When meal planning becomes an educational family activity!

11 April, 2018

Teaching our children good eating habits is, in a way, a way of preserving their good health and ensuring that they will preserve it themselves in the future. The way we plan our meals and our "food" shopping habits have a great influence on those that our children will develop. The example is, moreover, much stronger than all the long explanations and lessons we can give our little ones!
In short, everything happens in the supermarket basket, because if parents do not have healthy eating habits themselves, that is to say a varied and balanced diet, there is little chance (if any) that children will develop them on their own.
That's the theory! But in practice, it's not so easy to plan meals and ensure they are healthy and varied enough, not to mention that we ardently want to avoid waste and put meals on the menu that everyone will like! A good way to achieve this is to be conscientious when it comes to writing the famous weekly grocery list. We have therefore created for you (and also for us!) a "grocery list" notepad that will not only make your task easier but will also allow you to ensure that everything you put on the menu is healthy and varied. This list and the weekly family planner, are surely a winning combination!
 
The list, divided by food groups (much like you find them in the grocery aisles), will save you precious time during your shopping. By no longer zigzagging through the grocery store aisles, you will also avoid buying a bunch of things you don't need! 
To involve children in meal planning, especially older ones, it can be interesting to start modeling how we plan the week's meals; planning the week's meals when you are 12 or older can be a fun and educational exercise. Obviously, it probably won't be possible to do it with them every week, but take the time to try it once or twice! This will allow them to understand the magnitude of this task and perhaps they will be a little more understanding and a little less capricious about what is on the menu afterward. To help you guide them in this task, here are the four
steps we systematically follow at home when we are in the midst of a planning session.
Writing the grocery list in four steps:
  1. Check if there are any leftover meals in your refrigerator and put them on the menu first.
  2. Check if there are any fresh foods to consume and plan a fridge-clearing meal.
  3. Think about your schedule. Check your planner to see if any planned events might influence your meal choices.
  4. Plan the week's meals and make your grocery list.
In conclusion, here are five pieces of advice from Michael Pollan, journalist and author of the book "In Defense of Food": 
  1. Avoid products with more than five ingredients. The more ingredients a packaged food contains, the more likely it is to be processed.
  2. Eat real food. Choose only foods that would eventually rot.
  3. Become an omnivore. Eating meat three times a week is sufficient.
  4. Eat all the junk food you want as long as you prepare it yourself. French fries, cakes, chips... You're not likely to eat them every day that way!
  5. Break the rules! We shouldn't demonize fatty and sugary foods, but learn to consume them in moderation. We must retain this notion of occasional pleasure.

And there you have it! Happy planning and most importantly, enjoy your meal!