Eating Healthfully as a Family

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Eating Healthfully as a Family

 

This is National School Lunch Week in the United States. My Call to

Action addresses the need to make school lunches healthier, to help

reduce the risks of diabetes and other health conditions, as well as

to help children learn how to eat more healthfully. Setting an

example for kids is important, especially around the dinner table,

since children tend to pick up eating habits based on the family

routine. Try the following - your family may not even know they are

eating more healthful meals.

Incorporate a vegetable into every meal, especially in casseroles.

Peas, broccoli, asparagus, red, yellow or green bell peppers,

spinach - you name it, vegetables provide nutrients and fiber.

Use more beans and legumes, and less meat. Chickpeas, lentils and

beans of all varieties (from red to black) are a good source of fiber

and protein.

Serve up whole grains. Brown rice and whole-wheat breads and crackers

provide a delicious, grainy taste and texture - and have more fiber

and protein than their white counterparts.

Switch sweets. Instead of soda, stock the pantry with sparkling

waters. Pour fruit juice into a pitcher and dilute it to lessen the

sugar content. Stock your kitchen with fresh, whole fruits, and leave

the cookies in the store.