Working with your entire family to eat healthier and help your family members control their weight can be challenging. Busy lifestyles, different food preferences and a variety of ages adds complexity to an often difficult task. The need for a family diet plan is real, as about one-third of kids and two-thirds of American adults are either overweight or obese, according to the Trust for America's Health.
Meeting Everyone's Needs
It takes your family working together to meet the needs of each individual. Children under 3 need up to 1,400 calories, children between 4 and 8, between 1,200 and 2,000 depending on gender and activity level, and children between 9 and 13 require 1,600 to 2,600 calories. Adults and teens need 1,800 to 3,200 calories, with the lower amount being for younger and inactive family members and the higher amount for very active men. Even though calorie needs vary, the types of nutrition the entire family needs to follow a healthy family diet plan is the same.
Nutritional Requirements
Although your family may currently enjoy numerous trips to restaurants, drinking sugary soft drinks or juice, and eating sweets frequently, a nutritionally sound family diet places limits on those choices. Sit down with your family members and show the group a picture of the USDA's Food Pyramid. Explain that you all need to eat whole wheat bread and brown rice, rather than white, plenty of fruits and vegetables, beans, lean meats and small servings of healthy fats. Children under 2 should only drink whole milk, unless your physician recommends otherwise.
Outline of a Healthy Family Diet
Healthy breakfasts that most family members will enjoy include cold, whole-grain cereals, warm cream of wheat or oatmeal, scrambled eggs, whole-wheat bagels or the occasional whole grain pancake. Serve cut-up fresh fruit rather than a glass of juice. Lunch should be about one-third of each family member's calorie allotment. Serve a grain, a protein, a vegetable, a fruit and a dairy product with each lunch meal. Use reduced-calorie, high fiber sandwich bread for family members who need to lose weight. Sliced chicken, beans or all-vegetable wraps are healthy lunches. Eat dinner together when possible. Grill or bake skinless chicken thighs or breasts, serve vegetarian pasta dishes, make main dish salads filled a variety of vegetables and use cheeses and oils sparingly.
Considerations
If you have family members who need to lose weight, focus on serving small portions of lower calorie foods, especially for children. Teach children about healthy food choices and the importance of increased activity. If adults need to lose weight, monitor caloric intake regularly to ensure you and your adult family members eat within a weight-loss range, generally at least 1,800 calories for the males in your family and 1,200 calories for the females. Hold weekly family gatherings to plan a family-friendly menu for the upcoming week, taking into account outside activities and family obligations.
References
- Trust for America's Health: F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future; Jeffrey Levi, et al.; June 2010
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
- United States Department of Agriculture: MyPyramid.gov
- DePauw University: Healthy Meal Planning; 2008
- Portneuf Medical Center: Weight Management
- American College of Sports Medicine: Metabolism is Modifiable With the Right Lifestyle Changes
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