Healthy eating is important for everyone in the family. It can help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. And it can also boost mood and energy levels.
You don't have to be perfect to eat better, just making small changes in your diet can make a big difference. Start by adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals.
Try to choose leaner protein sources, like grilled chicken or fish. It can be tough to get everyone in the family on board with healthy eating.
If you want to get your family started on the road to healthy eating but don’t quite know where to begin, below are some easy ways to get you started.
Cut out trans fats
Trans fats have disappeared from many foods, but they are still in some. These fats are the worst for you because they increase your chances of heart disease by increasing “bad” cholesterol and decreasing “good” cholesterol.
It’s easy to read food labels and eliminate trans fats from your diet. To reduce other unhealthy dietary fats, try to bake, broil, or grill meats more often and avoid frying.
Also, try using cooking spray (it allows you to use less oil) or olive oil instead of other oils.
Build up a stock of healthy snacks
Children often need to eat a snack or two daily to keep them going. Rather than giving kids sweets or salty snacks, opt for healthier options like nuts, cheese, yoghurt (preferably unsweetened), chopped or dried fruits, boiled eggs or other locally available healthy options.
These foods are nutritious, more filling, and help build healthy eating habits that last a lifetime.
Eat together as a family
It’s often hard to get everyone together with competing schedules and activities but taking the time to sit down and eat together as a family can have many benefits.
Family meals can protect against overweight and obesity and are often healthier because they include more fruits and vegetables compared to eating out or eating alone.
Kids who regularly eat meals with their families also tend to have higher self-esteem.
Make meal prep family time
Rather than eating out, stay in for meals and make preparing dinner a family bonding experience.
Preparing a meal together is not only fun and educational but it allows you the time to plan out a meal that will be healthy. It’s also a great way to help encourage healthier eating habits for your kids.
Cut out sugary drinks
Even if your family loves dessert, you can drastically reduce sugar consumption by switching to 100% juice, different-flavoured iced teas (it’s usually better for you to brew and sweeten them yourself), and water instead of sugary sodas, punch or sports drinks.