Healthy Eating Tips for the Whole Family
Health and fitness are very important to me, but like any busy family, sometimes it’s difficult to eat healthy food. When you’re out and about, driving through McDonalds for a burger and fries sounds so much more appealing and easier than going home and cooking a meal yourself. Because eating right and staying in shape is so important to me, I’ve come up with some tips to help you and your family eat healthier.
1. Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. I’ve done it before and my cart was full of cookies, candy, and ice cream.
2. Double up on recipes and freeze some of them for later use. It’s really no extra work to double a recipe and if you freeze it, you’ll have a meal all ready for your family on a night you don’t have time to cook. Bye bye McDonalds, mommy has a home cooked meal all ready at home.
3. Fruit or veggies instead of candy. My son is a snacker just like mommy and daddy. I find that the key is WHAT you snack on. I always keep apples, grapes, carrots, and other favorites on hand to curve sweet tooth snacking.
4. Teach your children the importance of healthy eating from a young age and set a good example. My son may not understand everything I tell him yet, but he understands most. If he saw me snacking on candy all day he would grow up thinking this was the norm. Eat healthy yourself and lead by example. I also make sure to throw in that too much candy will make your tummy sick from time to time.
5. Pack your own lunches. I have found that when I don’t pack my husband a lunch for work, he eats junk food. I’m sure it will be the same when my son is in high school and I give him money for lunch. He may just go stick it in a vending machine for chips and a soda. Be creative, use Internet resources, and pack your own lunches. There are so many healthy alternatives. There is a company called Nature Box that will literally deliver healthy snacks right to your doorstep every month. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
Is healthy eating important to you? How do you manage to eat healthy on a busy schedule? I’d love to hear your personal ideas.
