There’s a pretty good chance that if you asked your kids what they’d like for dinner tonight, things like burger and fries or pizza (or perhaps even cake and ice cream) would be the first items that they would mention. For some reason, the foods that are usually the unhealthiest are the ones that seem to be the most fun.
But if you’re trying to provide meals that will actually be better for your family’s overall health and well-being, we have a few tips on how you can accomplish that goal. Below, we have five ideas for how you can easily get your loved ones to make healthier food choices—breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Make grocery shopping a family affair. If your family doesn’t like what’s available in the house, a part of that reason might be due to the fact that they didn’t get much of a “vote” on what’s in the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets to begin with. One solution to that challenge is to have them go grocery shopping with you. Not only is it an effective way to educate them on the better food options that are available, but that way, they will feel like they participating in the menus at home.
Eat out less. Oftentimes, we tend to eat more combo meals because we make it our immediate “go to option”. But, if you make a concerted effort to do more cooking at home, not only will this cause everyone to get used to the idea of eating food that it’s in the refrigerator, but as an added bonus, it can also save you quite a bit of money.
Come up with alternatives. Say that your spouse just loves ice cream shakes. Well, instead of having those, how about making some smoothies out of fresh fruit, yogurt and ice instead? Or if your kids enjoy eating French fries, rather than frying some thawed out frozen ones and then frying them in a pan of oil, consider cutting some potato wedges up, putting them on a cookie sheet and baking them. Both of these are examples of still feeding your family what they enjoy just with healthier alternatives.
Be “snack savvy”. Everyone likes snacks but that doesn’t mean that they have to consist of cookies and chips all of the time. Choose instead to fill up your pantry with popcorn, dark chocolate and granola bars. In your refrigerator, have some raw vegetables, fruit and swap out soda for mineral water (that can be mixed in with juice for flavoring).
Create a weekly menus. All of us have pretty hectic schedules and so sometimes, it’s easier to get some Chinese takeout or call up a food delivery service like TastyKhana.in when it’s time to eat. However, one way to do more fresh cooking is by planning out your menus a week in advance. As a matter of fact, if you allow each family member to pick one meal for the week, that is a good way to get them excited about selecting smarter meals and perhaps even helping you to prepare them too.
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