How to Diet as a Family
Posted in Health Headlines
Dieting is a topic that we love to discuss and talk about, but hate to actually act on. Diets and dieting is probably one of the most discussed subject in North America, other than health, which usually goes along with dieting anyway, making dieting truly the number one topic in this country. Think about it: how many times have you talked and / or thought about the subject in the last week? Or for that matter, in the last few hours? Probably more than you realize! Now, how many times have you actually acted on your dieting talk and intentions? Probably not as much as you realize…
When it comes to dieting, it is always better to do it with someone else. If you have a family, it would be even more helpful to do it as a family, because it never works for one person to be eating one way while still having to cook another way for the rest of the family! When I talk about dieting as a family, I don’t mean putting your 3 year old on the Jenny Craig diet or dragging your entire family out to Weight Watchers every week! I’m talking about making good lifestyle and eating choices together as a family, instead of just one person struggling to do it on their own.
There are ways to get your whole family involved in making healthy choices, and if you are apprehensive about some family members reaction to a lifestyle change, there are ways to do it without them even knowing what you are doing! The first thing you need to think of is how to make it fun. Kids (and adults too) are more apt to stick to something and want to do it if there is fun involved. Making healthier lifestyle choices may not sound like fun, but when you incorporate fun activities into it, changing your family’s lifestyle can be one of the more fun things you’ve ever done as a family.
When it comes to healthier eating choices, you can try having different theme nights each week, where you can learn about a different culture at the same time as trying out different foods. You can even get everyone to dress up in the same type of clothing that the culture wears, and have a few (healthy) dishes from the country you are studying that week.
Another way to get your kids involved is to allow them to help out in the kitchen. Kids, especially younger kids, love to help out, and it makes them feel important and special to be included in your life this way. Let them help you out in the kitchen, and talk to them as you are preparing meals together about how nutritious the potatoes they are peeling are, and what those carrots do for their bodies. You can even make a chart as a family of all the foods you like to eat, and what they do for the body. Include the unhealthy foods that are enjoyed by your family in this chart, so they can see the unhealthy effects they have as well.
