Share meal preparation tasks. Involving your children in meal preparation will make them more likely to eat the meal. “Make family meals intergenerational. Involve your children in the meal-planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation stages of your meals, so everyone has a role and feels involved,” says Anderson. Children involved in meal preparation are also more likely to acquire healthy eating habits.
Cook in advance. Cook two or three dishes on your day off, and freeze some of them. Use the frozen dishes on the days when you don’t have time to cook.
Keep it simple. Anderson says, “Don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. There are so many great recipes online and in cookbooks that you can experiment with and craft recipes that cater to your family’s needs and taste.” Click here for a variety of African Diaspora inspired recipes.
Take a cooking class. A Taste of African Heritage Cooking Program, managed by Anderson, provides an opportunity for you to learn how to prepare a variety of delicious and nutritious meals to inspire a whole new way of eating. Click here to find out if a class is happening near you.
I encourage you to reclaim your family traditions. Reflect on the days when your family gathered around the table for home cooked meals. Make family meals a priority and commit to one more family meal at home per week. Family meals make families healthier and stronger.
Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, national speaker and author of The African American Guide to Living Well with Diabetes. She is a Dannon One Yogurt Every Day Nutrition Advisor.