Every year weight loss makes one of the top New Year’s resolutions in America. And yet, every year this is one of the resolutions that many abandon before the first buds of spring arrive.
Instead of focusing only on the number of pounds lost, I suggest a change of focus to healthful eating behavior for the whole family. Create a supportive environment for your children by leading them by example. Here are some ideas:
- Eat three nutrient rich meals and one snack a day. Nutrient rich meals include a variety of whole foods and limiting the amount of highly processed foods.
- Start your breakfast with 1 cup of cooked oatmeal with nuts, chia seeds, cinnamon, fruits and yogurt or milk. Or try a whole grain bread or English muffin with 1-2 eggs. Choose coffee or tea but be mindful of what and how much you add to your drink.
- Skip the mid-morning snack unless you are a very active person with no weight issues.
- Take lunch from home and limit the frequency of doing take-out or eating out. Pack your own lunch by using leftovers from last night’s dinner or make a healthy sandwich. In place of chips, pack a bag of veggies. Frozen meals are convenient if you are pressed for time, but check the food label and make a mindful selection. Choose calorie free drinks such as water or tea.
- Pack an afternoon snack so you are not starving at dinner time. Consider a handful of nuts with a fruit or veggies with hummus or string cheese with few crackers or low-calorie Greek yogurt with some fruit. Careful with office snacks as generally they tend to be high in sugar and not fulfilling. Before eating, try some zero calorie drinks first.
- Involve your kids in the kitchen and eat dinner together as much as possible. Focus on balanced meals – a protein (lean meat, fish, seafood, egg or soy), a starch (pasta, noodle, bread, rice, potato, yam, winter squash, corn, tortilla) and plenty of colorful vegetables (tomato, green leaves, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, bell peppers, bean sprouts, green beans, onion, mushroom, radish, brussels sprouts, beets). Half of the plate should be veggies, the other half of the plate divided between your meat and starch. Get cooking ideas from Pinterest or other websites and look for healthier options with less cream, butter, or sugar in the recipe.
- Go grocery shopping as a family so children can learn the difference between processed and whole foods. Minimize bringing “junk foods” home to avoid temptations later.
- Don’t forget to reduce screen time and be physically active as a family. Go for a walk, go skiing, skating or swimming together. Enroll in different classes offered at the gym.
Your local registered dietitian can be an excellent source of additional information to assist with menu choices and other questions related to this article.