"My Family Resists Eating Healthy"
Published: Fri, 12/11/09
Dear ,
Have you ever experienced grief in trying to get your family to eat healthier? I know I have! But you do it because you love them, you want them to enjoy life, and you want them to stick around so that you can enjoy them longer. While you can't change other adults, you can influence them - and you can certainly teach your children healthier habits.
As Proverbs 14:1 says "The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands." This includes doing what you can to ensure your family's health and well being.
When it comes to healthy eating habits, I've discovered the slow and steady approach works best, so here are some tips to ease your family into a healthier diet:
1. Keep fruits and vegetables readily available. Keep a fruit bowl on the kitchen table or counter filled with fruits your family likes. Peaches, nectarines, and bananas are usually popular with children. You can also keep a prepared vegetable plate of carrots, celery, and tomato slices in the refrigerator with low fat dip.
2. Avoid bringing unhealthy food choices into the house. Yes, I know this is a tough one, but as long as these foods are in the house, they will probably choose to eat those instead of healthier foods because of habit. Try the "weaning" approach - select one unhealthy snack to bring into the house on grocery day. Make it the smallest bag/box you can buy. When it's gone, it's gone. Do this a time or two and then stop buying the snack completely.
3. Sneak vegetables into the foods you cook. Add extra vegetables to spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, and casseroles. Add fruit to yogurt or cereal. Also buy the "chunky" varieties of salsa and spaghetti sauce to get extra vegetable servings. Use leftover vegetables in a stir fry or salad.
4. Find lower fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite recipes on the Internet. Experts say that we typically prepare the same 5-7 meals over and over again with few variations. Making these meals healthier will go a long way towards improving your family's health and waistline, if applicable.
Write down the meals that your family eats most often. Then do a search for "low fat whatever the name of the meal is." Pick the recipe that is similar to one that you currently prepare, but with healthier substitutions.
Now here is an important key: Don't tell your family what you are doing! Trust me because I have been burned on this. Unless they are already health conscious, telling them will increase resistance because we humans don't like change. They probably won't even notice a few adjustments and they will reap the benefits of more energy, sharper thinking, healthier appearance and mental focus.
Now here is an important key: Don't tell your family what you are doing! Trust me because I have been burned on this. Unless they are already health conscious, telling them will increase resistance because we humans don't like change. They probably won't even notice a few adjustments and they will reap the benefits of more energy, sharper thinking, healthier appearance and mental focus.
Here is a meal planning website that I heard about from financial expert Dave Ramsey. He recommended it because it is designed to save you time and money when preparing dinner for your family. This site is called E-mealz and I signed up for one of the low-fat plans myself to see what it was about and was impressed by how delicious the meals are. Each easy meal plan contained a shopping list and the prices for each item so you could fit it in easily with your grocery budget.
Click the link below to learn more.
E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families
I hope these tips will help you build a healthier, happier family!
Click the link below to learn more.
E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families
I hope these tips will help you build a healthier, happier family!
Be blessed in health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Floyd, C.W.C.
Certified Wellness Coach
Author of the 'Take Back Your Temple' ebook
P.S. They are having a free crockpot giveaway at the E-mealz site, so now is a great time to check them out.