7 Ways to Improve Your Entire Family’s Nutrition

Although foods will not cure every illness as some social media influencers may claim, healthy nutrition is the foundation of good health. So, while supplements such as collagen powders and calcium are helpful for most adults to protect against age-related conditions such as bone loss and skin aging, the bulk of your family’s nutrition should come from your diet.

This is a lot more achievable than most people think, but it requires small changes to your daily diet and lifestyle. Here are some important strategies to help you create a healthy food culture and improve your family’s nutrition at home.

Essential Steps to Improve Your Family’s Nutrition

1. Include More Plant-Based Whole Foods

A varied diet is the best way to get balanced nutrition, but this means eating a variety of whole foods, particularly fresh vegetables and fruits. Vegetables, including leafy greens like broccoli and spinach, should form the bulk of any large meal, while other plant-based foods such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes will provide added nutrition.

Lean meats such as chicken and fish can be healthy sources of protein but should be consumed in moderation. Of course, creating such meals from scratch can be a challenge for most working people, which is why practices such as meal-prepping and including kids in these activities are important.

2. Don’t Keep Junk Food Around

Junk food is hard to resist, so it’s best not to keep it around. If you must keep any junk food or ultra-processed food such as chips or candy at home, make sure that they are stashed away out of sight. This will help to restrict or reduce regular consumption of these foods which are high in calories and low in nutrition.

In addition to providing you with empty calories, ultra-processed junk foods have also been linked to a number of lifestyle diseases in recent years. There is growing evidence which shows that these foods increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

3. Encourage Healthy Snacking

Snacking can be an important approach to fix your family’s nutrition if done right. This means focusing on healthy snack options such as eggs, nuts, yogurt, and fresh or dried fruits. Make sure that such foods are easily accessible throughout the day. These foods are nutritionally complex and also contain fiber and protein, which can help increase feelings of satiety. This reduces food cravings and strengthens impulse control, making it easier to choose healthy foods and eat in moderation – important habits to ensure balanced nutrition.

4. Practice Portion Control

Overeating is a common cause of excess nutrition, which increases the risk of conditions such as obesity and metabolic syndrome disorders. You can encourage healthy nutrition by making portion control a part of your family’s routine. In addition to regular snacking, you can also use smaller serving plates and encourage mindful eating to make portion control easier for the whole family.

5. Include Kids in Meal Planning

Adopting a healthy diet and food habits is particularly challenging when you have young kids who are fussy eaters, but there are many healthy eating tips for toddlers that can make this easier. Meal planning is perhaps the most important as it fosters a healthy relationship with food at an early age. This means including your children in picking from different healthy meal ideas, allowing them to wash veggies or fruits, mix ingredients, pack foods, set the table, and so on.

6. Eat Meals as a Family

You can improve the quality of meals and food choices by simply turning meals into a communal activity. Research shows that people who eat while watching screens are more likely to overeat and make unhealthy food choices, making them more vulnerable to weight gain and obesity-related health complications. Sitting at a table with the family gathered together promotes greater mindfulness and strengthens social relationships, which ultimately improves your overall quality of life.

7. Be a Good Role Model

Getting family members to eat healthy and stay on board with a diet plan is perhaps the most challenging aspect of improving the entire family’s nutrition. It’s not just kids who can be fussy eaters, but spouses, siblings, and parents as well. The best way to encourage others to eat healthy and avoid confrontation is by setting an example, so make it a point to adopt these changes yourself first. It may not be practical to eat separate meals most of the time, but you can start by choosing healthier nutrient-rich foods and fruits for your breakfast and snacks.

Forest Rose

Forest Rose is a God Loving, Blessed Wife, &  Mama to 3 girls. She’s passionate about lifting moms out of the trenches that are discouraged, overwhelmed, or feeling alone or isolated. Her hope is to point them to Christ and equip them to rise up with a newfound hope and joy within, that He alone can provide. Besides blogging, she also loves to create printables!