Seven Meal Planning Tips for Young Families
The WHO and CDC stress the importance of nutrition to health and longevity. But can busy parents make quick, nutritious meals on a budget?
Yes! A low-cost and healthy diet is possible for young families.
Does diet matter?
Poor nutrition causes cancer and heart disease, the top killers in the USA.
African Americans are disproportionately affected by diet-related illnesses. Blacks are more frequently diagnosed with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke than people from other ethnicities.
African American high schoolers are more than fifty percent more likely to be obese than White ones. Disparities exist even in young children. Black girls between six and eleven years old are more than twice as likely to be obese than White girls the same age.
Even when not obese, African Americans have high rates of conditions like iron deficiency anemia and vitamin D deficiency.
What is a Healthy Diet?
What makes a healthy diet varies based on activity and other factors, but there are some general principles.
Infants under six months old should have breast milk (or formula) only. For everyone else, the following guidelines are helpful.
A Healthy Diet
Is varied and diverse, containing foods with different nutrients
Includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes (e.g. lentils and beans), and whole grains (e.g., unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, and brown rice)
Contains at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily with minimal starches, such as potatoes, yams, and cassava
Includes little natural sugar (e.g. fruit juice) and almost no refined sugar
Does not contain processed/ industrial trans fats from packaged foods
Limits unsaturated fat content and obtains the unsaturated fats from healthy fish, nuts, avocados, and olive oil instead of from meat, butter, cream, or lard
Contains less than 5 g of salt (about one teaspoon) per day
But how do you translate That into meals?
Read labels
Check labels to see which foods are supplemented with what you need and don’t have any of what you don’t want. Look for whole grains, no trans fats, no artificial colorings, and vitamins/minerals. Check serving size. Servings are smaller than we realize. The top-selling cookie has a serving size of only three.
2. Don’t eat the same things all the time
It’s easier to get all the nutrients needed from a variety of foods.
Honor family recipes, but substitute some ingredients for more nutritious ones, like turkey instead of beef in your grandmother’s pot pie. Our traditional meals are not inherently unhealthy. Some recipes originally contained large amounts of sugar, salt, and fat to make up for low-quality protein sources. Adjust ingredients, if needed. We can enjoy the comfort of ancestral dishes without sacrificing nutrition.
Cook dishes from other cultures, even if they aren’t authentic. Make mealtime exciting by visiting the diaspora from your table. Put salmon in your vegetable broth as a nod to Jamaican fish tea. Use tomato sauce to fake Jollof rice. Ask your kids to share a fun fact about the country that you are “visiting” and play music from there while you eat. Give everyone a chance to choose something to try, and make sure to sample new fruits and vegetables.
3. Use add-ins to increase nutritional density
A handful of beans or greens increase fiber content of macaroni or store-bought soup. Carrots add sweetness and vitamins.
4. Realize that eating healthily is not time-consuming or expensive
Processed convenience foods are actually more expensive than natural foods because they are quick and easy. Healthy foods are often cheaper and not necessarily hard to prepare.
Try breakfasts of vitamin D milk, boiled oats, and berries. Or scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese. These dishes take minutes to make. Supper can also be easy. Angel hair wheat pasta boils in four minutes and can be served with omega three-rich canned fish, like mackerel or sardines.
Don’t underestimate the potential of a salad or sandwich. They are quick, and kids can help. Salads and sandwiches are also great if family members don’t like the same things because it is easy to leave, omit, or add what people want to individual portions. Be creative and have fun with crunchy seeds, sliced berries, or avocado chunks.
5. Learn techniques to enhance taste
Healthful does not equal bland. Coax flavor from ingredients with slow cooking, roasting, marinating, and brining.
Brine chicken
Instead of frying chicken, make a brine with a cup of water and a tablespoon of salt. Soak breasts for half an hour, then season and grill. The meat will be flavorful and moist, ready to be eaten or stored. Add it to salads, rice, soups, or sandwiches. Cook it once, then use it in a few different ways. Prepping is the cornerstone of meal planning.
Add healthy flavor
Make multi-grain wheat bread moist and savory with a smear of olive oil and a pinch of seasoning. Add protein, romaine lettuce, and tomato for a well-balanced meal.
Instead of water, substitute coconut milk or low-sodium stock.
For dessert, instead of sugary processed foods, serve fruits and cheeses with a drizzle of honey. If you crave cake, make single servings in mugs with healthy ingredients.
Your family will realize that healthy food is flavorful.
6. Choose the best ingredients
Remove temptations by banning unhealthy foods from your kitchen.
Buy fruit preserves and almond butter instead of sugary jelly and salty processed peanut butter.
Replace fried white potato chips with baked chips made from other vegetables.
Use watercress, spinach leaves, and arugula instead of iceberg lettuce.
Replace white rice, white bread, white potatoes, and white sugar with their colored counterparts. Choose colorful foods in general, as they are usually healthier.
Buy produce from farmers markets instead of supermarkets, when possible.
If you can’t get fresh vegetables, try frozen ones, not canned.
Scrub and rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under running water.
Try canned beans and lentils. They are nutritious and quick. Check cans (and all food containers) for labels that say BPA free.
7. Keep kids interested
Involve children in age-appropriate ways like making grocery lists, checking labels, measuring ingredients, and packing lunches. Eat meals together.
Planning healthy family meals can be inexpensive, easy, and fun if we prioritize them. Eating well will improve the health of our families and communities.
Nutrition Information Resources
Photo credit for Blog Photo: usda.gov/sites/default/files/gallery/2018-04/1689_1125.tif.