With today’s modern lifestyle it is not easy to find time to eat properly, or so we tell ourselves. Life seems to consist of a mad dash between home, work, home again, throwing something frozen into the oven whilst nagging kids about homework and having a quick clean and tidy up before sinking into bed at night, exhausted.
We all agree it would be healthier for us to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, to eat more naturally but those frozen meals sit there so temptingly, no preparation and 20 minutes in the oven and they are so full of natural ingredients aren’t they?
No they are not. Check out the ingredients of your average frozen meal and you’d probably be horrified to find out how few natural ingredients there actually are in them.
Frozen food has many advantages its true but it cannot replace fresh food and it is not as healthy for you as fresh food.
The additives in pre-prepared food can contribute to a variety of illnesses and have been linked to respiratory problems, hyperactive behaviour and low academic performance.
Home cooked food doesn’t have to be boring, long to prepare or expensive. With an hour spent once a week on organising our diet we can save time and money and eat healthier too. Maybe some of your family members are a little finicky, maybe some work different hours or eat at different times, all these problems can be resolved with a little forethought.
Take an hour at the beginning of the week sometime and note down when you’re all together and when you eat apart. Make a list of the five food groups; fats and sugars, meat and fish, dairy foods, bread and cereals, fruit and vegetables.
Under each of the five titles note the names of foods in each category that your family likes. Making sure that you include at least one food from each group (several from the fruit and vegetables) work out a basic week’s menu for possible meals you can prepare and take your list with you when you go shopping.
Include a few extra products such as tomatoes, bananas, cucumber or cheese that can be eaten as snacks or added to a meal to improve its taste, presentation or nutritional value
Prepare slow cooking casseroles, thick soups and stews in advance for the days when members of the family eat at different times. The more, the better, as any leftovers can be frozen and reheated another day.
Again, this type of food doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive; some , a stock cube and herbs cooked slowly together will make a tasty and appetising stew that is sure to prove popular.
Think up new ways to add fruit to the family’s meals; sliced fruit, honey and chopped nuts added to a natural yoghurt, sliced banana or strawberries added to whole-wheat cereal for breakfast or a fresh fruit milk shake for when the kids finish school. These all take only a few minutes to prepare but contribute enormously to your family’s healthy diet.
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