How Do You Feed Your Family?
I’ve had many moms tell me that they can’t eat a whole food, plant-centered diet because they have a family to feed.
Here are my thoughts:
Everyone is happier when Mama is happy.
The best way to help others is to take excellent care of our own health. When the caregiver’s health fails, no one gets good care.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our loved ones is to live a long and vibrantly healthy life with them.
Modeling good self-care is a huge gift to our children.
It is okay to make your own wellness a priority. Giving to your family doesn’t mean forgoing your own best self.
It is totally possible to change your own eating habits, even in the face of family pressure not to do so.
Having said that, let’s be real, there are challenges to feeding a family that isn’t on board with a whole food diet. My daughter is vegan, my husband is pescatarian with a heavy dairy habit, and my son is a card-carrying carnivore. My kids are nearly grown, which I know changes the demands, but here is how I handle it at our house:
I still buy fish and dairy for them. I don’t prepare it, though, and no one is allowed to cook meat in my kitchen. If you want a steak, go get it at the grocery store and then put it on the BBQ and cook it yourself.
I don’t keep unhealthy foods in the house which might call to me. If there is a brand of snack or dessert that I know I will have trouble avoiding, I don’t purchase it.
I make delicious plant-centered meals, and if they want to add animal products or processed toppings to these, they can.
Examples:
Poke Bowls - I make them plant-based, but I buy ahi for my men. I don’t prepare it in any way for them, though. They are in charge of prepping and cleaning up any animal products that come into the house.
Gyros - I make falafels. If you want flank steak instead, feel free to purchase it, marinate it, BBQ it, and wash the cutting board yourself. Falafel is looking so much easier, right?!
Pasta - I make a fab plant-based sauce from whole food ingredients. If they want to smother it with cheese at the table, no problem.
Buddha Bowls of all kinds - I prep tons of veg, fruit, noodles, whole grains, plant-based proteins, and home-made sauces, and then everyone composes their own bowl. If my family wants to add store-bought corn chips, tortillas, naan, etc, they are totally free to do so with zero judgment.
Most importantly, I set up my food environment in a way that encourages my own success.
I keep ultra processed foods in the house to a bare minimum.
My counter is always stocked with fresh fruits, keeping healthy snacks in my line of vision and within easy reach.
My freezer is filled with healthy soups and stews in individual containers for quick lunches.
I batch cook and freeze everything from oatmeal to plant-based proteins, like tofu cubes and seitan crumbles.
My fridge is filled with chopped veggies and a few simple store-bought sauces and dressings with minimal ingredients, so that composing a meal on the fly is as simple as opening a few containers.
I shop, meal-plan, prep, and cook in a way that makes sense for my own health.
My family has adjusted, and so will yours.
I encourage you to do what’s best FOR YOU.
You deserve to live your most vibrantly healthy life.
🌱💕