March is National Nutrition month. At SpringSpot, we make it possible for busy parents and kids to build healthy habits and strong family bonds. This month, try at least one of the tips below to start making more informed food choices and develop healthy eating habits as a family.
Read Food Labels
Help yourself make more informed food decisions; look in particular at the added sugar section for kids. Foods you may not realize have sugar probably do; look for ingredients that you can actually read and understand.
Reading nutrition labels:
Helps you make informed food choices
Allows you to track your nutrient intake
Can help you manage your weight
Enables you to identify potential allergens or intolerances
Can improve your overall health and well-being by promoting a balanced diet
Take control of your health with SpringSpot. Our curated wellness activities make parenting and building healthy habits easier. Join us today and start living your best life.
Eat Less Processed, More Whole Foods
When you're at the grocery store, shop more on the perimeter, the outer edge of the store, where things need to be refrigerated. The aisles usually contain shelf stable foods including some highly processed foods which are harder for your body to digest. Do the Healthy Plate activity on SpringSpot to help your kids see what certain foods do to their body and how they will affect their performance
Plan Ahead
Set aside a particular day you go grocery shopping. Sunday afternoons work best for our family; before the start of the week. Just by planning a little ahead and having some food at home will make it easier to cook at home and reduce stress around what to eat for dinner. You can even get input from your kids about what they like to eat.
Go Grocery Shopping with Your Kids
You don't have to limit shopping with your kids to just buying clothes, toys and shoes. Include your kids while grocery shopping. You may think it takes longer, but once you do it a couple times, it gets easier and they'll actually start helping you! Kids really do like being helpful. I take my seven year old grocery shopping with me and he helps me get the meat and poultry from the butcher. The other added benefit is they start being more interested in different food.
Practice Mindful Eating
When it’s meal time, focus on eating and enjoying each morsel. Don’t watch TV or scroll through social media or check emails while eating. Doing so can actually affect how well you digest your food. Distractions like browsing the web on your computer screen can activate your sympathetic nervous system, which switches on fight or flight mode, which can stop digestion completely. Leaving your food improperly digested. For kids, allowing screen time while eating also stops them from being aware of the food they are eating and they won’t pay attention to bodily cues telling them they are full. Use all your senses when you eat. Smell, taste, look and touch your food. Make eating an experience.
Cook More at Home
With all that grocery shopping, you're well on your way to having all the raw ingredients you need for a great meal. Not only will the meal be more healthy, but it also models to your kids the importance of making food and enjoying a meal together.
Eat Together as a Family
If you can cook dinner and eat together that’s great, but if that’s tough, at least eat together. It gives you and your kids an important time to connect during the day. Mealtime can also be a time to share more about your culture and ask each other questions about traditions you want to create. Then it becomes a time that the kids look forward to. Your kids may have busy sports schedules, or one parent works later, which may make eating together more challenging, but split shift family dinners also count! Create “pods” within your family unit so at least two people are sitting down together at any given time to eat. No one should eat alone.
Join us today to bring balance and wellness into your family's busy life. Our curated wellness activities are tailored to fit seamlessly into your daily routine, making it easier for you to prioritize your health and well-being. With our help, you can achieve a healthier, happier family dynamic. Don't wait any longer, sign up now to start your wellness journey with us.
