Keeping up a healthy diet can be difficult when you’re a working parent balancing lots of roles. But it’s worth the effort to improve the health of the whole family. It’s just a matter of finding habits that fit in with domestic life without causing too much inconvenience or expense. Everyone benefits from eating more vegetables and children tend to be more willing to eat them if they are part of the choosing and preparing process. If you have the time or interest your children might enjoy growing their own produce, even if it’s just attending to one strawberry plant. Eating out or getting takeaways can seem a much easier solution but it’s important to model cooking at home for the children. Check out my tips for sorting the kitchen and shopping so that meals at home are easier and happier to prepare. A strict menu plan isn’t for everyone but decide how many nights a week it makes sense for your lifestyle and temperament. No doubt you have plenty of healthy recipes you’ve fallen out of the habit of making simply because you never have the ingredients or motivation. Make a goal to try one new recipe a fortnight or month and if it’s successful then input it to your MyFitnessPal and add it to the meal rotation, favoring meals that can be double-batched and frozen for next week. Many family favorites may be able to be adapted for your calorie limit. For example, if the family enjoys starchy carbs like pasta, rice or potatoes you can continue to serve it for them but replace some of your pile with vegetables to keep your plate volume the same. Cooking need not always be in the evenings. Try to have a weekday egg breakfast once a week or a fortnight if that works for your family. Sitting down to a protein-packed breakfast together is a great way to start the day. Treats are an important part of the fabric of family life. Try to plan your treat days around family activities and if night-time snacking is a problem then create a family movie night and do it properly! Don’t let your children hear you say that you "shouldn’t eat this". You don’t want to teach your children to associate treat foods with guilt and there’s no need to mention your weight to them at all, ever. Food is there for fuel and for enjoyment and treats are part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s more appropriate for them to think in terms of the family making healthy food choices most of the time and being active for fitness. Check out my article for ideas on how to keep the family moving!
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