How to talk to your kids about healthy living

Healthy eating should be a family affair

If one person needs to change his eating, everyone does. This is really important because if only one family member is told he has to diet, he will feel resentful and become the “fat” one, the “one on the diet,” and this will wreak havoc to his self-esteem,his body image and his place in the family. It will most likely result in a negative outcome, whether that means he will not lose the weight, or worse develop an eating disorder is hard to predict, but what is easy to predict is that if we are not careful we can cause damage.

So, instead of one person dieting, the family should change their eating habits. Just as if someone in the family was allergic to peanuts, the house would become peanut-free. If one child needs to lose weight, the rest of the family shouldn’t be eating ice cream next to him. Instead, teach your family about balanced eating: fruits & vegetables, starch, protein, and fat. Perhaps, have a family visit to a nutritionist. Remind everyone that eating unhealthy occasionally is OK, in moderation. Teach them to make good choices under your supervision so they can continue to make good choices without you. It’s never about them, it’s always about a healthy lifestyle for the whole family. It’s not about losing weight, it’s about being healthy. It’s not about looking a certain way, but about feeling a certain way. Ideally, eating right should make you feel good. Learning to stop eating when you are full, to eat foods that are good for you and don’t give you highs and lows, are all ways to show your family what this is really about. If a particular health situation for one family member precipitated this change, you must make it clear that this is important for everyone in the family, and that after they get used to the adjustments it will be a welcome change.

Get Your kids involved in meal planning and meal preparation

At the beginning of each week, ask each member of the family to suggest a dinner, and let them take part in its execution. Whether that is going to the grocery store, ordering the food online, going to the farmer’s market, cooking the food, etc. the important component is that they feel involved and part of the process. This will contribute to their enjoyment of the food, and hopefully decrease the burden of healthy cooking by spreading it throughout the family. As the kids get older, they can be in charge of the cooking one day a week, or more. Healthy eating is laborious, time consuming and expensive, but there are many ways to reduce time and costs.

Make meal time, a time to bond

And just another added benefit, taking the time to have family dinners is one of the best things you can do for your kids. its a relaxed atmosphere where they can share with you the highs and lows of their day.

Exercise together – but make it fun

Another way to achieve a new, healthy lifestyle is to make a move from sedentary to active. Physical activity releases endorphins into our body and makes us feel good, but there is a learning curve inside our bodies, and we need to achieve a certain level of activity to release these natural chemicals. Families should meet to plan and choose activities they would enjoy doing together. Hiking, bike riding, playing tennis are all great family activities, but find the one that is right for your family. Make sure to put it into your schedule so that it actually happens. These are the bonding experiences that make for great memories. Family time is now also time spent outdoors. Instead of watching a movie with junk food at home, it’s going camping and hiking in a beautiful park or taking a family walk after dinner.

Model healthy eating and a healthy body image

Just remember, your children take all their cues from you, so be a good role model. Eat healthily, but enjoy your food. Accept and appreciate your body and treat it well. This will influence and help more than anything you put on the table.