Tips for Keeping Your Family Healthy

In these tough economic times, it might seem hard to balance a healthy meal with that of fast food. Fast food, by its very design, is extremely convenient, but not at all healthy.

Parents everywhere are striving to get the kids and themselves fed, but after a hard day’s work, who has the time or energy?

Added to that is the fact that many healthy items or meals can be very expensive.

If you’re trying to budget, the decision between the healthier snacks and the unhealthy snacks usually comes down to price, with the unhealthy stuff winning in the end. As a single parent, how do you and your child stay healthy when there’s so much to do?

Easy – keep it simple!

• Do Some Research – the Internet really is a great place to search for things (usually). Try doing searches for types of meals that you can freeze for another time or ones that you can make quickly. Pick a variety of meals that have the same ingredients so that shopping and prep will be easy.
• Start by Planning – the easiest way to get into a healthy eating pattern is to start planning healthy meals. Obviously, home cooked meals are going to be the best and it’s better to plan them out beforehand. Gather your child (or children) together on the weekends to start planning what to have for the next week. Make sure that each meal has all the veggies and fruits that both you and your child needs for the day.
• Pick a Theme – when planning your weekly (or even monthly) meals, try picking a theme. It can be anything from having Mexican or Chinese to having chicken or pork for the week. This will make it easier to pick up items from the store.
• Get Supplies – The best way to make your money go further is to buy things in bulk or to buy food items that will go in a variety of meals. Do research to see if you have large market places, such as a Costco or Sam’s Club in your area; then pick your food. Again, try to pick meals in which several ingredients are the same, as it makes shopping easier.
• Get Cooking – As with the planning, try to get meals made up beforehand, so that a simple reheat or microwave option is available. This cuts down on the time needed to make a meal. If possible, have older children start preparing meals when they come home from school; you should only allow this if you feel that your child is old enough to use knives or to use the stove by themselves.
• Eating Out is Still An Option – just because you’re trying to get healthy, doesn’t mean that eating out or fast food is dead to you. It’s the amount of times that you’re eating it and the quantity that is dangerous; try limiting these meals as special occasions, like birthdays or as a once a month tradition for the whole family to get together.

Tagged as: health, nutrition