How to Help Others Change Their Diet

Starting a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge in the beginning, especially if members of your household are not on-board. While success is still possible, it’s important to encourage your family and other close friends to join you so the lifestyle can feel easy for the year’s ahead. Here are a few tips to consider:

Tell them what you have learned. It can be exciting to make new, healthy changes and to stay accountable to your plan, it helps to talk about it. Plus, learning new information and wanting to share it is fun. When it comes to encouraging others to get healthy with you, focus on what you’ve learned instead of criticizing what they should be doing. Focus on being positive. For example, you could say, “I have started eating vegetables at every meal the past few weeks and I’ve learned I no longer feel tired after a meal.” Something to avoid saying is, “you know you should be eating multiple servings of vegetables a day for stable energy.” By stating what you have learned and how it’s improved your life opens the door for your friends and family to see if they are interesting in joining with you.

Focus on talking about what you’re eating instead of what you’re not eating. If you start a conversation with “I’m not eating sugar, pasta, bread, processed foods or alcohol because those foods are not healthy for you,” you’ll probably instantly make them feel defensive or uncomfortable. They also might think you’re judging them if those foods are currently in their diet. Instead, keep it positive by saying what you are eating. “I’ve been eating lots of roasted vegetables, frittatas, fresh fruit, grilled fish and easy crockpot recipes.” These statements makes a person feel completely different and are non-judgmental.

Sneak in the good stuff. This can be a really good trick for picky eaters. Sometimes the thought of broccoli for kids or adults can automatically have a reaction of, yuck! But, what happens if you finely chop broccoli into a spaghetti meat sauce or other dinners? Is it more do-able? Start by finely chopping vegetables into your current recipes. Your family may not even notice it, yet they are reaping the nutritional benefits. Sneaking spinach or other leafy greens can also works well in smoothies. If you decide to tell them your tricks, they may be excited to know they like it!

Make it a fun activity. Healthy food can be fun. Get your family involved by having them help you plan a meal. Kids may really enjoy this activity. You could also plan a BBQ or dinner party for your friends and family. Be in charge of the menu and surprise them with your healthy favorites! They may be asking for the recipes afterwards.

Always remember that this is your journey. Encouraging others is important, but unfortunately we can’t make decisions for others. Lead by example, keep positive thoughts flowing, and before you know it, you may just have those people following in your footsteps.