With the commercial emphasis on new tastes and convenience foods, sometimes we forget that we eat to live. Healthy meals for families must provide good nutrition for people with different metabolisms and developmental needs. They must also appeal to different ages and taste preferences.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that serving nutrient-dense foods, which are low in calories and highly nutritious, can satisfy both physical and flavor requirements. Reduce sweetened beverages and make sure kids get their calcium by serving milk daily. You can adjust portion sizes for various calorie intakes.
Morning
Everyone benefits from the fiber, vitamins and minerals in some enriched bran cereals. Children get a large dose of iron, seniors their extra vitamin B12, pregnant women get folate and postmenopausal women additional calcium. Build a breakfast based in good nutrition with raisin bran, low-fat or fat-free milk and a whole-wheat English muffin spread with almond butter.
For a healthy meal on a high-energy weekend morning, enjoy oatmeal, milk and whole-wheat toast, or a multigrain waffle with maple syrup. Add peanut butter and a cup of blueberries or raspberries to either meal for a range of nutrients that remains low in calories.
Noon
Lunches that work at home and in lunchboxes keep families satisfied with less salt, fat and calories than fast-food breaks. Healthy meals provide low-fat protein, dietary fiber and vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetable servings. Take along sandwiches such as turkey breast in whole-wheat pita bread, ham and low-fat Swiss cheese on rye bread, or sardines and mulitgrain crackers.
Add butter lettuce, alfalfa sprouts and sliced tomato. As a condiment, mustard is low in calories and fat free; mayonnaise is not. Choose nonfat milk or water to drink. A kiwi fruit or a few dried apricots for dessert add good nutrition.
Night
The American Heart Association advises serving fish at least twice per week. Some healthy meals can include entrees that easily feature fish, meat or vegetarian protein sources, such as whole-wheat or spinach pasta and marinara sauce. Add small amounts of crab for adults, cooked ground turkey for kids or tofu for vegetarians. Sides that are low in calories and good nutrition sources of vitamins include cooked eggplant and a tossed salad with oil and vinegar dressing.
Other dinner choices include: pork tenderloin; broiled haddock or orange roughy served with your choice of cooked corn, carrots, broccoli, pea pods, zucchini or beets; a salad. Couscous and baked sweet potatoes are kid-friendly sides; adults might prefer brown rice. Air-popped popcorn is a healthy night-time snack, minus the butter and salt.
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