Try these tips to help you and your family take a step-by-step approach to healthy eating.
Warning: Don’t try and implement these all at once otherwise your poor family won’t know what hit them and then they certainly won’t stick to your new idea. Introduce 1-2 new habits per week. Small changes make sustainable change!
1. Get your kids involved in trying new fruits and vegetables.
Ask them to pick out a new fruit or vegetable when you go shopping every week and figure out a healthy way of cooking/preparing it together.
2. Some fats are better for you than others.
Quality, healthy fats are such an important part of diets – particularly for heart and brain health. So get rid of all of your processed oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, rice brain oil and switch to cooking with coconut oil, butter or ghee and using olive oil raw on top of salads, pasta and cooked vegetables.
3. Have fun making your own version of “takeaway”
If you have a regular takeaway night then why not save some money and a whole lot of extra calories by making it as a family at home. Pizzas are a great quick and easy meal to make at home and can be lots of fun. Buy some wholemeal bases from the supermarket and top them with all of your favourite ingredients – this will help control portion size and the quality of ingredients used.
4. Read food labels
Although it’s certainly something to strive for, getting rid of all packaged food in a busy house full of hungry kids is hard work and can cause more stress than necessary. Therefore, if you are going to buy packaged items such as crackers, dips, cereal bars, fruit cups – pick those that are highest in vitamins, minerals and fibre and that limit sodium, added sugars, saturated fats and trans fats.
5. Keep cut-up fresh fruit and vegetables on hand
When it comes to snack time, your family will be more likely to choose healthy options if they’re pre-prepared and readily available. To encourage them you could even add some cheese, nuts and a homemade dip into the mix.
6. Cook your meat and vegetables in healthy ways
By roasting, grilling, steaming and baking your food as opposed to pan frying, shallow frying or deep frying you will help bring out their delicious, natural flavours and you won’t require as much salt. You might even turn your kids into fans of foods they never were before!
7. Pack nutrients into foods they love
Like smoothies! They’re a great way to fill any of the gaps that might be missing in your or your child’s diet. Just a handful of greens and a handful of berries is such an easy way to bump up your daily intake of fruit and veg by 2 serves. If you think your kids still need more of a boost then adding a scoop of Nuzest Kids Good Stuff will give you nutritional piece of mind that they are meeting their daily nutrient requirements.
8. Try sparkling water
Soft drinks are arguably the absolute worst thing you can keep in your home for your family’s health. Weight gain, early puberty, premature aging, hyperactivity, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and increased risk of certain cancers are all well documented side effects of having as little as 2 soft drinks per week. Try adding some lemon, lime or berries to some sparkling water as a far healthier alternative.
9. Plan healthy meals ahead
If you plan out a weekly menu you are far more likely to actually eat it! Keep your recipes and grocery list together to make planning and budgeting easier and cook meals with leftovers in mind. Leftover roast meats, vegetables and rice can be turned into healthy salads and sandwiches the next day.
10. Encourage more omega 3’s
Omega 3 fatty acids are incredibly important for your body and brain but our modern-day diets tend to be very low in them as they found in foods we don’t seem to have enough of on a day to day basis. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines are excellent sources and should be consumed, as well as chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts and grass-fed meat.
