Fit Momma Question: How To Help Your Family Make the BIG SWITCH?

Do you have any friends who you haven’t talked to in -- oh -- years and when you finally talk again it seems like the past 15 years never happened?  One of those, "So where did we leave off?" type of friends?

I had one of those conversations this week with a dear, lifelong friend. She brought up this issue and I’ve been thinking of it since:

How did your family handle “the big switch”? Meaning -- the switch from not so healthy food to healthy food?

I have to start by saying I made the "big switch" in my own life BEFORE I had kids. Prior to kids, I did not know how to cook. I literally had to look in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook to learn how to bake a potato (page 522, if you need it). I even remember calling my SIL to ask her how to scramble eggs. It was bad. I was regularly buying bags of candy, half gallons of ice cream (that was when they actually sold ice cream in half gallons -- what is this 1.75 quarts?!?), chips, and pretty much TONS of processed food to feed my husband and I. Boxes and bags galore.

After the "big switch", our eating and grocery shopping changed dramatically. First of all the salt water taffies I bought week after week sat on our entryway table FOR ONE WHOLE YEAR. They got so hard we could have skipped them across the nearby lake. It didn’t take me long to realize he was never eating that junk food.  Only I was.  I was cleaning it out single-handedly. Or apparently double-fistedly :)

There were a few things the Doc refused to budge on: white rice and tortillas. So, for a while I bought both. Then, within a few months, I didn’t. And he didn’t say anything. Switch made. Success. Cha-ching!

So, you may be evaluating your family’s eating habits and have recognized there is some room for improvement. The last thing you need is a full blown revolt in your own home. Here are some simple ideas to making your own “big switch” without eliciting too much mutiny:

Make one small change at a time.
I do not recommend switching from Pringles and Pop-Tarts to arugula and avocados overnight. The more I work with clients as a personal trainer and nutrition consultant -- I realize small changes work best and are the most lasting. This especially is true for our kids and spouses. Remember the ruler analogy? Apply that here. Choose one healthy habit, such as drinking water or milk instead of soda at dinner. Do that for a week or so. Then move on. Nothing earth shattering, but steps in the right direction.

Try blending the old with the new.
An easy way to introduce healthier foods is to mix them with what you used to eat. Mix some brown rice in with the white rice. Throw some whole wheat pasta in with the enriched pasta. Bake with half whole white wheat flour mixed with the white flour for a while. Over time, you can start weening your family off the old stuff and they won’t know what hit them.

Experiment.
There is a whole wonderful world out there when it comes to healthy foods. Salads can be much more than the wedge of iceberg lettuce dumped with a half bottle of ranch on it. Dive into new vegetables, search the internet for delicious ways to prepare them for your family. Try new grains like quinoa, bulgur, and barley instead of always white rice. Try going meatless one day a week and discover the lovely land of legumes. Without sugar everywhere, fruits become sweeter and more of a dessert than ever before. Really, take it from a true convert:  it can be a very creative and enjoyable process.

Persevere!
I read somewhere once that kids needed to be introduced to a new food nearly 21 times before they would consider even tasting. Hello?!? If moms have anything it is staying power.  I say in this department STICK TO YOUR GUNS

You may be saying to yourself right now, “There is no way my kids/husband is going to eat this way.” Well, you are right. They will never eat healthily unless you as the mom, a.k.a. Food Police, make an effort to serve it to them and teach them these healthy habits.  Eating healthy foods just doesn't happen, it is taught.  With a commitment to a healthier kitchen you will create a healthier family. In the end, that's is what we all want.

Oh -- and I’m happy to report a dozen years later - minus olives and onions -  the Doc is 100% on board with the whole healthy eating/ healthy living thing.  He just called me and we doing a Friday night Salad Run for dinner.

Cha-ching!

Hey Fit Mommas, how have you helped your family eat healthier fare?  Comment below and tell us WHAT WORKS!

Thanks for the questions and emails, my friends!  I don't decorate cute cupcakes or make sassy aprons -- this is what I do!  Email me with any questions or feedback here.

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Success One Inch at a Time
From Exercise Hater to Personal Trainer
More Fit Momma Question Posts

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