There is no reason you should ever be bored with your meals, menu choices or feel deprived of delicious healthy food choices. All it takes is some creativity and maybe a little experimentation to keep your food choices lively and delicious. Follow healthy eating guidelines, but never be bored. Here are some tips to keep your menus exciting and full of flavor.

Go International

Try something new and stick to your eating guidelines by experimenting with dishes from around the world. Many cultures are rich in food and have wonderful new flavors that will still work within your healthy eating guidelines. Modify those that don’t by making simple substitutions to keep them within healthy eating guidelines. Asian dishes and many Mediterranean recipes use fresh whole ingredients and delicious spice alternatives that fall within healthy eating guidelines but give you and your family a wonderful new taste sensation. Explore regional cuisine within different countries to see how people around the world enjoy food.

Spices Change the Flavor

You can prepare dishes with new and different spice combinations and surprise yourself with new dishes to love. Many spices fall within eating guidelines and some even have additional nutritional or health value. Visit markets that specialize in regional or international varieties and add new, delicious and wonderful spices to your kitchen. You may be surprised at the difference simple spice combinations can alter the flavors of even the most common and familiar dishes.

Involve your family in menu planning and make one week a month “Exotic Food Week”. Take your kids with you to local farmer’s markets to buy fresh local produce, and to purchase meat and fish. Teach your children the difference between factory farming, and locally grown items. Taste comparisons will confirm the desirability of eating locally grown and organic products. Prepare food according to healthy eating guidelines and give your kids fundamental teachings in healthy eating for life.

Studies have shown that children who are fed a well-rounded diet within eating guidelines in childhood are more likely to have a healthy relationship to food in adulthood, and are less likely to fall victim to advertising and peer pressure to eat junk food as teens. Healthy eating guidelines can be flexible and fun. Experiment with new flavors and recipes. The surprises never end when you are learning to eat new foods. You won’t love everything, but don’t be afraid to give it a try. Emnahrungskompass