Eating healthfully while raising a family can be challenging, especially when you’re on a tight schedule. Not to worry — with a few simple tips and tricks, it’s entirely possible to establish healthy eating habits for your family that stick.
Here are 10 good eating habits for families to practice, including healthy eating habits for kids.
1. Get your family involved with planning.
When trying to create healthy eating habits for your family, getting them involved in the planning process is an important step.
Setting aside a weekly time to plan meals will ensure everyone will have their favorite healthy foods on hand, and will encourage healthy eating habits for kids as well.
2. Make a shopping list, and stick to it.
Making a shopping list is key to practicing healthy eating habits. This allows you to plan your meals with health in mind. Create a list of ingredients you need for your meals as well as snacks.
Keeping healthy snacks on hand is equally as important, especially on busy days when you’re out and about wrangling your kids to soccer practice and afterschool activities.
3. Prep and cook in advance.
Are you doing all of your meal prep work at the last minute? When you’re a busy parent or caregiver, prepping ahead of time can help you stick to healthy eating habits.
If you’re new to meal planning, start small by planning one day ahead at a time. Simply knowing what you’ll be having to eat the next day will make better eating habits more seamless.
4. Keep meals simple.
Cooking fancy meals are not a required healthy eating habit. Healthy, balanced meals can be super simple with minimal ingredients. In fact, the easier the better, as they will be more likely to fit into your busy schedule.
5. Keep easy snacks on hand.
Healthy, convenient snacks are also essential in your meal planning rotation. Our CHOMPS meat sticks are a convenient, healthy and sustainable energy source your whole family will love.
6. Eat together whenever possible.
Research shows families that eat meals together at least 3 times a week were 24% more likely to have better eating habits. This included eating more fruits and vegetables.
Eating together helps encourage more sensible and intuitive eating habits, where you’re more likely to eat a balanced meal.
7. Shut off the screens.
These days, it seems technology is impossible to hide from. But shutting off the screens during mealtimes will enable your family to practice better eating habits.
This will help reduce distractions and support more mindful eating. Establish a “no screentime” rule during meals to ensure everyone stays present.
8. Eat breakfast.
The old saying holds true — breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. Having a nutritious breakfast with adequate protein will satisfy hunger all morning long. Our original turkey jerky sticks are a perfect way to kick the protein content of your breakfast up a notch.
9. Create a meal schedule.
Timing your meals is another way to establish healthy eating habits as a family. Set a schedule for meals, especially dinners, so that you know you won’t lose track of time.
If you know when the meal needs to be on the table, it will help avoid any intense hunger pangs or last-minute poor choices.
10. Choose grass-fed meat.
When it comes to your animal proteins, grass-fed meat is superior for health. Grass-fed meats are lower in unhealthy fats, higher in omega-3 fats, and contain more antioxidants for a strong immune system. All of our CHOMPS products are 100% grass-fed, each and every time.
Practicing healthy eating habits as a busy family is hard, but entirely possible. With these simple strategies, you’ll be able to enjoy family meals and improve your health in the process.
Visit our CHOMPS store to shop for convenient family-friendly snacks and meal additions.
