How To Get Your Family To Eat Healthy
One of the most common questions I get asked from Total Body Transformation members is how to get your family to eat healthy WITH you. So many of our members are following and loving their new lifestyle and are crushing it effortlessly, but they aren’t sure how to get the rest of their family on board. If this sounds like you, read on, because I’m sharing my top tips to help you get your family to eat healthy and embrace this new lifestyle with you.
When you’re embracing a new healthy lifestyle and way of eating, it can be frustrating to have to cook two separate meals for you and the rest of the family (in particular, your kids!). Trust me, I’ve been there. I have the pickiest eater of all time, but this has forced me to get curious and experiment with different ways to get healthy foods into her body. Sure, in a perfect world, our entire family would be excited to join us for a macro-balanced meal of salmon, quinoa, and broccoli for dinner, but the reality is, that just doesn’t always (or ever!) happen.
What About “Junk Food?”
The other common question I hear from parents is how they can get the “bad” stuff out of their house. From fish crackers and chocolate chip cookies to juice boxes and all the packaged “junk” out there these days, it’s hard to keep it out of the house. Sure, kids love it and it’s convenient, but when it’s in the house, EVERYONE is more tempted to eat it.
So what do you do? I’ve always approached “junk food” from the mentality that no kid needs to be eating those foods on a regular basis. If they want to enjoy a treat, it can be a popsicle that you make homemade from smoothies, which are both healthy and delicious, BLISS coconut ice cream, or even homemade cookies with coconut sugar or stevia in place of cane sugar. There are so many healthy treat options along with some of the best meal prep recipes in our Total Body Transformation program and community! Our members are sharing tasty and healthy recipes all the time!
Your kids (or even your partner!) may not ask for more fruits and veggies overnight, but by making healthy eating a habit and involving them in the process of meal planning, shopping, and cooking, it might surprise you how quickly you can get them to eat healthier with some "tricks" along the way.
Just check out how one of our community members, Catherine, approaches healthy eating with her daughter! She involves her in the meal prep process and teaches her about healthy choices along the way! Read more on her journey with our program here.
10 Tips For Getting Your Family To Eat Healthy
If you’ve ever wondered how to get your family to eat healthy with you, then check out these 10 simple tips to help you get them on board with your new healthy lifestyle.
Educate your kids on the DISTINCTION between healthy foods (I call these everyday foods) and treats (I call these sometimes foods). Slowly start to remove processed treats and junk food from their everyday snacks. I let my daughter Shelby have a treat 1-3x/week. Many times, these treats include homemade chia balls or BLISS coconut ice cream, which is fantastic!
Don’t focus on taking their treats away, instead focus on adding more vegetables to their diet. Think about adding more healthy foods into their diet versus removing treats, first.
Have cut up veggies on a plate with their favorite dip available throughout the day. This could be celery, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli florets, snap peas (most kiddos love these!), and cauliflower florets. Serve them with hummus, yogurt dip, peanut butter, etc.
Don’t tell them to eat their veggies. Place the veggies on the table as a communal dish. Have your partner take part in snacking on these and become a role model for healthy eating. Kids learn from example, after all.
Go grocery shopping and allow your kids to pick their favorite fruits and veggies. Maybe they can pick something that looks different, like star fruit or kiwi, and give that a try together.
Cut up veggies in different ways. Sometimes kids just don’t like the way something is cut. Try cutting a cucumber in long strips instead of round. Shelby could eat long strips of cucumber all day, everyday, but if I give her cucumbers cut round, she won't touch them. Believe it or not, some veggies can have a different taste depending on how they are cut. Experiment with what works for your kids.
Meal prep with your kids. Getting them involved in the kitchen can make all the difference! Purchase a set of kid safe cutting knives and maybe even an apron. Let them help you prep by washing and chopping.
Grow your own herbs in the kitchen, or veggies in the garden, and have your kids help plant and pick. Kids love when they are included in the process. This will help guide them in making healthy food choices when you’re not around too. It also teaches responsibility, which is an added bonus!
Schedule meals rather than snacking all day. Getting into a good routine and eating every 2-3 hours will get your kids more open to other types of foods available to them. Eating more frequently may also help with your kids’ mood. I notice when Shelby goes longer periods without eating she is more irritable. Once we get her schedule more dialed in, she is more open to eating what is available.
Get them up and moving! Exercising and running them until they are super hungry is a sure fire way to get them to eat ANYTHING!
While it may not happen overnight, with a few simple tricks and consistency, you can get your entire family on board to eat healthy and make better choices together! Make it fun, be patient, and keep an open mind. If you’re looking for more support, recipes, and tips from other parents working towards a healthier lifestyle, join us in Total Body Transformation, where you’ll get access to weekly family-friendly meal plans, grocery lists, snack and treat recipes, and more!
I’d love to know, how do you involve your family in the kitchen and encourage healthy eating habits? Leave me a comment below and let me know!