According to a recent poll, a third of Americans made eating better their New Year's resolution.
Experts are offering tips on how to include the entire family in these goals.
”The take-home message here is you don't want to put children on a diet,” said registered dietitian Caroline Susie. “We want to try and foster the most healthy relationship with food as we can. So when we think about that, we want to approach that from a very inclusive standpoint versus restrictive. So anything that is going to be restrictive is probably not going to be the best bet for the family, so approaches that really don't have a lot of rules.”
She says that can include Mediterranean, flexitarian, and dash diets. All include a wide variety of foods with a big focus on fruits and veggies.
The key takeaways are limiting fatty meats, sweetened beverages, and high-fat dairy foods.
If you have a picky eater in the house that's having a tough time getting on board with any changes, experts say not to give up on them.
”You have just to pack your patience and keep introducing foods over and over and over again. We have evidence that suggests that when we offer these fruits and vegetables, even if the child doesn't take it, as an adult, they're going to be more inclined to eat more fruits and vegetables,” she said.
She also suggests making meals with at least one familiar food on the plate, then adding healthier foods to it.
