at least try and target unsalted nuts as this won’t contain any salt at all. As for seeds, they are great for snacking on too. If you want some ideas then peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and even hazelnuts are good. You might want to stir things like this into your yogurt, or even put them on top of your oatmeal. When you do this, you will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits without any issues at all.
Fresh Vegetables
If you can, it’s a good idea for you to choose frozen vegetables or canned fruit. They are loaded with tons of dietary fiber and you may even find that they are lower in sodium too. Canned producers can come in a whole range of healthy choices, so try and look into them. If you are buying frozen veg, try and at least choose ones that don’t come with any additional seasonings or sauce. The main reason for this is that they can contain a lot of sodium, which will hurt your health overall.
Dried Spices
If you want to add flavor to a meal, then why not use dried spices? The great thing about dried spices is that they last for a very long time and it is a good way for you to add flavor to a meal without having to add salt. Your kids will love it too as it gives them the chance to try out new things themselves. You can have them decorate their own pizza using dried herbs and spices or they can practice by making their own pizza dough with different flavors. If you can do this then you will soon find that it is easier for them to get the result they want out of their healthy eating routine. If you want to help your older kids, then make sure that they have a good supply of spices too. If your child is living in student accommodation, then there is a high chance that they are going to be cooking a lot of their own meals. Having a good selection of spices means that they can pass them around to their friends and eat well overall, so try and keep that in mind if you can.
So as you can see, it’s very easy for you to encourage your kids to eat healthily, and if you follow this guide then you will soon find that you can put them on the right path. If you’re not sure if you can make a lot of changes right away then don’t worry. Sometimes it’s a good idea for you to make smaller changes as time goes on, so you can make sure that you are at least giving your kids the support they need to make their healthy eating journey last a long time. If you can do this then you are bound to notice an improvement in their overall health too. If you want to take things to that next level, signing up with the gym is the way to go, or if you have sports clubs in your area, then you can sign the kids up with a local team.
