Let’s face it, eating healthy can be tough. However, your body needs nutrients for growth and repair. Healthy foods will help to keep you staying strong and free of diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart issues, and strokes. Fueling up on healthy foods is like putting clean fuel in your machines. You wouldn’t want to put dirty gas in your car. You also shouldn’t want to put bad fuel in your body. Eating healthy can benefit everyone in your family. I’m going to go over some tips to help get your family to eat healthier this year.
Shop Wisely
When you go grocery shopping, pick out fresh and healthy foods for your family. If you don’t buy junk food, then you and your family won’t eat it. It’s actually a simple concept if you think about it. Try to buy the majority of your foods from the perimeter of the grocery store. That is where you will find the freshest food. Fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meats will be located along the perimeter sections.
When you go into the aisle sections, be on your guard. Yes, you can find a lot of good foods in the aisles like quinoa, whole grain bread, and even many organic food choices. But the aisles are also going to be where a lot of your processed, high fat, and refined sugar items will be.
Plan Out Meals In Advance
The best way to keep your family on a healthy eating track is to plan out meals. When stomachs get grumbling, and a meal hasn’t been carefully thought out, it’s tempting to throw some less than healthy foods on the dinner table. It’s also easier to visit that fast food restaurant when dinner plans haven’t been made. Do what it takes to plan out healthy meals. If that means setting aside an hour or so each week to plan out the whole week, then do it. Your family may or may not thank you for it, but your reward will be knowing that you are helping to keep your loved ones healthy.
Eat Colorful Fresh Foods
There have been countless studies done on nutrition. It can all get quite confusing if you look at all of the proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc. that our bodies need to stay healthy. I’m going to give you a tip that simplifies a lot of this, try to eat fresh and colorful foods. When shopping in your produce section, try to shop for a variety of colors. Pick some deep purples (beets and cabbage), oranges (carrots and oranges), reds (radishes, pomegranates), and you get the picture. Shopping for fresh colors have proven to be useful for getting people to eat a wide variety of nutrients that their bodies need.
Try New Foods
Eating healthy can be fun, and it helps to add in some variety. Visit a health food store, or if your local grocery store has a wide variety of healthy choices, try picking something new each week. Try a new fruit or vegetable that you’ve shied away from all of this time because you didn’t even know what it was. Try buying something healthy that you know nothing about and then google it when you get home to see how to prepare it. Variety is the spice of life, and that comes to eating healthy too.
Grow Your Own Food
You don’t need to have land to grow your own foods. One of the most nutritious foods can be grown in a dark cabinet. That’s right, you are reading correctly. You can grow one of the most jam-packed vitamin-rich foods out there and harvest a new crop every few days. I’m talking about sprouts. They are easy to grow and can be grown year-round outside of the regular outdoor growing season. You can also grow vegetables in pots in sunny windows. If you do have even the smallest amount of space, try growing a summer garden together with your family. The feeling of accomplishment alone may just get your whole family to start eating healthier.
Eat Small Meals Often
Grazing on healthy foods throughout the day can have health benefits over eating 2 or 3 large meals. By spreading your meals out, you are giving your body a chance to use the calories and also give you a feeling of fullness throughout the day. When you come to the table famished, chances are better that you will eat way beyond what your body needs. Hungry appetites have a way of taking over common sense and good judgment. By the time your brain says you are full, you may be well beyond how much you should have eaten. Slow it down and graze throughout the day. This means having healthy snacks available for your family all day.
Final Thoughts
Eating healthy can be fun. If you get your whole family on board, it can make it easier for each individual to make healthier choices more often. I hope that you try some of these tips to get your family to eat healthier this year. Happy eating!
For more information, check out our review of the Top 10 Healthiest Restaurant Chains of 2018.
