How To Start Eating Healthier As A Family
A Family That Eats Healthy Together Stays Healthy Together
Source: AzmanJaka / Getty
A healthy diet is a foundation for a healthy life, and children learn what to eat from their parents. Between the meals parents offer to the snacks kept at home to even the foods kids see their parents eat (whether the parents know it or not), children develop ideas about what a “normal” diet looks like in the home environment. So if you can focus on eating healthier as a family, you can set your kids up for success.
The dietary habits people develop in childhood tend to persist into adulthood, according to research published in the journal Nutrients. That’s why helping your children establish healthy eating habits, starting at a young age, is so important.
We cannot talk about this subject without acknowledging systemic issues that make it more difficult for Black parents, as a whole, to provide wholesome foods to their children compared to other racial groups. Food deserts are more common in Black neighborhoods, meaning access to fresh fruits and vegetables can be limited. So, overcoming the challenges of food injustice is an integral part of modeling healthy eating habits for children.
As a part of MADAMENOIRE’s weekly series for Family Fit Lifestyle month, we’re going over ways you can eat healthier together as a family.
Put Fruit Out Where Everyone Can See It
Source: pixdeluxe / Getty
When people are busy, they tend to grab whatever’s in front of them once hunger strikes. So present the healthy stuff in a way that’s easy to see and access. Simply keeping a basket of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter can go a long way. Fill it with items like oranges, apples and bananas – these can stay out of the fridge for a while without going bad. Keeping them by the door makes it easy for family members to grab one while heading out, and munch on it on the ride to school or work.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Meal Prep As A Family
Source: Vithun Khamsong / Getty
If you get too busy during the week to make meals, you can meal prep as a family on Sunday. It’s a nice way to spend time together, involve the children in the decision-making around food and ensure you have healthy lunches and dinners all week long. You can create fun Bento box-style lunches with little compartments filled with raw veggies, protein sources and sides for lunch. You can prep large, one-pot items as a family, letting your kids be your sous chefs, chopping veggies (if they’re old enough to handle a knife) and prepping ingredients.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Follow The ½, ¼, ¼ Rule
Source: Costi Moculescu / 500px / Getty
Nutritionists recommend that half of your plate contains vegetables, one-fourth contains a complex carbohydrate (like brown rice, quinoa or whole grain pasta) and one-fourth contains a lean protein source (like fish or chicken).
You can play a nutrition-based game with your kid and have them identify different types of complex carbs, lean protein or leafy greens. Give them non-food rewards for nailing a certain number of right answers (like skipping that night’s chore). This will make it fun for them to learn about nutrition, and help everyone stick to the ½, ¼, ¼ rule.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Find Healthy Snack Alternatives
Source: Hero Images / Getty
Keeping blood sugar levels in check will prevent everyone for reaching for salty, sugary, unhealthy snacks. The key is finding healthy snack alternatives. So, try keeping popcorn (no butter – just salted) around instead of potato chips. Aim for nuts instead of pretzels. Dip raw veggies in hummus instead of ranch dressing. This way, everyone can still satisfy their snack cravings, without spiking blood sugar levels.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Let Your Children Choose
Source: skynesher / Getty
It’s important that children feel empowered in this healthy eating journey, rather than limited. So present them with several healthy food options, and let them choose the ones they want. By selecting the initial options yourself, you keep things healthy, but by letting your kids choose the final item, you let them feel like they have agency in their diets.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Reward Healthy Eating Habits
Source: skynesher / Getty
It’s time to do away with forcing children to stay at the table until they’ve eaten their broccoli. This causes negative associations with veggies. It can even be traumatizing. Instead of punishing kids for not eating healthy, reward them when they do eat healthy. This helps them create positive associations with healthy foods.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Learn Tricks To Make Healthy Food Yummy
Source: SolStock / Getty
There’s no reason that eating healthy should mean eating bland, flavorless food. Find creative, healthy ways to make food taste good. MADAMENOIRE covers healthy herbs that boost your food’s flavor here. Other tricks include tossing roasted veggies in olive oil, light salt, pepper and a bit of parmesan cheese (it’s a low-fat cheese). You can thinly slice certain veggies, bread them in healthy panko crumbs, and bake them to turn them into veggie “fries” that you can dip into mustard (which has less sugar than ketchup) or salsa.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
Grocery Shop Together
Source: Jordi Salas / Getty
This is one more way you give children agency in their diets. Take them with you for the weekly grocery trip. Avoid those middle aisles where the packaged, processed junk food is, entirely. Let them pick out the fruits and veggies they want. Let them explore and get inspiration from the foods they see for healthy recipes. You can talk it out and workshop the weekly menu while you shop. Eating healthier as a family can ultimately help you communicate more.
- From Basic To Bomb: 5 Ways To Elevate Your Sex Game This Summer
- Gym Etiquette 101: 10 Rules Every Respectful Member Should Follow
- Celebrity Hairstylist Dee Michelle Talks Hair Health & Her Invisible K-Tip Method
- Boop, There It Is! Tony Nominee Jasmine Amy Rogers Is Making History As Broadway’s First Black Betty Boop — And She’s Just Getting Started [Exclusive]
- Protected: The Sound Of Movement: Ledisi Reflects On The Power Of Protest Music And Self-Love In ‘The Crown’
