Our Philosophy

At Fit American Families and Cooking Lessons from Home we take the “Family Approach” in healthful eating, physical activity and wellness. Studies have shown the key to raising healthy children in to healthy adults is taking a whole-family approach. It’s the “practice what you preach” mentality. Most parents don’t recognize the power they have to model healthy behavior to their children. In addition while spending quality time together strong family relationships are formed and this is one of the cornerstones of health and well-being, and few relationships are as important as those between parents and children. Show through your participation and action your attitude about exercise, impacts your children. When parents and kids are active together, it gives them a common sense of purpose and a goal.
People in the same family tend to have similar:

• Eating patterns


• Maintain the same levels of physical activity


• Adopt the same attitudes toward a lifestyle they are accustomed to living

10 Benefits of Taking the Family Approach to Health and Wellness:

• Everyone eats healthier meals.


• Kids are less likely to become overweight or obese.


• Kids more likely to stay away from cigarettes.


• They're less likely to drink alcohol.


• Learn new skills or sports together.


• They're less likely to use illicit drugs.


• Families become fit together.


• School grades will be better.


• You and your kids will talk more.


• You'll be more likely to hear about a serious problem.


• Kids will feel like you're proud of them.


• There will be less stress and tension at home.

In a new national study of preschool children, researchers at Ohio State University cited family meals as one of three behaviors that are associated with significantly reduced obesity among the youngsters — even in kids who have other risk factors. The other family lifestyles the researchers point to as having protective effects: watching less than two hours of TV a day, and getting enough sleep (for these 4-year-olds, that meant 10 1/2 hours a night). Each routine was linked to lower obesity; following more of them increased the benefit. In fact, when all three were practiced in a household, children had a 40 percent lower incidence of obesity than kids whose homes lacked any of the behaviors.
Cooking Lessons from Home Meal Plan has improved nutritional habits — less sugar, soda, fat and sodium intake, and greater amounts of fruit, vegetables, fiber and calcium-rich foods. These healthful eating habits help both children and adults reach and maintain healthy weights.
If the idea that parents who eat with their kids have an easier time getting healthy food down the hatch seems obvious, consider this: In new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, family meals have been linked to reduced anxiety in children with asthma; when these youngsters are less anxious, note the researchers, their lung function improves.
At Cooking Lessons from Home we have organized meal prep so you can have your family help prepare the meal. It has been shown that when meals are organized with specific roles and participation by all family members this creates a greatest sense of security and calm for kids.
Learning to do a sport or activity together can be an exciting time for both you and your child. Allow the child to express his or her creativity in the activity.

Spending quality time as a family is important not only when the children are young, it’s just as important as they got older. Teens want and need to spend time together as a family; it can be a time of re-connection for families, especially for busy teenagers. It can be a great time to ask questions about your child's day without interruption.

The love in our family flows deep and strong, leaving us special memories to treasure for a lifetime.