by Emma Smith 5 years ago Eating healthy can be a hard thing to dictate when you have a family. Busy schedules to follow, kids to coral and get to activities and a litany of other things that might make meal time feel secondary. But following a healthy eating routine can have a great many benefits.
Establishing healthy eating guidelines for your kids not only gets them eating healthier, which in turn has greater effects on their bodies, but it also establishes better eating habits that they will carry with them through their lives.
Here are a few healthy eating tips if you have a family.
Don’t Reward or Demand “a Clean Plate”
Many of us can attest to having parents who would have a “clean plate club” that rewarded eating everything on your plate. This was mostly meant to discourage waste. But letting your child ask for more if they are hungry is the key to avoid over-eating.
Not only that, forcing kids to eat things they don’t like just reinforces their disdain for it and makes dinner time less desirable. Don’t make your kids eat things that they don’t want; there is no benefit to it overall.
Serve Food in Smaller Portions
This helps to keep your portion control in check both for parents and children. Over-eating is one of the major problems for those who struggle with their eating habits and keeping that in check can help to avoid a number of different issues.
This also lets your kids know that if they are hungry, they can ask for more. It doesn’t demand a clean plate, it lets kids decide when they want more to fill their stomachs and to get the amount of food that they need.
Whole Grains Are Great
There are a lot of whole grains that can help to provide healthy energy throughout the day. Things like oats, rye, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta. You can avoid a lot of carbohydrates and still get the energy that you need to get through a busy schedule and avoid those drop offs in energy that can come throughout the day.
Grains are also versatile. They allow you to have more meal options and variety can help keep you on track and stop from getting complacent towards meal choices. Whole grains are an excellent addition to any diet and great for families looking to eat healthy.