Tips and support for our journey to a healthier lifestyle

redroses

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 4:42 pm

My kids have been getting sick frequently and I've decided that it is time to improve our eating habits. I want to make a transition to "clean eating" which will be a challenge to my whole family as we are all foodies. We are also used to eating a certain way and I would appreciate tips on how to make this transition easier for us all. I would love to simply cut out all processed foods and junk but I know I will be met with resistance especially from DH who actually orders food with "extra MSG" and eats gushers as a pallate cleanser It is hard for me to change my kids eating habits without changing mine or DH's. Can anyone provide me with tips/ideas/support as well as information on what foods we should add into our diet or take out from our diet to improve immune system and overall health? And maybe ideas for healthy meals that DH would go for? TIA. GO!

pause

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 4:49 pm

Make a list of things you would like to implement. If you would have your ideal healthy lifestyle what would it include and what would it exclude.
Then work on ONE thing at a time and gauge your family's reaction. You don't need to say anything such as "These cookies are made with oil instead of margarine. Tell me how you like them." Just do it and see what they say. Then you'll know what "goes" and what doesn't.

I would start with
no margarine
no frying
eliminate food coloring
reduce white sugar and white flour
and stop eating out!!!

Good luck!

Maya

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 4:55 pm

I would first eliminate, or severely limit, the nosh and sugary junk that's in the house, and try to replace with something more healthy that's appealing to your family. Going from Gushers right to carrot sticks might be a bit of a shock, so try to find something in between for now, before you transition into vegetables as snacks.

I would also try to change all white bread to whole wheat.

SingALong

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 5:02 pm

I'm also trying to get healthier with my kids. Some things I've tried:

Snack packs of flutes, popcorn, pretzels, potato chips, instead of sugary snacks with colors

Lots of fruits available for snacking, easy for kids like orange slices, bananas, peaches/nectarines to bite into.

Every supper we start with a salad. Usually Caesar, sometimes Israeli salad with sour pickles, my kids love it. I'll sometimes just leave a large plate with sliced cucumbers/peppers/tomatoes on the table before supper.

allthingsblue

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 5:02 pm

This is going to be tough, since if your DH isn't willing to change, it'll be hard to get him to do so!
But some ideas to help you out:

Keep a supply of fresh cut up fruit in the fridge, readily accessible for snacking. You can make a 1-2-3 fruit salad using Bodek frozen fruit (strawberries, peaches, blueberries, mangos), just defrost and you have it!

Cook healthy yet guy friendly recipes for dinner. Some ideas that my DH likes (and let me know if you want recipes):
Meatballs (lean meat, sauce with little sugar)
Chili
Chicken cooked in a variety of ways (garlic chicken, chicken and potatoes, coq au vin, Cornish hens...)
Chicken cutlets (breast meat) cooked in a variety of ways (chicken marsala, grilled chicken with different spice combinations, baked chicken with different spice combinations)
Salmon
Tilapia

Sides: Baby red potatoes with skin, Baked potato with skin (no butter!), Sweet potato/regular potato fries, with skin, baked and with little oil, grilled veggies...

studying_torah

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 5:08 pm

Take the transition slowly- start with adding a little whole wheat into reg flour, cutting down sugar in foods a bit at a time, limiting junky foods to only shabbos. Also it might help to explain to ur family y u r doing this, and ask them for "input" on things to change or new healthy foods to try. Perhaps they can plant some veggies or join u in making menus or cooking. Kids always eat better if they're involved in the process. Hey mayb try this w your hubby as well.
Good luck and kudos for trying to become healthier!

amother

Tue, Jul 15 2014, 6:34 pm

If you are looking for biggest changes to help with building immune system...cut out sugar and switch to raw honey/coconut sugar. Eliminate white flour. Cook with coconut oil. Take probiotics!

Shopmiami49

Wed, Jul 16 2014, 3:01 am

My dh sounds just like your and it took about a year, but slowly I was able to mostly replace white flour for 70% whole wheat and now we just have big salads for supper with light dressing - oil, vinegar, spices.

Those 2 changes alone have made a big difference.

amother

Sat, Jul 19 2014, 11:44 pm

One major change we did is that now soda is reserved only for shabbos. During the week we mostly drink flavored water because it still has the bubbles.
We do drink juice which I know is not great but its better then only soda

for snacks you can try veggie straws (get a huge box from Costco), pretzels, granola bars and homemade popcorn

Grateful2bhere

Mon, Dec 08 2014, 11:07 pm

amazing site: www.drweil.com
A-Z on integrative health, recipes, Western & non-Western intelligent info from Harvard med. grad Integrative doctor - amazing resource.

southernbubby

Mon, Dec 08 2014, 11:10 pm

I also read somewhere that during cold, flu, and virus season, we need to be more careful about cleaning bathrooms and surfaces where germs like to have babies.

amother

Mon, Dec 08 2014, 11:26 pm

Do it slowly. Start small. I only eat ww flour ad honey no processed sugars at all. But dh doesn't.
my kids are little but dh and I made rules. He doesn't buy soda all. No msg what so ever. No candy with food coloring. I buy only healthy whole grain cereals. I cook only ww. (Except I make white challah for him). That means bread crumbs are ww. Etc.
I buy ww noodles and my kids don't like fresh veggies so I make tons of soups. I give them one fruit snack a day and one move noshy snack like a carob rice cake. Popcorn. Cornpops. Fruit leather etc.

sky

Mon, Dec 08 2014, 11:31 pm

I thought the ideas on here were very doable [8 week get healthy plan]: http://nowaythatshealthy.blogs......html
I believe its from an amother: http://imamother.com/forum/vie.....detox

An easy thing to start with is to cut out all food coloring. its surprising where it can be hiding.
I can still buy chips (after checking the ingredients), popcorn, lolly pops. But we are much more limited and typically if it doesn't have food coloring the product is a bit better then the alternative (we found food coloring in pickles, vanilla cookies and lots of other surprising places.).
We originally started it to help my son's eczema and it did wonders and I loved that it limited our options while we still had exciting things.
(In the mean time some food coloring has snuck back in and my son's eczema has flared up again).

rowo

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 6:29 am

Check out thatsugarfilm.com
I found that by educating myself, I've got to the point where I don't even crave things that I once loved anymore.

Reduce the amount of processed foods you buy and eat.
Real foodies enjoy the taste of real food and flavors. Being healthy doesn't mean you don't enjoy good food.