6 tips to help your family eat healthy
[5 MIN READ]
In this article:
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Dietitian Debrin Cohen offers easy-to-follow tips for encouraging your family to eat healthfully.
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You don’t need to cut out fast food entirely. Instead, make healthier choices when you’re at a fast-food restaurant, such as a grilled chicken sandwich.
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Don’t use dessert as a reward for mealtimes, because it can create an unhealthy relationship with food for your kids. Offer it as a balanced part of the meal.
6 tips to help your family eat healthy
In our fast-food society, it’s easy for busy families to fall into a pattern of unhealthy eating — meals on the go; quick, convenience foods at home; and a decreased focus on fruits and vegetables and eating well. Yet, according to the World Health Organization, adult obesity has doubled since 1990, and adolescent obesity has quadrupled.
It’s not impossible to incorporate healthy foods into a busy family life, says Debrin Cohen, MS, RD, CNSC, a registered dietitian at Providence. Here, she offers some tips for families of all types.
1. Limit fast food
Fast food can definitely fit into a healthy lifestyle, says Cohen — it’s all about making better-for-you choices and practicing moderation.
“Try to limit fast food to once or twice a week,” she says, “and focus on options that are lower in calories, fat, sodium and added sugars. For example, go for an egg sandwich or a grilled chicken salad paired with apple slices or a side salad, and stick with water as your drink.”
You can also try downsizing your meal. Many fast-food restaurants default to a larger size, but make sure you ask for the smallest main meal, side and beverage. You may also consider ordering a kid-sized meal.
2. Plan ahead when packing lunches
Think about when you might have extra time (such as on the weekends), and use that breathing room to get your food ready for the next few days.
“Prepping ingredients like washed and chopped veggies and cooked proteins over the weekend can save time and make the week less stressful,” says Cohen. “A balanced lunch includes a protein, a vegetable and a whole grain or a fruit. Divided containers are a great way to portion meals and keep everything neat and ready to go.”
3. Model the habits you want to see in your kids
Cohen suggests letting your children watch you enjoy vegetables often.
“Make veggies more appealing by serving them with dips or dressings or creating fun shapes — try spiralizing zucchini into ‘zoodles’ or using a crinkle cutter,” she says. “Offer a couple of vegetable options at each meal and let your kids choose, giving them a sense of control. Hidden vegetables can also work — blend spinach into smoothies or cauliflower into mashed potatoes, grate zucchini into muffins, or incorporate carrots into pasta sauce.”
Cohen cautions that it can take several tries for picky eaters to accept a new food, so you should continue offering vegetables in a positive, no-pressure way.
4. Stick to serving one main meal to your whole family
Rather than getting caught up in the trap of serving different food to everyone, Cohen says there are ways to make a main family meal work for everyone in your house.
“A good trick is to include at least one thing you know everyone likes — like a piece of bread or some fruit — so no one leaves the table hungry,” she says. “It might even encourage them to try something new on their plate. Little tweaks, like serving sauce on the side, can also make meals more appealing without creating extra work.”
5. Don’t require kids to finish all their food before dessert
Many of us grew up with parents who insisted that the sweet stuff only comes after the good-for-you stuff. That may not be the best idea, says Cohen.
“It can mess with their ability to listen to their hunger and fullness cues,” she says. “A better approach is to serve smaller portions of their meal to start, and let them ask for seconds if they’re still hungry. To help kids build a healthy relationship with food, dessert shouldn’t be a reward or something ‘special.’ Instead, it can just be part of the meal in small, balanced amounts. This keeps dessert from becoming a big deal and helps avoid overeating or an overfocus on treats.”
6. Encourage teens to make healthy choices for snacks
As teens become more independent, says Cohen, it’s important to shift the focus from quantity to the quality and frequency of their snacks.
“Encourage mindful eating by helping them learn to listen to their hunger and fullness cues,” she says. “If they’re truly hungry, encourage nutrient-dense snacks that support their growth and development, such as Greek yogurt with fruit, a handful of nuts or whole-grain crackers with cheese.”
Healthy snacks should be balanced, including protein, fiber and healthy fats to keep them satisfied and energized.
“Snacking becomes a concern if it interferes with regular meals, leads to overeating or consists mostly of ultra-processed, high-sugar foods,” she says.
If you’re creative, you can find ways to encourage your family members to eat well — while also enjoying food and having a healthy relationship with it.
Nutrition counseling
Need a little help getting started? Providence offers nutritional counseling for those of us who need a kick start. Our registered dietitians are dedicated to teaching you how to make nutritionally sound food choices, no matter how busy life is.
Contributing caregiver
Debrin Cohen, MS, RD, CNSC is a registered dietitian at Providence in Calabasas, California.
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This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions.
