We all know what’s healthy to eat: vegetables, whole wheat, no sugar…but in today’s complex, highly scheduled world, healthy eating is easier said than done. The vending machine at work is filled with chips and pop. The kids are picky. Everyone is tired and, let’s face it, swinging by the fast food drive-through solves a load of problems in regard to time.
The switch away from junk food can be an uphill battle, but taken a step at a time, it is possible. Done Right Foods, a catering company that supplies food at Maple Grove’s Beacon Academy, offers wholesome, from scratch, nutritious food, as well as teaching a healthy message to students.
Here are some of their ideas for giving up junk food at home, once and for all—or at least limiting it to being an occasional treat instead of a regular daily staple.
- Don’t buy junk food during your regular grocery shopping trip. If your children try to pressure you into buying it, don’t take them to the grocery store with you.
- Write down your entire regular grocery list. Highlight the junk food items. If you think you can’t go cold-turkey, cross out half of them. Then continue to delete one or two additional items each time you shop until you’re junk-food free.
- Make healthy food in your house as easy to grab as chips and candy bars. Have containers of baby carrots, broccoli florets, pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, and other fresh veggies—along with low fat dip or hummus—in the refrigerator. Wash and cut up fresh fruit and store in re-sealable containers, too.
- Keep a “salad bar” in your refrigerator. Stock re-sealable containers of mixed greens. Keep salad toppings, such as trail mix, other nuts, seeds, and croutons in handy containers in the cupboard. Buy shredded low fat cheeses, diced turkey or chicken. Add the fresh veggies you already have available for a complete salad bar meal anytime.
- Cook two or three double batches of food on the weekends. Freeze or refrigerate the meals so they’re ready to heat and eat. Coming home to a ready-made dish can be faster and cheaper than the fast food place.
- Keep a mini-cooler loaded with healthy snacks and beverages in your car. This prevents needing to stop for fast food.
- Don’t carry spare change with you if have junk food vending machines close by. Empty your purse and pockets each night into a jar at home; and then buy something special for yourself or deposit it into a savings account each month.
