Family life can be busy. Whether it’s the parents working late or doing the household chores or children going to school and taking part in a sport or other activity in the evening, you can often find yourselves rushing from one place to the next. While it might often sound tempting to dine on a quick TV meal or take out, it’s also important to find time to encourage a healthy diet. Here are some ways you can make sure your whole family stays healthy in 2020.
The kids
Childhood obesity has become a big problem over the last few years. Whether it’s snacking on candy and potato chips, or just spending too much time in front of the TV, children can often find the least healthy options the most appealing. Encourage your children to eat vegetables as often as possible. While this may be difficult, there are many ways you can try sneaking healthy foods into their meals. Try making a vegetarian version of their favorite meal, whether that’s spaghetti, chilli or even burgers.
It’s also important for your child to exercise regularly. Find a sport or activity that they enjoy and see if there is a local neighborhood team that they can join. Not only will this keep them healthy, it will teach them new life skills and they’ll make new friends too.
The pets
With most pets it’s often very easy to keep them active. A few throws of a tennis ball in the yard or at a park can keep a dog sprinting back and forth for hours. When a dog becomes overweight, often it’s the diet that is to blame. No matter how much they beg, or how cute a face they pull, try and avoid feeding your dog any leftovers from your own plate.
Instead, make sure they have a diet plan appropriate to them. When it comes to choosing the dog food for your pet, no two dogs are the same. Choose a pet food that is tailored to your dog’s age, size and any health problems they may have. If you’re unsure, speak to your veterinarian about what would be best for your dog. If you have a smaller dog, feeding them small amounts two to four times a day could also be beneficial for their digestive system.
Yourself
While worrying about the rest of the family, it can often be easy to forget about yourself. It’s important that you keep healthy so you can be there for your family. When you’re at work, make sure you have access to nutritious food. If you don’t have a staff canteen that offers a good option, make sure you give yourself time to prepare a healthy sack lunch to take to work with you. That way, you’ll avoid the unhealthy pre-prepared sandwiches and cart food and also save money. When you get home, avoid unhealthy snacks and excessive amounts of alcohol. Whilst it might seem you’re consuming these in small amounts, they can have a big effect on your diet in the long term.
