Eat nutritious, stay happy

Recent studies have revealed something that most urban families have become aware of today – the hectic pace of modern life has reduced the amount of quality time that families spend with each other. A daily schedule that packs 10-12 hours of work, domestic chores, and various social commitments has made adults lead extremely busy lives.

Children are also not spared, with school, tuition, and hobby classes making the concept of a daily family meal that much more remote. This on-the-go lifestyle has led to poor dietary choices and habits which leads to adverse health consequences.

Adults have to don multiple roles – of a child, parent, and employee – and balance their responsibilities against their relaxation time, which they often have to sacrifice. This leads to chronic neglect of mild health problems. Here are some ways that we can engage with good nutrition and make it a part of our family life.

Be role models for kids: It should come as no surprise that children tend to mirror their parent’s eating habits. As the first and primary role model for children, adults should be more aware of their influence on their children’s diet.

They should encourage their children to eat healthy and include fruits and vegetables daily. Eschewing aerated drinks and sodas and replacing them with fruit juices or milkshakes during the child’s formative years might make him or her appreciate the healthy options more.

Start ‘em young: There’s no point in waiting for a child to fall ill or become unwell before insisting on a healthier diet. Instill healthy habits in your children and make them avoid junk food from a young age. Taking adequate care from an early age will improve and boost your child’s immune system and help prevent diseases and problems.

Follow healthy practices: Ensuring that you and your family get enough sleep, exercise regularly, stay active, and don’t skip meals is crucial in ensuring everybody’s wellbeing. Make sure that you communicate with your children about why eating fruits and exercising regularly is a good thing. Consider going on family morning/evening walks together.

Eat together: Doing this sends the right messages about nutrition. When children see parents eating healthy and following healthy practices, it greatly increases the chances of them adopting the same ideas.

Chart out a diet plan: Modern science has advanced to a stage where we can predict a person’s nutritive and dietary requirements to a remarkable degree of accuracy.

This makes it possible for families to create diet plans, understand their nutrition needs, and ensure that they imbibe their daily essential needs in terms of food. Elderly members of the family can be encouraged to have easy-to-digest food; in general, avoiding frozen and canned food while having protein-rich foods is good for everybody.

Mahesh Jayaraman, Medical
Researcher, Therapist, Health Advisor and Co-founder of health platform Sepalika.com.