by Nik Fisher

Created on: November 20, 2008   Last Updated: September 01, 2010

Eating healthy can sometimes seem like a chore. The misconception is that healthy food is either bland and tasteless or overpoweringly disgusting. This does not always have to be the case. There are minor changes you can make to everyday food to increase its nutritional value, such as using whole grain breads instead of white bread. You could also try adding some lemon to water to give it a little flavor and add precious vitamins to an everyday essential. Sugar can be replaced with natural alternatives such as agave or honey.

These suggestions are all good but what about some everyday foods that you can prepare for your family? The day starts with breakfast. The easiest way to sneak nutrition into breakfast is to throw out the instant "Maple and Brown Sugar" oatmeal and replace it with your own. Add some raspberries or strawberries and a little sugar to take out the tartness of the fruit. If you use raspberries you can mash them up so that no one even knows fruit was hidden into breakfast (except for the red oatmeal). Also, do not shy away from egg yolks. They contain valuable proteins that are essential for your health, just don't eat six a day.

As lunch nears we start getting hungry again. Instead of peanut and jelly try this delicious substitute. Use whole grain bread and spread some peanut butter on it. Rather than using your typical peanut butter try the all natural version. If your family has a sweet tooth you can always add a little honey to it to sweeten it up. Add sliced bananas and some chicken. The flavor is not overwhelming and makes for a nutritious meal. Apples with honey can make a delicious midday snack, as can grapes, or vegetables with ranch or blue cheese. I know what you're thinking, "but ranch isn't healthy." On the contrary, your body requires some fat to be able to absorb nutrients it needs. A little fat on your vegetables can actually be better for you than raw, plain vegetables.

For dinner, always remember that chicken is the right way to go. In these times chicken can be a little expensive but it is widely versatile. Since the flavor of chicken is so mild you can do more with it than relatively unhealthier pork or beef. Wheat pasta and homemade sauce are always good for you and maintain the classic tastes. If you don't know how to make sauce, don't worry it's pretty easy and there are many great recipes on-line.

If you're concerned about the cost of chicken, I understand. What I like to do is buy a whole chicken for the price of a pound of boneless, skinless cutlets and use what I need. The bones can be used for chicken stock, which is noticeably lower in salt than your store bought stuff. The stock can be used for delicious chicken noodle soup as well as cooking rice, and other great recipes.

Always remember that just because something gets a bad rep does not necessarily mean that it is bad. Yolks are a great example of that. And never forget that eating fresh, unprocessed food can help increase your nutrient intake without changing your diet too much.

Learn more about this author, Nik Fisher.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.