Diet & exercise with kids

Hey there,
Seeing as eating as a family is a huge part of most families daily routine, maybe this is a great time to look into those meals that won't blow your macros out of the water but at the same time are tasty for the whole family. Including plenty vegetables and some meat is usually a great call.
There are so many options, if anything it should keep you challenged and motivated.. No meal needs to be the same!! You got this!!

Check out the recipes forum for some great ideas, just because food is more health friendly definitely doesn't make it any less tasty!!

I have a husband and three kids, and I find that making health a priority for the whole family helps a lot. I treat this as not "mom on a diet", but rather, our family as a whole values our health, and finds ways to incorporate that in to our daily lives. I prepare healthy, balanced meals and when the kids (or husband) want a treat, we talk about it: have we already had a treat today, or is there something like a birthday party coming up later in the day? Maybe my son wants a cookie after dinner, so we look at the choices he's made throughout the day - so if he had potato chips with lunch, I would encourage him to take that into consideration when deciding whether a cookie is a good idea. I really want my kids to value their health and to make balanced eating and activity a part of their daily lives so that they don't ever have to struggle with their weight as adults. We don't talk about calories, but we do talk about nutrition and how your body needs proper nutrients to function.

Also, I don't ever make separate meals. The rule in our house is that mom makes dinner, and if you don't like what is being served, you're welcome to make yourself a sandwich. I bet on my kids being more lazy than they don't like what I make and it almost always works

The_Sandra wrote: »

I have a husband and three kids, and I find that making health a priority for the whole family helps a lot. I treat this as not "mom on a diet", but rather, our family as a whole values our health, and finds ways to incorporate that in to our daily lives. I prepare healthy, balanced meals and when the kids (or husband) want a treat, we talk about it: have we already had a treat today, or is there something like a birthday party coming up later in the day? Maybe my son wants a cookie after dinner, so we look at the choices he's made throughout the day - so if he had potato chips with lunch, I would encourage him to take that into consideration when deciding whether a cookie is a good idea. I really want my kids to value their health and to make balanced eating and activity a part of their daily lives so that they don't ever have to struggle with their weight as adults. We don't talk about calories, but we do talk about nutrition and how your body needs proper nutrients to function.

Also, I don't ever make separate meals. The rule in our house is that mom makes dinner, and if you don't like what is being served, you're welcome to make yourself a sandwich. I bet on my kids being more lazy than they don't like what I make and it almost always works

Very good advice. Children are (generally) not taught nutrition and physical health in school. That is YOUR job as a parent, so all of you should learn together what to eat, how much, how to be active daily with a variety of activities, etc. It's great that you have young children to teach and mold so that they aren't as likely to face weight issues when they are older.

Be active as a family. Learn to cook and shop together. Look at it as a positive, rather than a negative. It's all about balance, too.

Slow cookers are great too. I use ours on nights we are not in til 6, or are in and straight out again! Some nights we are all eating at different times but take stuff out of slow cooker when ready so all eating same thing. Having something ready stops that temptation to munch while you're preparing food as you're hungry too.


In terms of exercise do whatever you can when you can. I'm fortunate my 11 yo wants to walk everywhere and at moment toddler will still go in pushchair so we can do this. Sometimes I have made a game out of laundry so we carry she carries it piece by piece to bottom of stairs and I run up the stairs with it one piece at a time! Last year I was training for a sprint tri and we were on hols just before it, on afternoon we went to the beach and tide was out so kids played in the shallows and I ran around them - 10 m circuits! Got a few funny looks but who cares it all counts!