The Holidays are a great time for gathering your family around the dinner table and talking about making healthy choices. With all the chocolate and sweets going around your home this time of year, it’s more important than ever to sit down together to enjoy healthy meals and great conversation. Here are a few ideas for encouraging healthy diets with your family during the holiday season at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The New Year is fast approaching and that means many of us are thinking about making some healthy changes come January 1st. Making changes to improve your health is an important personal choice that can also benefit your family. By preparing healthier meals with a variety of fresh vegetables, for example, the whole family can benefit from all that added nutrition.

As you’re setting goals for the weeks and months to come, it can be helpful to talk openly at the dinner table about how you’re making healthy choices. No matter their age, your kids can benefit from having healthy conversations during the Holidays.

Healthy Conversation Starters

The best time to bring up healthy eating habits in your home is while you’re eating. It’s an opportunity for everyone to turn off the TV and their phones, enjoy a delicious homecooked meal, and talk about their day. Throughout the school year, your family might be too busy to eat together every day, but winter vacation makes it easier when everyone is home.

To start a discussion with your kids about nutrition, you can simply comment on the ingredients used in the meal. Cater to the ages and interests of everyone around the table. If your kids are involved in school sports, you could make a simple recipe like Fresh Fattoush Salad with Mini Cucumbers and talk about the benefits of hydration for physical and mental performance. After all, Mini Cucumbers are 95% water and make a great powerup before and after games. You can also talk about interesting food facts, like how much Vitamin C is in Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers – did you know they contain more than an orange? This Vegan Vegetable Primavera recipe is delicious any time of year and loved by kids of all ages!

You don’t have to keep this quality time to dinner: breakfast is a great time to start talking about healthy choices. You can get your whole family in the holiday spirit with this delicious and nutritious Holiday Breakfast Skillet complete with rich and majestically sweet RedRoyals® Sweet Cherry Tomatoes on-the-Vine.

These quick conversations can be helpful reminders during the big holiday rush for everyone to slow down and think about the food we eat and enjoy – where it comes from, how it’s produced, and how it can impact your overall health and well-being.

All across North America, families are discovering the many benefits of eating greenhouse grown produce. The healthy vegetables we grow contain essential nutrients that growing boys and girls need to be in tip top shape. Better yet, these vegetables are available year-round because of our state-of-the-art, climate-controlled greenhouse technology. Everything is grown indoors!

Greenhouse growing means we can produce fresh vegetables closer to home with fewer food miles and less waste. As you’re talking about nutrition, it’s important to talk about the other ways you can be health conscious. Eating greenhouse grown produce is healthy for the planet and for local communities where Pure Flavor® grows! Plus, it’s healthy for you because you can enjoy your favorite veggies 365 days a year.

These family conversations at the dining table are healthy in other ways too. Not only are you enjoying great, nutritious food and learning about the health benefits of each ingredient, but you can actually improve everyone’s mental health by simply talking with no distractions.

The Benefits of Family Meals

Studies have shown that family meals can have measurable, long-term health benefits. Here are just a few from the FMI Foundation:

  • Regular family meals are linked to higher grades in school and higher self-esteem
  • Kids are more likely to develop positive social behaviors like sharing, fairness, and respect
  • Adults and children are less likely to be overweight or obese
  • Parents are more likely to be connected with their kids
  • Kids are more likely to be open with their parents

For more information the benefits of family meals, visit the Family Meals Movement.

Easy Family Meal Recipes

Strike up a healthy conversation over some of our favorite easy and healthy family recipes:

While you’re in the cooking spirit, you can start to plan healthy options for your parties with these tasty holiday recipes:

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