Along with the advances in manufacturing that modern technologies have provided us comes manufactured foods as well. We have unfortunately become a society of “convenience”. With dual-income families and children in every activity under the sun becoming “the norm” so few families are sitting down to a homemade meal. It is so much simpler to grab a box of something and heat it up or drive through the local burger place and pick up supper.
So many of today’s health problems can be linked to how we fuel our bodies. With a little effort and pre-planning, we can offer our families the fuel they need to be their best. Let’s face it, if we used watered down gas in our vehicles, it wouldn’t surprise us when they broke down. Yet, we fill our families and our own bodies with sugary drinks, processed foods and greasy fast food. This offers us very little nutrients and puts our organs into distress.
With all the literature and education available to us today, we can all make a little extra effort to provide our families with the proper whole foods. Start small. Kick start your family’s health into gear by giving up sugary drinks. This INCLUDES diet beverages. They actually have a worse effect on our health than their full sugar varieties.
One way our family tries to eat healthier is to pack lunches and skip the lunch program at school. We can be sure our children are getting healthy whole foods instead of frozen and processed. It has been fun to come up with creative alternatives to the “standard” boxed lunch. Our kids enjoy shopping for their weekly fair, as we peruse the produce department they pick out the veggies and fruits that they will be enjoying for the week. One day it might be an assortment of fresh berries and the next day it might be melon.
Another substitute to their lunches this year is Almond Milk. With about 1/4 the calories and half the fat, the implementation of almond milk into our diets has nearly doubled our calcium intake. Helping our family build strong bones and maintaining a healthy blood pressure.
We are an active family, we run, we golf, we play outside, all of these activities combined with proper nutrition help us to not only maintain a healthier body, but a healthier mind and hormonal system as well. Feeling good physically, has an impact on ALL areas of life. If we fuel our children with junk, they won’t have the stamina to perform well in school, it will effect their moods and behavior and set them up for unnecessary struggles. So why not offer them the best fuel for their bodies and help them learn to be their very best.
Here are five simple things you can do in YOUR home to provide your family with a healthier fuel option.
1) Give-up or at the very least, limit sugary drinks. INCLUDING diet beverages.
2) Introduce almond milk
3) Pack your lunch and skip the fast food
4) Offer a fruit at every meal
5) Eat more raw and fresh veggies
I am not suggesting nor would I ever survive eating healthy 100% of the time, but with a few small changes you just might find that you have a happier, healthier family!
Blessings!