As I try to eat healthily, I also would love for my family to do the same. But sometimes, the hardest to convince is those who are closest to us. Partly because we really want them to change for the better because we know the health improvements from eating healthy, we love them, and it hurts to see them eating things that can be harmful and damaging to their health. It's hard to change other people's diet unless they themselves realize the importance and understand why they need to do so. To encourage them, here are some steps I've tried in the past with my family:
- I show them how my health has improved (healing of eczema, improved eyesight and immunity, lower LDL/higher HDL ratio, etc.) so they can really see that eating healthy actually works.
- I buy fermented cod liver oil (FCLO) for my parents and tell them they have to consume it everyday, otherwise they have to pay for it ;p It gives them incentives to consume it. Of course they know I'm joking :)
- When I see my parents eating unhealthy food, I often joke to them that if they continue to live this way, they will not see their great-grandkids. We laugh, but they understand what it means.
- No snacks at home. The first line of defense is avoiding having unhealthy food at home, so when my parents come to visit and they are hungry, they will not find processed food at my home, so they have to eat fresh fruits or other healthy snacks instead.
- For breakfast, I don't give them options of eating refined bread and cakes. I cook them soaked oatmeal and that's what they eat. I also proactively take a spoonful of coconut oil and a serving of FCLO and make them take it. (ha!)
As a parent myself, I always want to give the best for my family. I try different ways to make my little one eat healthy food. I give her the best milk available to my knowledge, even though it is inconvenient to get and more expensive. I plan for every contingency there can be and so we can be as prepared as possible whenever we go out. Life would surely be easier if I choose to be ignorant, but I choose not to do so out of love and obligation to be good stewards of our bodies, taking care of them the best we can while we are able to do so. And that is how our God is too, He can just give us an easy life, without problems and worries of life, but He chooses to give us struggles so that when we overcome it, we can experience His love, mercy, and blessings even more. I love this song by Laura Story titled "Blessings." It's one of my favorite songs of all time. May it be a blessing to you!
How have you tried to encourage your loved ones to eat healthily?
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