28 healthy eating hacks for parents

With everything that's already on your to-do list, preparing healthy meals and snacks can seem way too time-consuming and expensive – but, healthy eating doesn't have to be a faff! These quick and easy changes to your diet can make a huge difference to energy levels and body confidence, too.

You're supposed to aim for 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day, which sounds like a lot of drinking (and lots of visits to the loo!), but keeping a large, reusable water bottle on your desk, and a smaller one in your handbag will make it easier. It'll become a habit in no time.

If it’s hot or you’ve exercised for more than 45 minutes, rehydrate after with a no-sugar isotonic drink or a natural alternative, like coconut water. It's super low calorie and tastes refreshing.

We know this might be asking a lot, but an easy way to cut down on sugar is to avoid fizzy drink and even fruit juices. Stick to water and herbal teas and you'll soon notice the difference to your waistline.

You'll get much more out of a workout if you're feeding your muscles properly. Fuel a run with a small, carbohydrate-based meal or snack, such as a porridge pot, a banana or an oat/rice cake with nut butter dolloped on top.

Most people like to allow at least an hour between eating and exercising, to avoid stitches or stomach cramps ... and not to bring your dinner back up. Best to leave it a little bit longer if it was a big meal.

I went on the treadmill for 20 minutes so I can TOTALLY dunk five biccies into my tea now, right?!

Unfortunately, that's not quite how a balanced diet works. Resist the temptation to ruin your workout or healthy meals with unhealthy rewards.

It's important to refuel with a small, healthy carbohydrate snack to keep up your energy levels. Keep them small enough to fit into your handbag, so no excuses for a KitKat Chunky to be taking up all the space in there.

Snacking on pumpkin seeds and almonds, Brazil nuts and walnuts (a handful is plenty) will keep you full between meals.

If you're not nuts about nuts, you can always have fruit or rice cakes instead.

We wouldn't be surprised if our bodies were 50% pasta at the rate we're going, but carbohydrates actually give you a lot of energy.

It's unlikely you need to add more to your diet overall, so try to avoid high GI, refined carbohydrates (like white bread, white rice, white pasta and cakes), and eat in moderation.

Protein is for power. Upping your intake of the muscle-repairing nutrient will help develop your workout gains and is an energy-boosting alternative to carbs.

There's a high protein content in loads of things, from a glass of milk, to scrambled eggs. You could even invest in some protein powder.

Wholegrain carbohydrates provide more fibre, vitamins and minerals, and release energy slowly. All these good qualities keep you fuller for longer, meaning you won't get as many of those late night sugar cravings.

Women who are or have been pregnant know how important iron is for your body and baby.

Iron is generally an essential nutrient for tackling tiredness and to strengthen your immune system, so try adding lean red meat into your diet.

If you're veggie, check out the next slide ...

Vegetarian? Get your iron from dark green leafy veg, pulses, tofu, fortified breakfast cereal, nuts and dried fruit. No meat necessary.

We've got some tasty kid-friendly vegetarian recipes here.

With all that extra iron, your body's got to be able to absorb it all! Vitamin C helps iron absorption and immunity, too. Eat fresh citrus fruits for a quick fix and remember, fruit juice is high in sugar so stick to eating it rather than drinking it!

Omega 3 fatty acids, found in oily fish like salmon, trout, fresh tuna, mackerel and sardines, help lubricate joints and keep your heart healthy.

Strong bones need calcium – we make sure our kids eat it, so we shouldn't forget about ourselves. Get yours from dairy, fortified soya products, nuts and seeds, and dark green leafy veg.

Eating your five fruit and/or veg a day is the goal, so a few more than that is a bonus. These healthy foods are more filling than we think, and don't just have to be eaten raw!

Add fruit to yoghurts, cereal, smoothies and snack on carrot sticks and hummus to help.

It's the most important meal of the day, after all. To stay full and energised all day long, without giving into sugar cravings, try eating a big breakfast, a medium size lunch and a small dinner.

Ideally aim for the 'breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper' lifestyle.

Eating regularly, little and often will help stabilise blood sugar levels. That way you should feel satisfied all day long, without needing to give in to sugary snack temptations.

If you can squeeze in some time at the weekend to plan your weekday meals, batch cook them so you're less reliant on quick, salt-laden ready meals and takeaways during the week.

If you know it's stir-fry on Monday and salmon on Tuesday, you'll be more likely to stick to delicious healthy, homemade meals.

Before you freak out, we're not suggesting you give up your morning coffee and afternoon tea completely, but if you usually accompany your drink with some biscuits or a piece of cake, then the easiest way to ditch the extra calories is to cut out the cuppa!

Switch to herbal or green tea – or just stick to water to help reach your 2 litres a day.

Aren't Friday nights what takeaways were made for, anyway? It might be challenge, but try going a month without them and we'll bet you'll notice the difference.

If you can't go cold turkey, try cutting down on what you order or how often you order in.

Start eating your calories instead of drinking them and you'll notice a drop in your size – not to mention the improvements in sleep and skin.

Alcohol is full of empty calories, so maybe treat yourself to after-work drinks only once a week.

Get ideas for alcohol-free cocktails here.

Chocolate doesn't have to be the enemy when living a healthy lifestyle. If you've got in a pattern of needing something sweet after your meal, try some squares of dark chocolate.

Not only is it better for you than milk chocolate (or other desserts), you'll eat less due to its richness.

Although it's tempting to choose low-fat varieties, research suggests that full-fat diets are good for us because fat-free and low-fat products are often laden with sugar to make up for it.

Plus, they usually don't taste as nice!

Low-sugar items can also be misleading, as they tend to be filled with artificial sweeteners to make them taste better. We're also not completely innocent of eating double the amount because they're 'better for us'.

Stick to your regular version in moderation, or cut it out altogether.

If you end up finishing the kids' meals before having your own dinner later on, why not save yourself the extra calories by just eating with them.

That way you'll eat when you're hungry and won't be tempted to polish theirs off, too.

As a rule of thumb, the more colourful and fresh something is, the better it is for you ... unless it's a tray of multicolour glazed doughnuts.

Fill your plate with the likes of red peppers, purple broccoli, green spinach and oranges to work wonders for your health.