1. Understand the purpose
My 4 year old son wants to beat his dad at board games and run faster.
I use these desires as the motivation to inspire him to eat more healthily. “Eating more green veggies will help you beat your Dad at chess.” Other children want to try new foods “so I can get better at dancing”. It is important to work out what ‘healthy’ means TO your life, no matter how old or young you are.
For what purpose do you want to be healthier? I want to be a good role model. How am I going to inspire my kids to try new foods if I don’t sometimes eat a Brussels sprout in front of them, even if they aren’t my favourite! My husband wants to be able to jump higher at basketball. Some people want to have more energy to socialise, others want to protect themselves against lifestyle diseases. Maybe you want to sleep better or feel more comfortable at the beach? Finding out why you want to be healthier is essential for motivating you to:
2. Eat more colours
To increase variety use colour to guide you, as colour represents the different nutrients within a food. How many colours have you eaten today?
Eat lots of different colours and shades of fruits and veggies everyday! Make sure you enjoy a traffic light of colours on your dinner plate every night. Don't limit yourself to veggies just in the evening. Vegetables also make great lunches and snacks. Eat fresh what is in season. Use frozen, dried and canned to further increase your colour choice.
Rotate your main meal between red and white meat, and white and pink fish. Also include brown lentils, red kidney beans and white chick peas or tofu.
Plus eat more brown and speckled grains! Enjoy oats or wholegrain cereal, a variety of grain breads and raison bread, and choose brown rice sometimes.
Remember: Colours in lollies and special treats don't count.
Sorry but they are artificial colours.
3. Be adventurous, challenge yourself (one step at a time)
“I don't like that" is not an excuse for never trying a food or dish.
My brother claims that he does not like pumpkin except in my fabulous pumpkin soup. My mother stays that she doesn't like eggplant except when I make eggplant parmigiana or ratatouille. We often get so caught up in the status quo that we forget to challenge ourselves.
Foods taste different in different recipes so try things in lots of different ways including raw, cooked, with different sauces, roasted, in soups etc.
Challenge (remember your motivation): Set the goal of trying one new vegetable or healthy recipe each week. Try teaming a new veg with one of your favourites. Go to your local fruit shop and pick a vegetable. Try each one in a number of ways and dishes before making a judgement. If you are in the supermarket, try some dried or cans of lentils, chick peas, red kidney beans or four bean mix.
Tip: My 4 year old and I make something called coloured soup. We go to the fruit shop and find as many different coloured vegetables as we can find. We come home and make them into a delicious soup - fun and nutritious!
WIN!!!
Win a free pass to a Stir 'n' Shake class by sending me one of your favourite healthy recipe. I am looking for recipes which can help inspire others to increase their variety. Any recipes that are chosen to be used for my recipes of the month for the rest of this year will receive a $25 Food Forethought voucher to be used for a Stir 'n' Shake class (or can be used towards a dietetic session or party booking)!
.Happy, Healthy Eating
Article written by Kate Wengier, APD.
Recipes of the month:
- Colour your bolognaise sauce
- Footy inspired recipes
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