US Women Magazine August 2014 Vol 1 Issue 1 | Page 35

Family

Building A Foundation of
Wellness For Your Family
by: SimplyAubreySurovik

Most of us cook and eat from what we have learned from our past. This reminds me of a story that I’m sure I read off a web
post somewhere. A daughter asked her mother why she cut the ends off her meatloaf. Mom said, “Because my mother did
it.” They both then asked Grandma, “Why do you cut off the ends of your meatloaf?” Grandma said, “My mother did it.”
They all then asked Great Grandma, “Why did you cut the ends of your meatloaf?” Great Grandma said, “Because it didn’t
fit in my pan.”
We learn from our past; whether or not it taught us what we should do or what not to do.
In feeding our family, we are the one who buy or make meals that guides the wellness plan in the house. With or without
basic nutrition facts, we cook without thought because of what we have learned. However, the last few years have proven
it is easy to lose direction on what is truly healthy for our families resulting in negative generational traits that have packed
on the pounds. Our children are learning how to cook and serve meals. The question is; where from? Is this from going
out to eat? Or home cooked meals? As an athletic coordinator and physical education teacher, I would speak nutrition to
students all day; however, the students were NOT the ones in control of making healthy food decisions in the household…
That decisions fall to parents.
So, I ask: Are you building a foundation of wellness in your home? No? YES? If you are not; no one else in the house will
either, or the generations to come. The time is now, to make a few changes.
1. Keep it SIMPLE: Cook at home. Cooking at home doesn’t have to be fancy or a lot of work. There should be
three parts on your plate: protein, veggies/carbs and good fats. A BIGGER plus, is family, conversations, and a touch of
Love.
2.
Education: Either read or speak to a nutritionist. Learn the fundamentals of eating and a healthy lifestyle.
3.
God Made Foods: If it swims, runs, can be dug up from the ground, or pulled from a tree-Eat IT! Processed food
is man-made: try to stay away from it.
4.
Portions: The only scale you should be using is to weigh your food. Know how much to eat. Most serving sizes
are for two or three at one sitting. NOT GOOD. Know your size.
5.
Stay away from: Sweetners/Sugar-it’s the worst product on the market for EVERYONE, Whole Wheat, and Gluten.
Healthy is hard and expensive…However NOT nearly as hard or expensive as a fatal health issue.