October is National Family Health Month. The Key to family
health is bringing families together and building connections and traditions
that last a lifetime.
Do you feel like you spend more time away from your family
working hard to improve your quality of life? Don’t let all your hard work get
in the way of spending quality time with your family. A healthy family is a
happy family!
Spending time together as a family can help improve overall
health and emotional well-being.
Three keys to improve Family Health are: |
- Healthy Eating
- Open Communication
- Physical Activity
|
Healthy Eating
Making healthy food choices for your family doesn’t mean it has
to be dreary. Healthy eating can include a variety of foods, and we know the
best foods are the ones prepared and eaten with loved ones.
Include all
family members when preparing meals. It’s more likely that family members who
participate in meal preparation will be more inclined to eat it. It’s definitely
a great opportunity to incorporate all five food groups during dinner time to
make a healthy balanced meal; these include: Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, Protein
and Dairy. Consuming a well-balanced diet on a daily basis can help decrease the
risk of diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular and diabetes.
Most kids
love pizza! So, preparing your own pizza at home and choosing healthy
ingredients can be a great way to be together while satisfying everyone’s
personal favorite foods. Individual flat breads are great base for thin crust
pizzas. Make sure to choose whole or multigrain for the most nutritious option.
Each family member can prepare their own pizza by adding delicious and colorful
healthy toppings. Once you’re done selecting toppings, place it in the oven for
a quick nutritious meal.
Recommendations for toppings include: Choose
at least one from each category for a balanced meal.
Vegetables: mushrooms, bell peppers (all colors), spinach, arugula
(add after cooking pizza), eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash,
tomato, onions, olives or any other favorite vegetable you would like
Fruit: pineapple, fresh
avocado slices (add after cooking pizza)
Protein: chicken, ham, turkey, lean shredded
beef, beans, tofu, turkey bacon, low sodium pepperoni
Dairy: low fat cheeses such as
mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, feta
Grains: whole grain flat wrap, spinach
flat wrap or whole grain pizza dough
Herbs: basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro,
garlic, rosemary, parsley, dried chili powder, sage
You can also make
your own sauce by blending a few fresh ingredients such as basil, olive oil, and
garlic to make a nice homemade pesto sauce. Choose tomato for a more traditional
pizza.
Open Communication
Family meals allow parents to be role models while creating a
healthy environment for kids. Now that you’ve got everyone involved in meal
preparation, it’s a great time to communicate and talk to your kids about their
day while sitting around the table to eat together. This allows family members
to stay engaged and involved in what’s happening while being away all day. It’s
also a healthy way of making all members of the family feel included and
important. Communication involves active listening and asking open-ended
questions, or starting an open-ended conversation. Try not to ask questions that
will require a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Here are some tips for starting
conversations with your kids:
“Tell me something fun you did today at
school”.
“What kind of interesting projects do you have going on in school
this week?”
“Who is your favorite teacher?”
A good conversation starter
could include an experience you had when you were in school that your child
could relate to and you can ask them if they’ve had a similar experience.
Physical Activity
After sharing dinner with your family, make it a routine to get
up and be active together. Being active can help you decrease stress and improve
mood and behaviors. It also helps keep your heart healthy and in shape, which
can decrease the risk of heart disease and several other health conditions. It
can also help manage diseases you might already have. All it takes is at least
30 minutes a day. Being active together with your family can motivate and
encourage you to help each other be healthy and stay healthy.
Tips for
being active with family:
- Turn the TV off: Leave electronics and headphones at home and go out for a
30 minute walk together. Engage in conversation which will help you regulate
your breathing while being active. It might even make the time go faster when
you get carried away in conversation. If watching TV, use the commercial breaks
to get up and do jumping jacks, pushups, sit ups or squats.
- Question Game: When you’re out being active with family, play the question
game and take turns asking questions while incorporating different exercises.
This adds a little fun in your activity and it’s a good way to learn new things
about each other.
- Compete: While doing activities it’s always good to challenge and compete so
you can motivate and encourage each other to work hard. Take turns seeing who
can do more lunges or who can run the fastest. For bigger families, break up
into teams so you can cheer each other on.
- Help the environment: Have everyone in the family grab a trash bag and
gloves and then head to the park. Pick up any trash you see as fast as you can.
This can help your heart rate increase which can be great exercise, all while
helping the environment.
Sources used:
UF/IFAS
Extension. Healthy Living: Beating barriers to Physical Activity. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY88300.pdf
Accessed October 9, 2015.
UF/IFAS Extension. Benefits of family meals. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY136200.pdf
Accessed October 9, 2015.
UF/IFAS Extension. Family Nutrition: A recipe for
good Communication. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY106000.pdf
Accessed October 9, 2015.
Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. Family dinners
in a flash. http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/eating-as-a-family/family-dinners-in-a-flash
Accessed October 9, 2015.
Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. Family
Meals: Small investment, big payoff. http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/eating-as-a-family/family-meals-small-investment-big-payoff.
Accessed October 9, 2015.