Family: On Board or Not?

IS YOUR FAMILY ON BOARD?

This is a picture of my shopping cart when I grocery shop with my husband. Can you guess which items I placed in the cart and which items he placed in there? It is a constant struggle trying to get my picky eater to change his ways and eat healthy.

Do you force your family to eat healthy? It is much easier for you if they follow your lead. However, I don't do that. I feel that it is easier if I make healthy options available and let them make their own decisions. They won't truly live it if they don't make the choice to embrace it themselves. I am modeling it and am available as a resource. Hard as it is to buy them the food they want sometimes, I do it because I will not force my views on them.

Of course, this means more work for me. I offer options at dinner so that everyone can choose. For instance, when I make spaghetti I always have both whole wheat noodles and zucchini noodles available. This really involves just one more dish so it is not that much work. I also offer lots of options when I do things like chicken fajitas....lots of veggies, etc. Eating clean is eating simple for the most part so inconvenience can never be an excuse. If you want it, you can do it. 

I am winning them over....slowly but surely. There is no better music to my ears than when my daughters ask me to cook veggies for dinner or better yet, when they complain that one of the other ones ate the last of something healthy. A clean eating lifestyle is for the long haul and there will be bumps in the road. Getting your family on board may be one of those bumps in the road, but stay on course. It is worth the trip!