For families with school-aged children (or for those of us who are teachers), September means getting back to routines. Even if you don’t have kids heading back to school, you may feel the seasonal tug toward re-establishing healthy habits. As luck would have it, September is both Family Meals Month and Whole Grains Month. So it’s easy to find ideas and guidance for renewing our efforts at eating better. Wondering how to get started and combine the best of these two themes? Here are some tips to help you easily fall back into healthy eating habits.
Level up your grain foods the easy way
Incorporating more grainy goodness into your family’s eating plan doesn’t have to be time-consuming or require an overhaul of your meals. In fact, a few simple swaps can get you there. The most important goal is that half your grain foods be whole grains, as recommended by the USDA. To help you achieve that goal, make a quick guideline for your food choices when grocery shopping.
For example, your family’s whole grain guideline might include one or more of these:
- Cereals that earn Guiding Stars since they tend to have more fiber and whole grains
- Breads that have the words “100% whole _____ flour” as the first ingredient in the list. (It can be any type of flour, but it needs to say “100% whole”)
- Whole wheat rolls, tortillas, and pitas
Eat as a family when you can—but be flexible about what that looks like
In general, family meals tend to be more healthful meals. A 2020 systematic review found an association between a higher number of family meals and better nutritional status in teens, as well as improved food consumption patterns, such as eating fruits and vegetables. Family meals also provide teaching opportunities for younger children. You can talk about where food comes from, discuss the nutritional attributes of foods, and model healthy eating habits. Eating together also provides non-nutrition benefits for everyone, such as feeling more connected as a family. Just don’t expect your family meals to be perfect. Toss out your idealized vision of what a family meal should look like. It’s not the 1950s, and it doesn’t really matter if everyone is eating the same food at the same time. If one person needs to eat early or late, you can still sit together and share time together.
Cook together as a family when possible
Knowing how to cook is a valuable life skill. Most kids love to help in the kitchen, and plenty of teens enjoy cooking too. Encourage cooking together when time allows—it’s a bonding activity as well as a time for teaching and learning. You can teach about food and measuring with younger children. Older kids and teens can learn new cooking techniques and practice using different tools and appliances, all while developing skills they’ll need when cooking on their own later. Here are a few ideas to make cook-together nights more fun and organized:
- Choose recipes together ahead of time. For September, consider focusing on whole grains by trying a new grain or two. (Here is an easy idea, and a favorite of mine).
- Decide on a theme meal together (how about Saturday soup night or burrito bonanza?). Or let each family member choose a theme and cycle through them. Draw inspiration from holidays during the month, or countries of the world, or even menus from favorite books or movies.
- Let children choose a specific course to make (on their own or with help) to contribute to a family meal.
Make whole grains your family’s default option
When children grow up eating whole grains, opting for whole grains later is no big deal. It’s like that with lots of healthy foods. That’s why it pays to make things like whole grain bread, tortillas, pitas, and rolls the default in your household. Find out which grains are whole grains, and make a point to choose foods that are made from them.
For more family-friendly whole grain recipes that earn Guiding Stars, check out these links:
