What can we do to make our family eat better and healthier? This is a pressing thought that goes through all our minds, isn’t it? After all, eating healthy food leads to the entire family being fit, maintaining an optimal weight, strong bones and teeth and most importantly, a well-functioning heart. It also makes young adults perform better in school, college as well as the workplace.

Below are my suggestions to help your family take a step-by-step approach to eating healthier in the comforts of your own home.

• Include more fruits and veggies: Purchase new varieties of fruits and vegetables every week and cook them in a healthy way. Make your children eat these too to not only provide them with the necessary exposure to these but also to encourage their overall well-being.
• Whole grains are a must: Whole grains like millets, barley, oats, quinoa, buckwheat and brown rice are a welcome addition to the family’s eating plan because of their high content of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. They are essential in promoting a healthy heart, good digestion and weight management.
• Breakfast like a king: Start your day with a power-packed breakfast including nuts and seeds, eggs, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, Greek yoghurt, green tea and other nutritious food that not only provides energy to last the day but also keeps you full and energetic.
• Cook more at home: Even though this is the age of nuclear families that mostly order in meals from restaurants, nothing beats the nutrition quotient that home-cooked food can offer. This way, you can also make sure you and your family are exposed to freshly-cooked, wholesome and nourishing meals cooked with the best ingredients.
• Use healthy cooking options: Avoid fried food as far as possible since these include a lot of unhealthy calories and fats. Instead, opt for healthier cooking techniques like slow cooking, roasting, steaming, grilling or baking.
• Snack right: When we want to snack, most often we are drawn towards unhealthy and oily stuff which are very detrimental to our well-being. It is thus very important to snack smartly. Safe options are ready-to-eat fruits, nuts, dried fruits, yoghurt, fox nuts and the like.
• Say no to sweetened beverages: Replace these with unsweetened and low-calorie options like plain water, herbal teas, black coffee, fruit-infused water, coconut water or Kombucha.
• Desserts: Try and limit the regular intake of desserts that are very high in calories. Home-made desserts are your best bet, especially when added with fruits.
• Be a role model: Last, but not least, be a role model in the house. If you eat healthy and maintain a clean lifestyle, your other family members are sure to follow suit. And, as the old saying goes, a family that eats together stays together!