Nerida Murray asked:
A quick survey of my friends showed the usual New Year resolutions.
Lose weight
Spend more time with the family
Get the kids eating healthier food
Save money
Pay off the credit card
Travel more
Take up a new hobby
Sound familiar?
What if I told you that the key to nailing your New Year resolutions this year is as simple as making a commitment to eating at home with the family?
“Too easy!” you say, “So what’s the catch?”
The catch? No catch, you just have to cook the meals yourself.
Not convinced eating at healthy home cooked meals will solve all these problems?
Let me show you in more detail:
Lose weight: You have more control over food you prepare at home. You’re less likely to go overboard on the carbs and you can watch the fat, salt and sugar content too. Go for fresh, simple food and do as little to it as you can. Combine this with a gentle exercise routine of say, 30 minutes brisk walking a day, and the weight problem will virtually solve itself.
Spend more time with the family: We’re all so busy these days, but if you can make a house rule that everyone is home at a certain time for dinner (at least some of the time), then you get the value of sharing a meal together as well as sharing some time together. This is made all the more special because you’ve prepared the meal yourself. In fact, get the kids involved and teach them some valuable skills while you are at it.
Get the kids eating healthier food: As you take care of your own resolution to lose weight the kids will benefit too from the healthier food. The only difference is that active kids and teens need more carbs than you do, so give them a serving of low GI brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or wholegrain bread.
Save money; Pay more off the credit card; and Travel more: I’ve lumped these three together because they can all be solved the same way. That is, once you are regularly eating at home, buying unprocessed foods, and not forking out a fortune on fast food and take out, you’ll notice a welcome side effect on your budget. You’ll be starting to save money. Money you can put away for a ‘rainy day’, put on the credit card, or save for a decent holiday. Every little bit helps, and in my experience raw fruit and vegetables and other unprocessed foods are much cheaper to buy than food that just needs to be heated and served.
Take up a new hobby: I think you’ve probably already guessed where I’m heading with this one! Yes, why not join the fastest growing movement in the western world and really get into cooking your own food! You don’t need to produce restaurant quality food every night. Who needs that kind of pressure! All you need is to allow yourself to enjoy food, fresh food, with as many of your senses as you can muster, and share the enthusiasm with your family.
Oh, and a source of easy dinner recipes never goes astray. I can help out there too, so be sure to check out my website for heaps of free recipes as well as tips on healthy eating.
So, what are you waiting for? Will you be going to next years New Year’s Eve party knowing that you’ve failed to keep your resolutions again?
Or are you going to enjoy ticking them all off this year? You’ll never have to make a resolution again…or you could have some fun cultivating a whole set of new vices!
David
A quick survey of my friends showed the usual New Year resolutions.
Lose weight
Spend more time with the family
Get the kids eating healthier food
Save money
Pay off the credit card
Travel more
Take up a new hobby
Sound familiar?
What if I told you that the key to nailing your New Year resolutions this year is as simple as making a commitment to eating at home with the family?
“Too easy!” you say, “So what’s the catch?”
The catch? No catch, you just have to cook the meals yourself.
Not convinced eating at healthy home cooked meals will solve all these problems?
Let me show you in more detail:
Lose weight: You have more control over food you prepare at home. You’re less likely to go overboard on the carbs and you can watch the fat, salt and sugar content too. Go for fresh, simple food and do as little to it as you can. Combine this with a gentle exercise routine of say, 30 minutes brisk walking a day, and the weight problem will virtually solve itself.
Spend more time with the family: We’re all so busy these days, but if you can make a house rule that everyone is home at a certain time for dinner (at least some of the time), then you get the value of sharing a meal together as well as sharing some time together. This is made all the more special because you’ve prepared the meal yourself. In fact, get the kids involved and teach them some valuable skills while you are at it.
Get the kids eating healthier food: As you take care of your own resolution to lose weight the kids will benefit too from the healthier food. The only difference is that active kids and teens need more carbs than you do, so give them a serving of low GI brown rice, whole wheat pasta, or wholegrain bread.
Save money; Pay more off the credit card; and Travel more: I’ve lumped these three together because they can all be solved the same way. That is, once you are regularly eating at home, buying unprocessed foods, and not forking out a fortune on fast food and take out, you’ll notice a welcome side effect on your budget. You’ll be starting to save money. Money you can put away for a ‘rainy day’, put on the credit card, or save for a decent holiday. Every little bit helps, and in my experience raw fruit and vegetables and other unprocessed foods are much cheaper to buy than food that just needs to be heated and served.
Take up a new hobby: I think you’ve probably already guessed where I’m heading with this one! Yes, why not join the fastest growing movement in the western world and really get into cooking your own food! You don’t need to produce restaurant quality food every night. Who needs that kind of pressure! All you need is to allow yourself to enjoy food, fresh food, with as many of your senses as you can muster, and share the enthusiasm with your family.
Oh, and a source of easy dinner recipes never goes astray. I can help out there too, so be sure to check out my website for heaps of free recipes as well as tips on healthy eating.
So, what are you waiting for? Will you be going to next years New Year’s Eve party knowing that you’ve failed to keep your resolutions again?
Or are you going to enjoy ticking them all off this year? You’ll never have to make a resolution again…or you could have some fun cultivating a whole set of new vices!
David
