Home is where the health is… How to promote a healthy lifestyle at home!
When you come into 30/10 Weight Loss for Life, you are putting your health first and are prepared to transform your life! We help you develop lifelong healthy habits and reach your weight loss goals, with the reward of free maintenance for life and increasing your overall health! It is important to start a lifestyle change for yourself, but it is also important to promote a healthy home for your family! We want to offer tips on how to make it easy to have a healthy home to not only promote your own success, but to encourage overall health for your family! If you haven’t yet, check out our Meal Prepping blog and the Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle blog, as they also give great tips and tricks! From grocery shopping to preparing meals for the family, we have great ways for you and your family to live your healthiest life!
Grocery shopping
If you are cooking for just you or your whole family, it is important to plan out what you want to prepare before going to the grocery store! Whether you plan for one meal or two weeks worth, if you create a grocery list for everything you need, you will more than likely stick to the list rather than buying things you don’t need. You can always make a rule to stick to your grocery list, or to only shop the perimeter of the store versus going up and down the middle aisles that are filled with processed and sugary foods! If you do need items such as pasta noodles, rice, or canned and frozen vegetables, then make sure to have in mind what items you are getting and stick to it! You can also make smart swaps for these items, such as trying out chickpea pasta that has a good source of protein and fiber compared to regular pasta noodles.
Other tips for grocery shopping:
- Read food labels. Reading the labels of items you would normally buy for yourself or your family can help determine if it should remain a staple item or if you should limit how often you buy it. The key to finding healthier and better options based on food labels is to make sure it has limited sodium, added sugars, and trans fats. It is important to also see what is in the ingredients, it is better to purchase something that has ingredients that you know of versus ingredients that you have to google.
- Don’t shop when hungry. When you shop when you are hungry, you are more likely to purchase items to snack on or what may sound good at the time, but aren’t the best option for you. Make sure to eat either a healthy snack or meal before going to the store so it is easier to stick to your list instead of listening to cravings!
Preparing meals
When it comes to your family meals, it is important to incorporate all of the macronutrients. Starting off with a protein option, such as chicken, beef, fish, or tofu, and then selecting one to two vegetables and a healthy fat provides a well balanced and healthy meal! An example of this would be shredded chicken with black beans, rice, salsa and guacamole which will make a delicious burrito bowl for everyone to enjoy! If you are on program, make a side of cauliflower rice instead of the rice, beans and guacamole and swap those options for lettuce, pico de gallo, and cook with avocado oil is a great option to help you stay on track!
As for preparing your meals, using an air-fryer or Instantpot can cut the prep time in half while having the same delicious outcome! Some great recipes for these kitchen appliances include buffalo wings, shredded chicken, air-fried or roasted veggies, and more! With 500+ recipes included in our program, you will find it is quick and easy to make family meals! If you don’t plan on using an air-fryer and prefer the oven or stove, you can cut down cooking time by having everyone prepare one part of the dish! When you include the family in preparing meals, it not only can teach them how to cook, but it is great bonding time as well!
Tips for preparing family meals:
- When preparing dinner, have different food options and have everyone build their own plate. This allows kids to feel like they have control over what they eat and when you provide more healthy options at meals, they will more than likely continue to choose healthier options when they get older! This also allows you to have leftovers for the family to eat throughout the week, depending on how much food is prepared at your meals! You can also prepare side dishes that go with other sources of protein, making it easy to plan out meals for the rest of the week.
- An example would be having chicken breast with broccoli, mashed cauliflower, and a whole grain roll and then for the next meal preparing steak and using the sides that were leftover with another vegetable like asparagus!
- After grocery shopping, cut up all your fruits and vegetables so that it is easier to pack snacks or prepare for meals. This also helps you not waste the food since it is already prepared instead of sitting in the fridge during the week untouched and can also help keep you on track with healthy snacks!
- Pack lunches as a family! If everyone packs their own lunch together, it is customized to their preference and creates bonding time with one another. This can be done by having one family member cut up the fruits and vegetables, the other putting items into separate containers and then the remaining individuals to pack lunch boxes!
It is important to have a healthy home to promote a healthy lifestyle for the entire family!
Here are some other tips that can be useful!
- Eat one meal together a day. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it is important to enjoy a meal with one another! If you are able to, encourage the family to practice mindful eating by putting away phones and turning off the television so you can talk about one another’s day.
- Practice an active lifestyle! While kids usually get recess time to be active, every family member should try to get 30 minutes of activity in a day. You can also make a goal to set aside one hour during the week to do an activity together, such as hiking, biking, or walking!
- Be supportive of a healthy lifestyle! If you are someone who is doing a 30/10 Weight Loss for Life program, or another family member is doing it on their own, take time to sit down with your family to explain things you may need from them so you can promote your own success. This can mean preparing one of our recipes for your entire family to enjoy or making the program-approved recipe with a non-program side option for them such as rice, pasta, or potatoes! We have many recipe choices that are family friendly and easy to make, so make sure to either check out recipes on our app or ask your weight loss coach for ideas!
Lastly, it is important to be a role model of a healthy lifestyle for your entire family! You can be a role model by putting your health first when you come into 30/10 Weight Loss for Life and achieve your weight loss goals and maintain them with the help of our free maintenance program. Or it could also be encouraging your family to practice healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle, which will make them see you as a role model that cares about your family’s health! Practicing these tips makes having a healthy lifestyle not only easy and convenient, but promotes health and fun for the entire family!
30/10 Weight Loss for Life isn’t a diet, it is a comprehensive weight loss program that can help you achieve your goals and weight loss success! Get started with 30/10 Weight Loss for Life by visiting any 30/10 location or call us at (855)-937-3010!
