Substitute

Pay attention to the Nutrition Facts label on products and recipes. When you see high numbers for sugar and salt, swap for healthier choices or reduce the amount of ingredients that push up those numbers.

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Smart Swaps

To lower your family’s intake of sugar, salt and fat, make these easy swaps in recipes.

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Sugar: For corn syrup or maple syrup, try swapping an equal amount of 100-percent juice to lower calories while providing the same texture.

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Salt: Add more dried or fresh herbs in a recipe and season at the end of cooking to boost flavor without adding salt.

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Ground beef: Replace ½ pound ground beef with 1 to 2 cups of chopped, cooked mushrooms. Your dish will have the same texture with fewer calories and less saturated fat.

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Less Meat, More  Veggies

The Meatless Monday concept has been around for a while now, and it’s a convenient way to make sure you eat at least one plant-based meal a week. To enjoy a few meatless meals a week, include whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits. These foods can help improve heart health and lower the risk of stroke and type 2 diabetes. Substitute chopped mushrooms and eggplant for ground beef in pasta sauce—or load stir-fry with broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and other favorite vegetables to serve over brown rice, topped with cashews.

Small Steps

For many families, food is central to how we spend time together and celebrate life’s moments. Here are a few tips to make healthy eating as a family more of a lifestyle:

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•  List the most important and doable improvements. Eating breakfast? Great! Eating more veggies? You decide where to start. Repeat until it becomes a habit then move onto another change.

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•  Instead of thinking about a diet, think about adding energy to your day with healthful foods.

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•  Diet is simply the word for “foods eaten.” It should be a lifestyle. If it takes a year to find your favorite nutritious foods, that’s fine, as long as the changes are enjoyed for life.

Eat Together

Anyone living with family knows that eating together can be a blessing. Take time to relax, savor and enjoy the nourishment of food and good conversation.

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Start Kids Early

Develop good eating habits in children so they grow into healthy adults. Use these tips to encourage adventurous eaters as you put a variety of nutritious foods on their plates:

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• Base meals around vegetables, whole grains, lean sources of protein, and milk, yogurt or cheese. Let children decide how much to eat from the foods offered for meals and snacks.

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• Children are experts at knowing how much to eat and, of course, will prefer some foods over others; this is normal. Children are likely to enjoy the same foods you eat at meals.

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• Instead of aiming for your children to become perfect eaters, aim for them to enjoy their meals. Encourage healthful eating by making it fun. Find coloring books and reading books that introduce fruits and vegetables as characters. Look for interesting stories that revolve around healthful foods. Play games, such as counting bananas or grapes, while encouraging your child to try new tastes and textures.  

Quick & Healthy Dinner Ideas