Eating Healthy for Family Meals

There's no big secret to healthy eating; choose nutritious, wholesome foods that you prepare yourself to avoid the high fat, sugar and salt content found in most processed foods and restaurant meals. This is easier said than done in this day when so many moms work outside the home and may feel that they just don't have the time or energy to make a consistent effort.

The key to success is planning. Do your homework to find nutritious, well-balanced recipes that your family enjoys. Limit meat consumption to keep cholesterol in check, which also has the advantage of being kind to your family budget. Using fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits also saves money; frozen produce is the next best thing, as it is usually processed at the peak of perfection. Double the size of dishes that can be easily frozen for a quick, nutritious meal on days when you just don't have time to prepare a meal from scratch. Use a slow-cooker to make meals that are ready to eat by the time you get home from work.

If your family is used to a lot of processed foods and restaurant meals they may be resistant at first. Introduce changes gradually and enlist your children's help in planning and preparing meals. They will be more open to changes in their diet if they feel they have a stake in culinary matters. In time, your family will come to prefer the taste of meals prepared at home from scratch, which rely on good ingredients and seasoning, rather than on processed foods that provide flavor through fat, sugar and salt.