BRINGING HEALTHY FOOD INTO YOUR HOME CAN BE EASY BUT BY ADDING THESE SMPLE HEALTHY EATING TIPS, YOUR FAMILY WILL BE ENJOYING MORE HEALTHY FOODS AND BEGIN A MORE WHOLE FOOD LIFESTYLE.
Do you ever feel like we spend much time and money at the store, farmers markets and even growing your own garden? We have all this good intention of feeding our family all this wonderful nutritious food, only to have it just sit in the bottom of the fridge and weeks later end up tossing it out.
Well, it used to be the same way in our home until one day after tossing it all out and noticing I wasn’t feeding my family as healthy as I wanted to. I found better ways to not just bring it in our home but to actually put into our bodies and nourish my family.
Simple Tips to Bring More Nutrients in Your Home
1. Don’t Hide Healthy– Having a clear view of your healthy choices like apples, oranges and bananas in a bowl on the counter. If you like your fruit cold , place in a bowl on a shelf in the fridge where its the first item you see and where little fingers can grab easily.
Cutting up oranges , pineapple or berries and placing them in containers will be eaten more when readily prepped and easy to take with you on the go.
2.Cleaning Produce- Washing and prepping fruits and vegetables right away, A solution of water and apple cider vinegar in a bowl is a simple way to remove any germs off berries and other produce that cannot be peeled. Leave in bowl for at least 5 minutes, drain and rinse. Pat dry and place in containers on a visible shelf in the fridge. Vegetables like carrots and celery can be cut into strips and placed in a mason jar with water and placed on a visible shelf n the fridge for a quick snack to grab.
3.Prepping your smoothies– Taking one day a week to prep a weeks worth of smoothie ingredients for your family. You are more likely to make a smoothie if everything is already done and all you have to do is pour it in the blender. Combine berries, bananas and any other produce you want to add and have them all ready n air tight freezer containers. Just add any non dairy milks, greens ,seeds or nuts separately.
4.Stocked Pantry -Our pantry is a busy place in our home and we try to keep it stocked with healthy choices. Low sugar snacks like whole grain crackers, pretzels, homemade granola, seeds and whole grain cereals. Placing them in baskets and jars in the front of the pantry , helps our family make more healthy choices when snacking.
5. Baking from Scratch-There are not too many days that I don’t have something baked and on our counter for a baked healthy snacks. Muffins and bars can be a healthy snack when made with whole ingredients like whole grains, natural sugars made from fruit like bananas and berries. Shredded and pureed vegetables can be added to baked goods to add even more goodness.
Avoiding Processed Food
When our family started our whole food journey , it started as early as when my son was a baby. when I would blend up real sweet potatoes and he loved them, I was so excited, I just kept going. next was peas, carrots, broccoli and spinach.
As he grew into a toddler , it was adding sweet potatoes to pancakes, and adding more whole foods to everything I made. I was really enjoying coming up with new recipes all the time. BUT I have to admit, he was a toddler and didn’t like everything I made.
As much as I tried to make everything from scratch , there were times when I had to pick up items that were more convenient as a busy working mom and foods that were needed for everyday meals.
Looking at labels and ingredients is the first step to choosing more healthier options. Keeping ingredients to 4 or less helped me when looking at labels and knowing what the ingredients were and if they were healthy. If you cannot pronounce or are not familiar with the ingredients on the label, it it probably not a healthy choice. Looking for more whole ingredients like whole grains, more natural sugars and organic.
Don’t Forget To Hydrate
Water, water , water, this is probably the most important tip of all for keeping healthy. Our bodies need to be hydrated, and when we start adding more healthier food options like whole grains with more fiber, our digestive system needs more fluids to keep everything moving.
*Fill a jar or glass with water to keep by your bedside and drink water upon waking. Our body gets dehydrated during the night after 7-8 hours.
*Keep water near you throughout the day as a constant reminder to drink more.
*Add fruit like sliced lemon, oranges and cucumbers to give it a little added flavor and extra nutrients.
The Simplest way to eat more healthy is to just enjoy your food. Have fun with planning, prepping and filling your kitchen with colors of the rainbow. Taking little steps each day, each week or even each month is one step closer to a healthier you and for your family.
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