Healthy eating and exercise tips for busy parents

Why healthy eating and exercise are important for parents

If you’re healthy, fit and well as a parent, it’s good for you and good for your child.

Good for you

Healthy foods and drinks plus daily physical activity will keep you physically healthy and give you the energy you need during the day. There’s also a strong link between physical health and mental health.

Good for your child

If you’re fit and healthy, you’ll have the energy to give your child what they need to grow and develop well. Also, by eating well, exercising and looking after yourself, you’ll be a great role model for your child. This influences your child’s attitudes to health, fitness and wellbeing – now and in the future.

What are healthy foods and drinks for parents?

When you know which foods give you the nutrients you need for health and energy, it can be easier to choose good foods and eat well.

Healthy foods

For good health and the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, you need to eat a wide variety of foods from the 5 food groups.

The following recommendations are for adults aged 19-50 years:

Vegetables and legumes – men need 6 serves a day, and women need 5 serves a day.
Fruit – both men and women need 2 serves a day.
Cereals and grain foods – both men and women need 6 serves a day.
Meat and meat alternatives – men need 3 serves a day, and women need 2½ serves a day.
Dairy and dairy alternatives – both men and women need 2½ serves a day.

Healthy drinks

Plenty of water and other fluids can help you keep up your energy and prevent dehydration.

Water is the healthiest, simplest and cheapest source of fluid. It’s recommended that:

women drink 8-10 cups a day
men drink 10 cups.

Australian guidelines say that drinking alcohol is bad for your health. You can reduce your risk of harm by limiting yourself to no more than:

4 standard alcoholic drinks in a day
10 standard drinks over a week.

Alcoholic drinks take fluid out of your system. If you’re drinking alcohol, top up with extra water.

More information about healthy foods and drinks

You can find out more by talking to an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) or by checking the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your body needs extra fluids and nutrients, which you can get from a healthy pregnancy diet or a healthy breastfeeding diet.

Quick and easy healthy eating tips for busy parents

Our tips for saving time and preparing healthy meals can help you have a balanced, tasty and practical diet.

Quick meal and snack ideas

It doesn’t take long to make healthy meals and snacks with these ideas:

Cook pasta with a vegetable sauce and a salad on the side.
Scramble, hard-boil or fry eggs and serve with baked beans and toast, wholegrain if possible.
Use red lentils, onion, garlic and spices to make a quick dahl. Serve with rice and yoghurt.
Top pita bread with vegetables and low-fat cheese for an easy pizza.
Make smoothies or yoghurt with untoasted muesli for breakfast.
Grab fruit, vegetable sticks, cheese, dips and yoghurt for healthy, easy snacks when you’re busy.
Plan meals that you can eat hot or cold at any time of day, like frittatas, sandwiches or wraps. You can also pack these meals into containers for outings.
If you run out of ingredients and energy, look for healthy takeaway food, like sushi, fresh soup or stir-fry with rice and vegetables.

Healthy pantry food ideas

If you keep your pantry stocked with healthy foods, it’s much easier to cook healthy meals:

Keep a stock of long-life vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions for stir-fries, curries and casseroles.
Serve grain foods like wholegrain pasta, brown rice, barley, bulgur, quinoa and wholegrain couscous with your stir-fries, curries and casseroles.
Add dried foods like pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and shiitake mushrooms to pasta sauces, salads, stir-fries and more.
Eat unsalted almonds, cashews and other nuts as snacks or as part of main meals.
Use tinned tomatoes, corn and other vegetables, as well as tomato paste, for one-pot dishes like pasta sauces, soups and casseroles.
Eat canned fish like tuna, salmon and sardines for protein. Tinned beans, lentils and chickpeas are also good sources of protein as well as dietary fibre.
Get extra flavour into pantry food with dried herbs and spices or condiments like mustard, soy, chilli, pesto or relish.
Use herbs, spices and lemon juice to season meals.

Healthy frozen food ideas

If you have some healthy basics in the freezer, it can cut down the time you spend on cooking and shopping:

Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables – they have a lot of nutritional goodness.
Freeze meat like skinless chicken and fish.
Grate and freeze cheese for homemade pizzas, pasta bakes and other dishes.
Cook extra rice and freeze for a quick side dish.
Add frozen fruit to smoothies and cereals.

Food preparation ideas

These food preparation tips can save you time and effort:

Prepare and cook meals in bulk and freeze them – for example, casseroles and soups.
Keep leftovers to use as snacks or in toasted sandwiches.
Save on washing up by cooking one-pot meals like soups, curries and casseroles.
Buy vegetables and meat already diced.
Buy prewashed salad mixes.

Check out our family recipes section for more quick, tasty and healthy meal ideas.

How much physical activity do parents need?

Australian guidelines recommend that adults do:

moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes or more on most days
activities that strengthen muscles and bones on 2 or more days per week
everyday activities that help with movement, balance and coordination on 3 or more days per week
several hours of light physical activity every day.

The guidelines also recommend that you:

limit the amount of time you spend sitting down
break up long periods of sitting as often you can.

Physical activity and exercise tips for busy parents

If you’re short on time or money, the easiest and cheapest way to fit exercise into your day is to make it part of everyday family activities or play.

Tips for everyday family exercise

Push your baby’s pram to the shops to buy things for dinner.
Walk your child to school or local sport.
Splash about at the local creek.
Kick a ball with your child at the park.

Low-cost exercise tips for you

Use YouTube to learn exercises you can do at home.
Join a community sport or bushwalking club.
Look for free community activities, like yoga by the river or beach.

If you’ve recently had a baby, it’s important to give your body time to recover after your baby is born. When you’re ready, you could ask your child and family health nurse, neighbourhood house or community centre about baby-friendly exercise classes in your area.