Nutrition is the most important lifestyle choice families make. These are the choices that affect our happiness, balance, ability to learn, energy levels and overall health and longevity. Choosing a healthy, conscious approach to the way your family eats definitely takes more effort. It Does. There is no convenience in trying to sift through the contradictory information bombarding us daily of what is good for us and what is not--- often fads and food company marketing driving what is portrayed as healthy for the moment, until we gain the knowledge of it's validity ourselves.

Through the plethora of valid information now available to us (see our recent consume story), I'll take this a step further and say that a plant based vegan diet offers the most conscious choice, although a vegetarian (there are a few different types) diet offers a more humane choice than a diet with meat--- both are touted by their subscribers to be the most healthy option for the body, skin, & spirit. What is best for growing families with children is a source of debate. Eating consciously healthy is less convenient, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming or a burden.

For the sake of first steps, we want to outline a choice that is sort of a hybrid of all the different conscious nutrition lifestyles-- therefore, if you take this approach, you won't have the opportunity to speak out in activism, but you will have a balanced, do-able, healthy approach to your family's nutrition--- where you take it from there, is your life choice! This approach is called Flexitarian and you define the comfort lines, we'll be here to guide you along!

Here's some solutions to make healthy, conscious choices easier.

• One truth rings true when seeking healthy choices for your family: EAT ORGANIC, NON-GMO, NON-CHEMICAL, NON-HORMONE, selections.
• Severely Limit any processed food that lives in the cabinets. Go for high fiber foods! They take your body longer to process, which keeps it from storing fat, instead using the healthy food as energy.
• The best foods are from the earth.
• Don't use cooking spray. Instead buy a spray bottle and fill it with olive oil for baking and cooking.
• SCHOOL LUNCHES! (This is a big boy, so we'll offer great menus later) Buy your kids each a new, planet friendly lunch box, and ditch the plastic baggies! We recommend an amazing company called Planet Box! Their lunchboxes are a conscious parent's dream come true!

SHOP: Planet Box

Price Range: $2.95-$73.95

Planet Box products are eco-friendly, non-toxic, non-leaching, safe from BPA, lead & phthalates, easy clean, cost effective customizable and cute! AND they offer some great meal ideas on their site, what's not to love!? I love making lunch for my kids with these boxes! They make it easy to portion out all the food groups!

• If CONSCIOUS with a capital C is your goal, you'll have to find plant based solutions to eliminate meat (especially beef), fish & dairy from your diet. For families, this is usually the deal breaker in going vegan. It is a goal of ours to seek and discover viable solutions to make a "vegan" lifestyle easier for families who want to enact one, (even if it has a smidge of dairy) --- we're still researching these, stay tuned. A first step is to limit your dairy and red meat, this is conscious AND healthy. We were surprised to realize how many "vegan" meals we already ate!
• Veganism, is a journey that requires effort. You have to learn new ways of cooking, eating and resourcing. No lies, this can be challenging. For families who are just exploring better choices, we recommend maybe choosing 1, 2 or 3 days per week to be "vegans". Try it out. Why not? You may just love it! But it's important not to feel like you failed if it ends up not becoming your every day... small steps lead in big directions! If you do decide Vegan is for you, you'll need to prep your pantry.

SHOP: Mastering The Art of Vegan Cooking

Price Range: $13.99

We recommend the book: Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by, Annie & Dan Shannon which offers over 200 recipes, tips to SAVE YOU MONEY, and how to stock a vegan pantry. They also have a great blog www.meettheshannons.comBarnes & Noble sells this book at a great price. Another little note, just because you're eating Vegan, doesn't necessarily mean your eating "healthy", that effort has to be made no matter what food lifestyle you choose!

Bringing new things to the table usually sends kids off running and modeled behavior has the most influence on our kids. If they SEE you eating new food, their innate curiosity is going to force them to at least try new things... this might be a better strategy than putting a plate of brand new foods in front of them one night for dinner. Just a suggestion.

Be sure to reflect on your improved lifestyle choices. Your decision to be more healthy and conscious for your family and our planet deserves a pat on the back, especially for those first steps--- they're the hardest, and most worthwhile!