Let's Cook & Eat Healthy Together!

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(Daddy blogs)

With our busy lifestyles nowadays, putting together healthy well balanced meals and eating together as a family can be a huge challenge for a lot of families! And we are guilty of that too.

But families DO play a pivotal role in nurturing and sustaining healthy lifestyle practices. And home‐cooked food is one way where we can have the greatest control over what goes into our food and, ultimately, what gets into our stomach.

And what better way to eat healthy together as a family than to cook the meal together! Because by including children in the meal preparation process, it increases their interest and appetite for healthy eating. When parents convey interest and enthusiasm for cooking nutritious meals, they are more likely to instill the same attitudes in their children.

So over the weekend, the wifey and I decided to give the 2 boys a free rein in deciding what breakfast they wanted to have and also to give them a chance to prepare it together as a family. And guess what they chose?

Ham & cheese sandwich, that's what!

Okay, that sounds relatively easy enough. So once the ingredients of multi-grain bread, ham, cheese and lettuce were set, we were ready to start!

First up, the monkies grabbed 2 pieces of bread each.

Ale loved the multi-grain bread so much that she wanted to eat it plain!

That's a good thing because eating more whole‐grains has been shown to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. Whole grains are rich in fibre, which promotes proper bowel function and helps you feel full with fewer calories. In fact, the health benefits of whole‐grains are not just contributed by fibre only. Instead, the different components all work together to protect your health. Sounds good to me!

The boys then piled on the ham and cheese on the bread soon after.

Lastly, we couldn't forget the lettuce even if I wanted to. I think we have been quite fortunate as our 3 monkies have been loving vegetables ever since they were babies. We never had to force them to eat their greens, which is great news since scientific evidence has shown that those who eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables have a lower risk of many diseases, including heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

Fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant substances (phytochemicals). And these help strengthen the body’s immune system.

And once the lettuce was safely tucked in between the sandwich, we were done. That was it - it is that simple!

The boys loved their self-made sandwiches so much that they walloped them down in record time!

So you see, cooking a meal together as a family need not involve complicated ingredients or steps. It can be a simple dish that the whole family can participate in preparing together. Because it is the process that counts - preparing and eating meals together is something that brings families closer together.  If you make that a top priority for your family you will reap the rewards of that bonding time together.

And now, you have a chance to not only cook a healthy meal together with your family but also a chance to win up to $3000 worth of vouchers, cooking classes and more!

Just round up 2 to 4 family members and take part in Health Promotion Board's 'Let's Cook Healthy Together' contest. Start cooking, and snap away with your camera!

Here are the mechanics of the contest:

Requirements
This photo contest is open to Singapore residents. There must be 2-4 family members in a group. Participants must submit one colour photo and the recipe for the dish. Bonus points will be awarded to those who upload a group photo (Photos can consist of family members or friends). Names and NRICs of participating family members must also be included during the submission process. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Important Dates
Submission: 13 Aug 2012 (09:00) to 16 Sept 2012 (23:59)
Voting of finalists: To be determined

Prizes
Finalists will be determined by public votes, and judges will pick the final winners.

1st Prize:
• $3,000 FairPrice vouchers
• 3 Cooking classes for a family of 4 at Cookery Magic

2nd Prize:
• $2,000 FairPrice vouchers
• 2 Cooking classes for a family of 4 at Cookery Magic

3rd Prize:
• $1,000 FairPrice vouchers
• 1 Cooking classes for a family of 4 at Cookery Magic

9 Consolation Prizes of $100 FairPrice vouchers each

Sounds fun right? I reckon we just might have a go at the contest too! Perhaps we will score bonus points for exercising together as a family after our meal too?

To participate, please click HERE or drop by Health Promotion Board's Facebook page for more information.