Having fun with healthy choices
As parents, you only want the best for your family, especially when it comes to their health. However, between work, family, and responsibilities at home, you often have little time for everything else in your life. Despite the time constraints and pressures to get it all done, you still want to be a good role model for your children, while giving them everything they need without neglecting your own needs. But this is easier said than done.
When you’re stressed, it is crucial you consume a balanced diet. This provides you with energy to enjoy your life, especially with your loved ones.
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Let’s say that you or your partner want to lose weight. However, how can a change in diet be integrated into your life if the entire family must also be taken into consideration? You can do this easily with just a few tricks, a little creativity, and some good planning.
It’s important to celebrate the family meal experience, so that everyone can enjoy it. Shop together, cook together, and motivate each family member, as you embark on this journey of better nutrition. You can create unique dishes to fulfil the dietary needs of everyone in the family, while making variations for people in the family when needed. Try out our recipe suggestion below of Spaghetti Bolognese. It can be wonderfully combined within your meal plan, and it will become the favourite food of all your children in no time at all!
Ingredients for one Metabolic Balance portion and three more hungry mouths:
For the three who have no Metabolic Balance meal plan:
Tip for the strict phase – Cook the weighed Metabolic Balance portion in a pan without oil, while the other three portions should be cooked in another pan with fat. This allows you to follow to the correct weight specifications of your meal plan.
Wash and clean the fruit and vegetables. Cut the vegetables into pieces, cut the onion, tomato and papaya into cubes. Now weigh the ingredients raw for the Metabolic Balance portion. Bring a pot of noodle water to a boil. Heat two coated pans without fat. In one, fry the minced meat of the Metabolic Balance plan, then fry the other portions in the other pan. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Now put the weighed part of the vegetables, one teaspoon of onion and a half tomato into the Metabolic Balance pan and put the rest into the other pan. Let everything simmer for 10 minutes. While it’s all simmering, cook the spaghetti until its al dente. Finally, mix in the papaya pieces, let it all simmer, and season both variations with vinegar. Family members or guests who do not participate in Metabolic Balance can instead enjoy the mince pan as a delicious bolognese sauce with the spaghetti.
Tip: Mediterranean herbs such as oregano or basil make the mince pan even more Italian!
Enjoy!
The basics of children’s nutrition are simple – lots of fruits and vegetables and other essential natural ingredients. However, parents still make dietary mistakes when feeding their children. How can these mistakes be avoided? Nutritional Consultant and Metabolic Balance co-founder Silvia Bürkle explains…
“For working parents, it’s difficult to prepare healthy meals. So-called “healthy” children’s food may at first appear to be a good solution; however, processed products advertised for children are not actually good for them. Companies attract children with funny packaging and mini-toys. Adults are also fooled with package advertising lines, such as “with lots of milk” and “strengthens the bones.” The truth is, these products mostly don’t contain what they promise. Most processed foods made for children contain far too much sugar and fat, and often they are full of additives and excessive amounts of synthetic nutrients. The use of natural, unprocessed foods is the better option. For instance, a fresh apple in your child’s lunch box is much better than a processed snack food.
Another challenge is the food your children eat at day-care centres. In Canada, the food served at day-care centres has not always been as nutritious as parents were led to believe, especially in certain provinces in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, according to researchers at Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec in 2017. The researchers found that many day-care centres are failing to meet nutritional recommendations set by their respective provincial governments.
However, there has been some optimism in recent years. Canada’s Food Guide had an overhaul in 2019. Day-care menus are expected to include more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins, especially plant-based sources like legumes. If the new food guide is followed, there will be a greater emphasis on whole foods rather than processed foods. Some Canadian catering day-care companies are even beginning to consider food allergies, snacks that are low in salt or sugar, and locally-sourced foods when available.
The foundation for a healthy life is laid as early as infancy and the toddling stage. Nutrition influences both the development and the performance of your child. The question is, do parents have any chance of providing their children with the best possible nutritional care in today’s society? Silvia Bürkle encourages concerned parents. “If you keep certain important basic fundamentals in mind, nothing will stand in the way of the healthy development of your child from a nutritional point of view.“
The following are some things for you to keep in mind:
Shopping and cooking healthy meals is fun and it also strengthens the entire family unit. We will tell you how to introduce your children to a healthy diet in an enjoyable way and show you the safety rules that need to be complied within the kitchen.
From school age on, children eat, more or less, what is put on the table. However, it is not always easy to satisfy them and their taste preferences, while involving each family member equally. You will need to find compromises and make sure everyone is happy and satisfied.
Simple recipes, such as scrambled eggs or fruit salad, are particularly suitable when cooking with children. With more complicated dishes, you simply distribute easy tasks to the kids, such as cutting vegetables. However, the topic of safety is always important to discuss with your kids. While the food is being prepared, explain the kitchen rules to prevent potential accidents:
There are multiple jobs involved in holding down a job and taking care of your family. When it comes to food; shopping, washing the food, cooking and cleaning up, are all part of the process each day. However, good organization will help you get through your week, while saving you time and money. Allow us to give you some useful planning tips to help you along the way.
A shopping list and meal plan help you to do your errands in a more relaxed manner, make sure that you don’t forget anything important and avoid unnecessary expenses due to spontaneous purchases. With a shopping plan, you can safely schedule your shopping for one day a week. Hang a whiteboard or notice block in a highly visible location and write down everything you need.
It is also worth preparing a meal plan for the whole week. You can document your breakfast, lunch and dinner, including starters and desserts. Then write down the food you need on your plan.
A seasonal calendar is another great shopping tool that tells you what fruit and vegetables are in season. Since the local products are harvested when mature, they are also fresher, richer in vital nutrients, and they taste better. After all, when you buy local and seasonal, the food doesn’t have that long journey in an airplane or truck and that also helps protects the environment. Be open to trying the delicacies at your farmer’s market, or at the shop of a nearby farm or orchard. Also, look for local fruit and vegetables at your supermarket. You will need to read the labels carefully and pay attention to the information on the shelf.
Eco-friendly, organic or CSA (community supported agriculture) food boxes are also becoming increasingly popular. They are delivered fresh from your area to your doorstep every week, and they may even include a delicious recipe suggestion.
Local and seasonal shopping is by far the better choice! It’s good for your health, the environment, and your wallet!
Mobile shopping assistants such as the free Metabolic Balance app are particularly practical tools right at your fingertips. The app is linked to your personal diet plan and provides healthy recipe suggestions for all meals. A clearly-defined plan will include all the meals for your week. On top of that, the required ingredients are conveniently placed on your personal shopping list. Try it out!
Studies show that many children do not drink enough fluids. Fluid deficiency can quickly lead to unpleasant consequences and even damage your child’s health. So, what can we do to make our little ones drink enough?
Adolescents need more fluids than adults in proportion to their body size and if they don’t drink enough, health problems will soon begin to crop up. For instance, symptoms your children may experience include a reduced physical and mental performance, dizziness, fatigue and headaches. In the long run, they may also develop bowel and urinary tract problems. However, even an additional glass of water with about 250 ml (one cup) a day can make a big difference and balance the water content in your child’s body.
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