How to Create Healthy Family Meals Without Sacrificing Taste
Family meals are changing. While they aren’t necessarily becoming unhealthy, the nature of them are shifting. Busy lives mean families rely on processed foods and takeaways. This undermines the nutritional and emotional benefits of sharing food as a unit.
But your family doesn’t have to just sit by and accept this. Shared family meals often increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and essential nutrients – particularly for children and teenagers. So, you will want to try and get back into this habit, if you’ve let the tradition slip.
Fortunately, there’re several ways to cook family meals that are healthy and taste delicious. Below, you’ll find three key tips to get you started, so keep reading on to learn more.
Build Flavor Bases
Want a rich taste? Then building a flavor base is essential.
When your meal has foundational aromatics and well-paired ingredients, layers of savory taste are created. This taste naturally makes wholesome food crave-worthy, and that’s what you want when trying to get your kids to eat healthily.
Not only that, but you achieve the depth without the additional calories. Sautéing foundational veggies – peppers, spinach, cauliflower, and the like – unlocks the natural sweetness and umami. And this occurs without heavy cream or extra sugar!
It goes further than starting with savory aromatics, though. You’ll also want to swap out certain liquids. Plain water can be replaced with chicken, beef, or mushroom broth. You might also incorporate blended roasted carrots or squash.
Boost Creaminess Healthily
Butter and double cream, while delicious, are heavy with saturated fats. This is why you should swap them out to ensure meals are satisfying and packed with nutrients – not just bowls of empty calories.
There are numerous health swaps you can do. Greek yogurt, avocado, pureed cauliflower, and so on… These are great options, adding bulk, fiber, and protein to sauces, dips, and soups.
And if your child is a bit iffy about their veggies, this is great way to sneak them in. It’s unlikely they’ll notice the difference when you’re spooning the healthy cream sauce on to their pasta.
Choose Smart Substitutes
Lots of foods are easy to swap out when cooking a family meal.
Many parents choose to do this to cut down on hidden sugars and fats. They’ll also boost your family’s nutrition. And again, small changes – like the ones you should aim for – are far easier for children to accept. Starting small makes lifelong healthy eating habits second nature after some time.
Some of the most popular family-friendly swaps include:
Plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
Whole grains instead of white flour versions
Unsweetened applesauce rather than oil or butter
For example, when cooking this chipotle BBQ chicken recipe, choose a wholegrain rice variety over white. Brown, red, or wild rice will increase your intake of fiber, magnesium, and B vitamins. You’ll also feel fuller for longer.
To conclude, there are numerous ways to make family meals healthier. If you follow the advice outlined above, your family will be well on the way to forming a much loved – and nutritionally beneficial – habit.
