Enjoy food

Cook &
relax!
A HEALTHY FAMILY LIFE
• Brighten up your meals with
colourful salads, vegetables or
fruit. Make a five-a-day chart
for each member of the family,
using coloured stickers for each
portion. Total it up at the end of
the week to see who’s won.
• Cooking together is another way
to help the family make healthier
choices. Involve children in
shopping and cooking so they
know what’s in their food. A lot
of grocery stores have a colourful
display of fruit and vegetables
and you could ask the children
to find firm tomatoes, shiny
aubergines and juicy pineapples.
• Read labels together so that
you all get used to comparing
different foods, helping you to
make healthier choices.
• Family fun can also be active
fun (see box, right). Taking part
in team sports, going on family
walks, dance classes and
swimming are great ways to
build relationships within the
family and encourage active
lifestyles from a young age.
Make this a part of family life
so you all exercise regularly –
cutting down on the amount
of time spent doing seated
activities, such as watching
TV or playing computer games.
FUN WAYS TO GET MORE ACTIVE
Whether it’s a walk in the park or a game of rounders,
families who are active together have more fun! Try
these suggestions:
✔ Spend an afternoon picking your own fruit and veg at a local
farm – it’s a good way to be active and you’ll come back
with fresh healthy food you can turn into delicious meals for
everyone to enjoy.
✔ Join a fun run to raise funds for charity – even young children
can join in and walk.
✔ Get everyone a pedometer and see if you can all meet the
10,000 daily steps challenge.
✔ Got a dog? Get everyone to take it out on a family walk.
✔ Play football or pitch and putt in the park, or go swimming
at the local leisure centre.
Inspiring stories
Go to www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood to read about how others
have made positive changes thanks to the Enjoy Food programme.
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