The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) did a poll in 2007 and found that 87% of American teenagers don’t eat the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.  That means that only 13% of our teens are getting proper nutrition!

If you are the parent of teenagers, then you know that most of this is probably due to their growing independence and general refusal to do most anything “healthy.”  This is just how it is with teenagers, it seems.  Our culture engenders the love of junk food, fast food, and worse.

Combating this trend is the job of every American parent.  In fact, it probably starts with we adults since the same survey found that only 1/3 (33%) of us are eating properly.

The work begins with our home meal times.  The meals we prepare and eat as a family are often the most important meals of the day for everyone in the family.  In most busy households, this boils down to supper time.  Breakfast is often on the run (if it happens at all) and for lunch, most of us aren’t at home.  That leaves the evening meal.

Starting there, aim for nutrition and quality, not fanfare and popularity.  Sure, frozen lasagna is easy, but it requires an hour and a half to cook.  That same time could be used to cook a nutritious casserole, steaming vegetables on the stove top, and otherwise making better nutritional choices for our primary meal.

Have a couple of nights set aside as “vegetarian” nights.  Make meatless or near-meatless meals.  Have a fish night or a white meat night (especially chicken or turkey) too.  Move away from red meats as the primary dinner food and aim to incorporate as many vegetables as possible.  Use fruit as a dessert or side dish too.

The next step is to change what’s available to snack on in the house throughout the day.  Fill the fridge with carrots, celery, salads, grapes, cherry tomatoes, and the like.  Have fresh fruit like apples and oranges always on hand.  Keep the salted crackers, the sweetened cereals, and the candy bars and so forth out of the house or at a bare minimum.  Emphasize to your family how important proper nutrition is and show them how it’s done.

If you do these things, you’ll find that within a few days, everyone will feel healthier, happier, and stronger.  Within weeks, junk food and sugar cravings are gone and your family will be much less likely to have other problems related to nutritional deficiencies.

Try it!

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