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1. Bring God Into The Home – Teach your family about God. The family has to understand their spirit before they can take care of their flesh (the body). Go to the Bible. Refer to the Word when handling the ups and downs in the family. Teaching the family to walk in the way in which God would approve and pray together.
2. Educate Your Family About Healthy Eating- Teach your family about healthy choices and understanding of what is Organic, Corn Syrup (corn sugar), MSG ( monosodium glutamate) GMO's ( Genetically Modified Organisms) RBST, ( Growth Hormone in Dairy Farming.) The hormones and antibiotics in animal products. Share the benefits of cold pressed, super foods,fiber, food-based daily vitamins.
3. Plan Meals Ahead – You as the food planner are responsible for what your family is eating and their health. Save time and money by planning ahead. Before you go to the store make a list of the days of the week and plan day-by-day. Then make a separate list of things you need around the house. Pick up the household items on the same day to avoid picking up unwanted snacks. Making more trips to the store, make you more vulnerable to over buying and getting un-needed snacks. Many people go to the store hungry and thirsty, they tend to buy snacks that have little nutritional value for a quick fix. Then you get home with 10 liters of soda and try to figure out why you bought so much soda. Do “out of the box shopping” meaning fresh meats, vegetables and grains. Buy Organic, most stores carry Organic they usually are located in a separate section. If you don't see one just ask. If your area doesn't carry Organic at all just ask the manager of your local store. You can also visit your local farmers market.
4. Eat Out Less - By cooking at home you have better control of what you and your family is eating and it saves money too. The food taste better because it is fresh and more nutritious. Plan a night for the family to cook together because a family that cooks together stays together. Stay away from fast food restaurants. Many of these places have signs that say “May cause birth defects” ( I have seen these at Carls Jr.'s& Milly's). Others have sand in their meat ( Google: lab test on meat for Taco Bell). Most of the time the food is microwaved and doesn't have any nutritional value. I have been there too thinking, "oh it has lettuce and tomatoes on it, must be health right?" Wrong! After the bleaching, drying, then frozen and thrown in a box with a long travel. When it is cooked, it is tossed in a microwave or overly boiled. There is hardly, if any nutrients left.
5. Have Breakfast- I have a breakfast morning shake. (Lately, I need to do better, but we are all a work in progress. Honesty moment!) Anyways, this gets your metabolism going after the long 6 to eight hour fast while sleeping. Eating breakfast gives you a great energy boost to begin your day. I have heard of people drinking a warm cup of water or tea in the morning to get their metabolism going. ( I have not tried this consistently enough to rate it.)
6. Keep A Regular Family Schedule- Do this by eating the same time everyday. Don't skip meals . Try to eat one meal together a day to keep communication open in the family. This helps to provide structure. This gives a great opportunity to share the great things going on and the not so great things.
7. Don't Reward Your Child With Food- Never reward your child with food as a reward. They will take this with them to adulthood and the pounds. Example: Giving a child a Twinkie for being good and when they get older they equate I did good today, I deserve a Twinkie Martini. This is a dangerous and vicious cycle. This brings out the ugly definition of “comfort food.” Another thing to be watchful for yourself and for your family is eating while sad. Just eating to ease your nerves and to feel better. All it does is lead to feeling worse then you ever have before and with an extra 100 pounds.
8. Increase Family Exercise- Go out as a family, maybe invite some friends to play basketball, dodge ball, tennis, go hiking and softball. These are mostly free things and time to enjoy outside and some good Vitamin D. These activities help with confidence and team building skills. Trust building is another lesson we can learn while being in a different environment.
9. Eat Healthy Snacks And Drinks- Take and pack of healthy snacks with you. Easy take alongs: boiled eggs, nuts, fruits, cut vegetables, cheese cubes, etc. It is amazing when you watch other people from other countries, these are their snack of choice instead of: chips, cookies and everything carb. Look at the calories of the soda, juice or sports drinks. Look at how many grams of sugar ( 1 tsp = 5 grams) Also check the sodium amount. Stick to 100% juices with no added sugar. If you have to have soda, have one made with cane sugar. Remember to stay away from Corn Syrup. For every glass of soda or juice match it with a glass of water. Try to drink eight glasses of water a day. Encourage this by bringing a water jug with you and packing water with everyone in the family.
10. Family Time- Spending time together is very important, no matter the size of the family, even if its just you two. Pick a time during the day to spend time together. Find a time when all family can come together to share their day. Many families do this around the dinner table. Some choose to take this time before bed to come together to read a story to their little ones. Family game nights are a great way to come together and have fun. The time goes by so fast and everyday is an opportunity for a great memory.
