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October is National Family Health Month. The Key to family health is bringing families together and building connections and traditions that last a lifetime.

Do you feel like you spend more time away from your family working hard to improve your quality of life? Don’t let all your hard work get in the way of spending quality time with your family. A healthy family is a happy family!
Spending time together as a family can help improve overall health and emotional well-being.

Healthy Eating

Making healthy food choices for your family doesn’t mean it has to be dreary. Healthy eating can include a variety of foods, and we know the best foods are the ones prepared and eaten with loved ones.
Include all family members when preparing meals. It’s more likely that family members who participate in meal preparation will be more inclined to eat it. It’s definitely a great opportunity to incorporate all five food groups during dinner time to make a healthy balanced meal; these include: Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, Protein and Dairy. Consuming a well-balanced diet on a daily basis can help decrease the risk of diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular and diabetes.
Most kids love pizza! So, preparing your own pizza at home and choosing healthy ingredients can be a great way to be together while satisfying everyone’s personal favorite foods. Individual flat breads are great base for thin crust pizzas. Make sure to choose whole or multigrain for the most nutritious option. Each family member can prepare their own pizza by adding delicious and colorful healthy toppings. Once you’re done selecting toppings, place it in the oven for a quick nutritious meal.

Recommendations for toppings include: Choose at least one from each category for a balanced meal.
Vegetables: mushrooms, bell peppers (all colors), spinach, arugula (add after cooking pizza), eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, squash, tomato, onions, olives or any other favorite vegetable you would like
Fruit: pineapple, fresh avocado slices (add after cooking pizza)
Protein: chicken, ham, turkey, lean shredded beef, beans, tofu, turkey bacon, low sodium pepperoni
Dairy: low fat cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, feta
Grains: whole grain flat wrap, spinach flat wrap or whole grain pizza dough
Herbs: basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, garlic, rosemary, parsley, dried chili powder, sage

You can also make your own sauce by blending a few fresh ingredients such as basil, olive oil, and garlic to make a nice homemade pesto sauce. Choose tomato for a more traditional pizza.  

Open Communication

Family meals allow parents to be role models while creating a healthy environment for kids. Now that you’ve got everyone involved in meal preparation, it’s a great time to communicate and talk to your kids about their day while sitting around the table to eat together. This allows family members to stay engaged and involved in what’s happening while being away all day. It’s also a healthy way of making all members of the family feel included and important. Communication involves active listening and asking open-ended questions, or starting an open-ended conversation. Try not to ask questions that will require a simple “yes” or “no” answer. Here are some tips for starting conversations with your kids:
“Tell me something fun you did today at school”.
“What kind of interesting projects do you have going on in school this week?”
“Who is your favorite teacher?”
A good conversation starter could include an experience you had when you were in school that your child could relate to and you can ask them if they’ve had a similar experience.

Physical Activity

After sharing dinner with your family, make it a routine to get up and be active together. Being active can help you decrease stress and improve mood and behaviors. It also helps keep your heart healthy and in shape, which can decrease the risk of heart disease and several other health conditions. It can also help manage diseases you might already have.  All it takes is at least 30 minutes a day. Being active together with your family can motivate and encourage you to help each other be healthy and stay healthy. 
Tips for being active with family:

Sources used:
UF/IFAS Extension. Healthy Living: Beating barriers to Physical Activity. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY88300.pdf Accessed October 9, 2015.
UF/IFAS Extension. Benefits of family meals. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY136200.pdf Accessed October 9, 2015.
UF/IFAS Extension. Family Nutrition: A recipe for good Communication. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY106000.pdf Accessed October 9, 2015.
Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. Family dinners in a flash. http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/eating-as-a-family/family-dinners-in-a-flash      Accessed October 9, 2015.
Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. Family Meals: Small investment, big payoff. http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/eating-as-a-family/family-meals-small-investment-big-payoff. Accessed October 9, 2015.