Keeping my family healthy has become a greater priority lately. The kids started asking for treats after each meal and honestly, it caught me off guard! By treats I mean cookies, apples, cheese, peanut butter crackers- a combination of good and bad. When I realized then I had been doing the one thing I had promised myself I would never do which is reward my kids with food. I felt horrible. Regardless if it was healthy food it is not the way I wanted them to build a relationship with food. I can’t recall when this began but I knew I had to fix it pronto! I remember the times when I would get angry at my parents for giving my kids junk. I felt horrible because here I was doing just that.
I decided to trace back my steps and see why we had been eating out so much or buying junk food and not enough fresh food.
I realized then that there was no plan, no organization, and no access to healthy living. It’s like we fell off the great healthy start we were on.
As a Latina, I was raised eating deep fried everything and starches with every meal. I do things differently then i was raised to so everything is a learning experience. I know I have changed before and I knew I need to go back to what worked. We had already done the switch from white to brown, or should i say whole wheat. Our bread, rice and pasta are still whole wheat!
I remembered the reasons we joined the gym, we changed our eating habits and why we wanted to be healthier when we moved to NJ. We didn’t have health problems but I know diabetes runs in my family. We just wanted to be happier.
Especially for me the change was important. I didn’t want to feel tired when chasing my kids out doors. I didn’t want to feel so full that I felt sleepy right after and I didn’t want to feel hungry late at night because I had skipped a meal and had no snacks!
It is not about losing the weight although that is a plus. I have always been the chubby kid and i’m ok with that.
I finally came up with a plan. I decided that again our meals will be planned. Our snacks will come out of a snack box I would put together and a grocery list will be made based off our meal plans. Fresh produce will be purchased weekly and our fridge will have a water pitcher in it.
We will also be renewing our membership to the gym later this month the great part about it is the kids get to come. They get to see mom and dad work out as they do some unknown working out themselves in the jungle gym.
I must also share change doesn’t come over night. I also learned that depriving your body of something only makes life and matters worse. I believe in portion control and I believe in calorie counting. For now we will be working on including the good foods and eliminating most of the eating out and junk. That doesn’t mean that We won’t a joy a cookie or ice cream scoop now and then.
Our goal is to be happy and healthy and of course consume food for what it is… fuel for our body!
Here is the menu plan that has worked before.Obviously each week is different:
We use to do monthly plans not as detailed but with at least one meal this worked but still wasn’t the healthy way to go. I feel week plans or even 2 weeks works best!
Here a snack box idea from REAL SIMPLE that we will be trying this time. We will be having 3 snacks a day again instead of just 1 or 2:
How do you stay healthy? What works and what doesn’t?
Disclosure: This is a LATISM sponsored campaign to support heathy living in the Latino community. All the above are my true and honest opinions.
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