Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

People's definitions of healthy and unhealthy can vary a lot, so it might be useful to know what you're trying to eliminate or what problems you're trying to solve.

For instance, one person might want to cut back on processed foods and diet sodas while another might think the teens are getting too fat, while another might have a daughter who is obsessed with weight control to the point that she's malnourished. Those are all different problems with different solutions.

Don't buy processed foods and junk food that you don't want them to eat at home. If they have to buy it with their own money or they're limited to what they eat at other people's houses, they'll be eating a lot less of it. If the junk food isn't available at home and they're hungry, they can choose from the healthier options you have.

A lot of people drink a lot more calories than they realize. And if you're hungry, the calories in most of those drinks aren't going to help at all. Try to wean the family off of sodas, fruit juices, sports drinks, etc. If it's not in the house and they're thirsty, they'll drink water or whatever else you have on hand that you decide is a better choice. If they're not thirsty, it won't kill them to go without the sugary drinks. If they're hungry, they're better off eating something that will fill them up.

100-calorie snacks are only useful for people who need help measuring out 100 calories worth of food, and who are also interested in eating only 100 calories of that particular product. Otherwise, that stuff is no healthier than any other packaged crud on the shelves.

I'm not a big fan of banning any particular food entirely. If it's forbidden, it makes it more appealing, and if also makes it more likely that people will overindulge when that food becomes available. On the other hand, if there's no self-control, then an unlimited supply of the stuff doesn't make sense, either.

Limit the bad stuff by making it a small part of a meal instead of an unlimited snack. For example, use tortilla chips to make nachos and serve that as part of a meal Everyone gets a small portion, but that portion also includes beans, lettuce, whatever. And that's just a side dish or appetizer that goes along with whatever else you're making for dinner.

Potato chips along with dinner isn't the healthiest thing in the world, but if it's a side dish along with other things, it's not nearly as bad. And obviously this isn't something that you'd do often. But once in a while it's not terrible.

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with sweets, in moderation. A reasonable portion of a tasty dessert is better than someone eating a quart of ice cream while watching TV. If the tasty dessert happens to include some fruit or whole grains, that's a plus.

Changing the menu drastically probably isn't going to work. If someone is used to eating take-out pizza, a switch to granola and tofu and broccoli is too much to ask for. Make small changes.

For example, pizza can be junk food, or it can be relatively healthy. You could make a pizza with a crust that has maybe 1/4 or 1/3 whole wheat flour, and probably no one will notice if the rest of the pizza has a lot of flavor. Use a lower fat cheese or use less cheese. Add more veggies. Buy a decent turkey sausage instead of pork-based sausage. In the end, it's still pizza, so it's familiar. But it's healthier.

For some people, portion control is the biggest hurdle. If that's the case, and if they aren't willing to exercise some control on their own, then you need to find foods that add bulk but are lower in calorie. That way, they feel full, but they aren't overeating in terms of calories.

Soups can be filling, so starting dinner with a soup course can help fill them up a bit. Whole grains are also filling, but if they refuse to eat them, that doesn't help. That might be something you need to introduce slowly. But if you serve those whole grains in a tasty way, in combination with other things, it will go over a lot better than if you boil some brown rice and serve it plain. That same rice in a casserole or as fried rice or in soup or a spicy beans-and-rice combo might be a better choice.

In the end, though, if your familiy members aren't interested in eating better food or losing weight, there's a limit to what you can do because they aren't under your control all the time. If they agree to eating healthier it will be a lot easier.

in addition to all the wonderful advice above, try to get them out and moving more. instead of watching a movie with them get them out on a hike or whatever, even drag them around a museum, anything to keep them moving, and when they whine that their tired or that they were active all day, ignore it and keep them going. sounds mean but if you follow the advice from DB and esmeralda as well you will all be healthier. Good luck, and remember you cant change them only yourself.

start them off with bean burrito's.... gradually add in some brown rice and always garnish with lots of fresh tomato, lettuce & cilantro.....

No offense, but you can't make others want to change. You can change your own eating habits, but if your kids and husband aren't motivated it's a no-go. Change what you eat, and they may follow your example.

Yep, what @Heart said... if your kids were small, it might be one thing, but they are teens (aka pseudo-adults), and hubby is responsible for himself. However. If you are the one doing the grocery shopping and the bulk of the meal prep, then that is the focus of your responsibility in their eating habits. As so many others have so wisely pointed out, do not buy crap and do not serve crap.

In my house, the policy is, always has been, always will be, "This is what I've made. If you're not hungry enough to eat something nutritious, then you're probably not truly hungry. That said, you are never required to eat all of what I'm serving, but proper manners demand that you taste the food you are served before deciding not to eat it. Please take at least one bite of each thing. If it's unsatisfactory, get yourself up and make some cereal or a PB&J sandwich, because I am not a short-order cook."

My teens eat what I make, and fortunately they love my food. But, even if they aren't always huge fans of the veggies on their plates, or wish the chicken were fried rather than grilled, they never, EVER complain that somebody has gone to the trouble to lovingly prepare them a tasty, nutritious meal. That's just plain bad, disrespectful behavior, and I won't put up with it.

In summary, assuming you're the shopper and cooker, you must buy only the foods you'd like to see eaten. You must prepare only the meals you think are worthwhile. If food is going to waste, get in the habit of informing everyone of tonight's menu, in advance, and asking them if they plan to eat what you are making. If they whine and complain, make less. If there's still most of a meal leftover, cheerfully pack it into containers and announce, "Well, I guess I know what we're having for dinner TOMORROW night!"

Finally, moderation is key. The previous advice of make your transition gradual is very good. Be sure to engage in LOTS of discussion with the family about what's going on and why. They need to understand that this is motivated by love, and that if they must eat crap, they'll just have to get it for themselves (much like refusing to supply an alcoholic with booze).

Just remember. There is no bad food, only badly managed food.

Start slowly. Gradually substitute the little things they probably won't notice and work your way up to the big stuff. Like cook beef one less day per week, and then 2 less. Most likely, they're not keeping count. And as long as you give variety, they won't notice. Try subbing whole wheat crust on the pizza. The toppings and sauce will hide it.

@amandalovesfood - cleaning out the cabinets and starting fresh is a great idea, but she shoudl also go through to see what she can actually use! (got any beans or canned tomatoes in there?) And shopping at Whole Foods does not make you healthier - it makes you poorer!

I like the michael pollan rule (haven't read the book - disclosure): eat food. not too much. mostly plants. Not buying junk food any more (including soda) and looking for ways to add more fruits & vegetables to your family's diet (or sub veggies for meat when it works, like in lasagna and stuffed pastas) is probably a more gentle and more realistic way to start. After that, start experimenting with different grains and working more whole grains into your diet.

101 cookbooks food blog is built on natural foods (and a vegetarian diet) and explains a lot of different grains (and sweetners and oils, for that matter) and also has a lot of healthy recipes, even if you eat meat (like me). Kalyn's Kitchen food blog is all south beach diet friendly, and while I'm not advocating you and your fam go south beach, her meals are crafted with nutrition in mind and she puts caveats in like "this is pretty high in fat so it's a treat, not an everyday thing."

I would say however you do it, make transitioning to healthier eating habits a fun adventure in cooking, not some iron gate that slams down on your kitchen.

Also, make sure you really look at the behavioral habits surrounding food in your family. If you don't already do it: eat dinner together at the table if you can. It is an eating habit that separates food from other activities that cause us to just chomp down mindlessly and overindulge, and it'll give you a perfect forum for getting feedback on the new diet changes.

And get everyone eating breakfast (or taking healthy snacks to school/work for the morning) if they aren't already. I NEVER liked cereal, but after seeing how good my bf's breakfasts looked, I started. Good granola (I now make my own, I know "hipppy" blah blah), plain or flavored yogurt, milk, berries, cinnamon. I like to dizzle a little maple syrup or agave nectar on too. I pretty much won't eat cereal any other way. I also went through a phase where I made strata in muffin tins (scrambled eggs, bread cubes, veggies, maybe some meat, cayenne!). Smoothies are also good and are so adaptable (who would guess that spinach/kale/zucchini would disappear in flavor in a smoothie?).

Also, try to put the kaibosh on night time snacking and emotional eating. I used to eat bowl after bowl after bowl of potato chips with dip at night when I was a kid ... and looking back, I did it to avoid my family because that was fairly problematic (note: it took me years to realize it was emotional eating and to break the habit). Doing so will help nip bad eating habits in the bud and could be a sign of something going on with a kid (or anyone really) that maybe needs a little more attention paid to it.

Just like we wouldn't send our kids out into the world without knowing how to do laundry, we really need to get our kids in the kitchen and learning about and how to cook. I agree that we can't force our kids, but we do have an ability to influence and encourage them to eat more healthily and it is possible.

I found that half of my struggles with the kids eating habits were eliminated when I finally got them involved in the kitchen. Making things that they loved, like Thai, Japanese or Chinese noodle dishes, all with lots of vegetables, a good many of which are great served cold or heated in the microwave (I store individual servings in microwave safe pyrex bowls with lids) once I saw that the leftovers saved in a larger bowl in the fridge had been gobbled up the next day after school.

My kids love sandwiches of pita, blanched broccoli, sprinkled with crushed red pepper flakes with a slice of provolone, melted in the toaster oven. I blanch broccoli several times a week, so I always put some aside in the fridge (dated) to keep handy.

They also love celery and apple slices with peanut butter.

I agree with most of the recommendations here, so I'll try not to be repetitive. When I decided to eat healthier, to me it meant to stop eating sodas (even diet ones) and foods with preservatives or ingredients I could not pronounce from their labels. That led me to buy other choices I felt were healthier for me than those I was buying before.

I suggest you make small changes at a time... start with the sodas now, then next month start buying whole grain/brown rice instead of white rice, and so on. That way you're indeed making lasting changes in your family's diet and not forcing a lot of changes at once.

I agree with teaching kids to like certain foods for what they are instead of sneaking them into the food, but if they're too resistant to the changes, you can sneak in ingredients in the food and still include a side of veggies as to educate them little by little that veggies are a necessary part of a healthy meal.

I like fruit, but I am lazy to eat them by themselves. So I make myself fruit smoothies for breakfast each morning. I keep bananas, berries, papaya, etc in the freezer and make myself a different smoothie each morning. I even made some smoothies once with spinach, which you won't see or taste the spinach, but believe me, It's in there.

Good luck in your healthier diet endeavor... be persitent and consistent. You'll achieve success in the long run. I am sure of that.

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking