Enjoy Lockdown Meals With Your Family

The worldwide ‘lockdown’ has disrupted our fast-moving daily routine and how. Two months of lockdown involving isolation and self-quarantine have resulted in most of us struggling to strike the balance between healthy eating with our meals and the added responsibilities which have befallen upon us in the wake of COVID-19.

The discouraging fact is that we do not know how long is this going to continue and some days we may wake up grouchy and dispirited. Well, don’t despair because this is a golden opportunity to use time to learn and educate our children better cooking skills, establishing healthy eating habits and making the most of one of the great pleasures of life – meal times and make cooking and eating a truly gratifying experience for all. So, take charge and get the whole family involved in altering some long-standing habits.

Eating Together

‘Families that eat together, stay together”. For many reasons it is important to eat together as a family at least once a day. One of the limited benefits of our current situation is that we have a greater chance to spend time together, making meal times more pleasant and healthy, thereby improving bonding between the family. This is also an opportunity for you to provide a structured, nurturing environment to adopt healthier cooking and eating habits. Parents can sensibly use this lockdown period and draw children away from devices and gadgets to establish healthy and responsible eating habits in their meals, while helping them adopt good habits that will last for life.

Making Healthier Choices

Take the first move towards optimizing your family’s health and forge new dietary and lifestyle habits for optimal nutrition. Encourage a balanced, varied diet having plenty of foods from all the food groups every day to ensure a range of nutrients that can keep your family healthy, happy and vibrant in these stressful times.

Limit Treats

It may seem as one of the best options to treat your family with some unhealthy meal shortcuts or food treats as a way to deal with the stress and concern about the current scenario but it can be dangerous to get trapped in comfort foods or drinks for momentary pleasure which will be a frustrating habit to break later.

Be A Role Model

As a parent, you are responsible for setting a good example for your children when it comes to establishing healthy eating habits and breaking some old habits. This lockdown mull over your own food habits and make a conscious effort to eat healthy, well balanced meals as a family, at the table, chewing cautiously, without the TV on and without any comforting unhealthy drink to accompany.

Cooking With Kids

One of the most effective and fun ways to teach children about healthy eating and make them responsible self-sufficient individuals is to involve them in preparing meals for the family. This will not only stimulate their interest in cooking and eating nutritious food but the children will also develop a sense of pride and ownership in their new skills, while giving them skills that will stay with them forever.

Making Food Interesting

An excellent way to get young children to eat healthy this lockdown is to make meals and snacks fun and interesting.  Involve your child in helping to prepare ingredients-tearing lettuce for the salad, sprinkling on grated cheese, baking with them their favorite cakes and cookies, mini pizzas with healthy base and toppings etc. Encourage your children to get involved in meal planning and cooking some new healthy recipes which will go a long way in helping our children when things get back to normal.

Keep Ready-To-Eat Healthy Snacks

Healthy snacking is very important, especially for children as they usually do not eat enough at meal times and are often hungry at the wrong time, between meals and when you actually want to take a break. If you have some healthy snacks already planned for them, you will be able to handle their snack attacks effortlessly.1 medium banana, 1 orange, 5 dates, ½ cup melon, rice cakes,  nuts, cut fruit/veggie with a dip, oat cakes, hardboiled egg, sandwiches etc. will be excellent choices for a quick snack at odd times.

Monika Seth is an accomplished Nutrition Consultant, writer, motivational speaker and author of the book ‘Secrets of Healthy Living’, with a rich experience of over 20 years.