Healthy eating tips for every diet plan

Healthy eating tips for every diet plan

Feeding your family a healthy diet can be a daunting task. There are so many different ways and ideas to eat healthy that it can be difficult to decide which way to go. No matter what diet plan you choose, here are some healthy eating tips that are easy to do and work for the whole family.

1. Eat from small plates like a salad plate

When my young children started eating food from the table, I brought child-sized plastic plates to hold my china. What I didn't know was that at some point I would also be eating on the adult version of the small plate. It can be difficult to fit too much food on a small plate. Since I don't like eating from plastic or paper plates, my husband and I eat from the salad plates that are part of our daily dinner set. Of course, this smaller plate idea could be my husband's trick to do less cleanup after dinner.

2. Simply measure your portion size with your hands

I admire people who weigh and measure their food to make sure they have the right portions. If I had a food scale in my kitchen, my five-year-old would use it for a science experiment with wooden blocks, a stuffed animal, and some maple syrup. I'm not the kind of person who has the time, energy, or inclination to measure food portions, so I use the following system: A portion is the size of my fist, and an ounce of something like cheese is about the size of my thumb. I use these guidelines to understand what constitutes an appropriate portion of food, but I never believe this type of measurement is an exact science. Furthermore, if the food doesn't fit on my plate, then I probably don't need it.

3. Clean the kitchen as you go

After I finish my meal, thinking that I might still be hungry, I sit down for a few minutes just to be sure. Some nutritionists suggest it takes 20 minutes for your body to feel full. This one time I tried to sit for that long while my five-year-old kept asking, "Are you done yet? How much longer? Are the three minutes up yet?"

Since the recommended meal time of 20 minutes is out of the question, I adopted the “clean as I go” meal preparation strategy. I prepare the appropriate portion of healthy food and then put the food away. If I'm really hungry after finishing my first portion, I take the food out and prepare some more. Chances are, I'm not hungry and I don't want to go back to cleaning the kitchen just to eat too much. Organizing can help keep you fit and healthy.

4. Listen to your body

On days when I feel like life is spiraling out of control and I'm on the verge of not being able to contain it anymore, I just want to sit there. And food. But I learned to ask myself, “Am I really hungry?” Ask your body if it is truly full and listen to its reaction. Maybe you're actually hungry or just want a cold glass of mineral water and five minutes to yourself with the newspaper. Or maybe you're nervous or anxious and just need to sit and breathe.

5. Eat in one place in your home

But back when I was first married, I ate in every part of my house and left a trail of crumbs everywhere I went. My husband banished me to the kitchen table to sit with a napkin on my lap. But I realized that by eating in one place, I was actually eating less and enjoying it more. I now eat alone or with my family at our kitchen table. I sit on a chair, put my fork down between bites, put a napkin on my lap and a glass of water on the table. How civilized.

6. Turn off the TV to promote an emotionally healthy environment

After having our second and then third children, my husband and I were both tired at the end of the day. I convinced him that if I was really careful, I could enjoy healthy meals on the sofa while watching TV. We started curling up on the sofa in the family room and eating dinner in front of the TV. We did some work on our house and were forced to turn off our television for several weeks. And back to the dining table we went.

Our conversations at the dinner table became longer and more interesting. We ate more slowly and enjoyed our food. As a mother, I have recognized my family bonds when we eat together at the table. I know TV isn't good for young children, but I never realized how much turning off the TV could promote an emotionally healthy environment for my entire family. To this day, I believe that turning off the TV is one of the best tips for healthy eating.