This is not the easiest season to think about healthy food choices. The span from mid-October through December is loaded with sweets and treats of all kinds, lots of extra calories and an abundance of opportunities to overeat.
Looking at this a different way, however, there couldn’t be a better time to focus on making nutritional choices that are good for you and your family. There are always reasons, justifications and rationalizations for eating poorly, and “the time of year” is high on this list; here are some ways to address this and other common obstacles to better eating:
- It’s too hard this time of year. There does seem to be a greater abundance of food now than at other times, but there’s never a perfect time to make changes. If you want to have five servings of every dish at Thanksgiving, or eat a pound of Halloween candy, you still can – but why not make healthier choices the rest of the time?
- I don’t have time for reading labels. You don’t have to spend a lot of time, because there are just a few key things to look for – trans fats, hydrogenated fats, and/or lots of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Over time, trans fats double a woman’s risk of heart disease, and a recent University of Maryland study found evidence of high cholesterol and blood fats in children as young as eight years old. The less processed food in your diet, the better.
- I know I should buy more organic food, but it’s really expensive. It can be, but some food is more important to buy organic than others. For a list of fruits and veggies that generally have higher concentrations of pesticides, click here.
- My kids want the food they see advertised on TV, just like all their friends eat. Start explaining to your children at a young age why good nutrition is so important, and model healthy choices yourself. Your kids don’t have to forego all the food they love, but moderation is important. Pretzels, nuts and popcorn are better than most “junk food,” and kids often like these.
- I don’t have time to cook; fast food is easy and quick. Yes, but most of it is loaded with fat, calories and little nutritional value, especially if the food is fried. If you need to grab something on the fly, a sandwich shop (Subway, Quiznos, etc.) is often a healthier bet. Some moms keep frozen dinners on hand; these cost less than going out, can be heated up quickly, and give you better nutritional options than standard fast food fare.
- I’m not ready to make drastic changes. Nor do you have to. An “all or nothing” approach to healthy eating is unlikely to work for most families; look for small changes that are sustainable over time. For instance, if you did nothing more than cut out one can of soda a day (or 12 oz. of fruit juice, which has the same amount of sugar), you’d save yourself… are you ready?… almost 55,000 calories a year (reducing your weight by15 pounds, all else being equal).
- My kids don’t like to drink water. Once they’re used to lots of sweetened beverages, this can be a challenge. Young children who are just beginning to drink from a bottle or sippy cup, however, are usually happy to drink water, but parents don’t offer it, thinking that some other choice will be more to the child’s liking.
- If I’m only going to do one thing, what really matters? Aim to offer your family a balanced overall diet, whenever possible, with lots of fruits and vegetables and only limited sugar and fat. This won’t always happen, but if unhealthy meals are the exception rather than the rule then you’re heading in the right direction.
Eating healthier can feel daunting, but remember that every single step you make toward a healthier diet for your family will make a big difference over time.
Your assignment: Pick one thing you can do this week to improve your family’s diet in some small way. Look at labels a little more carefully, buy healthier snacks, look into organic options, or just try to drink more water. Every change matters!
