For 30 incredible years, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN) has been empowering individuals with science-based holistic health education from coast to coast. To celebrate, our experts have curated 30 holistic tips for a healthy family that are inspiring, and easy-to-do.
From creating a fun and engaging kitchen experience to fostering emotional resilience in your loved ones, come celebrate a healthier, happier future for you and your family.
What is Holistic Health?
Holistic health is a state of internal balance, not just the absence of illness – a lifestyle that emphasizes the importance of connections between the body, mind and spirit. Practiced worldwide for thousands of years by philosophies and cultures from Taoism and Buddhism, to Ayurveda and Greek philosophy, taking a whole-person approach to healing is not new. Today, holistic health has the attention of practitioners and researchers.
About the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition
Driven by passion, expertise, and innovation, CSNN has always been at the forefront of natural nutrition education. With over 12,000 graduates, CSNN has been a catalyst for healthy, holistic change.
30 Years of Holistic Health Education
As we celebrate this remarkable 30th anniversary, let’s take a moment to appreciate the remarkable milestones of CSNN’s legacy as the leaders in holistic nutrition education.
1st In-Class Holistic Education
- The trailblazers who first brought in-class training to the holistic nutrition scene.
Nation-Wide Access to Holistic Health Education
- CSNN classrooms across the country are hubs of transformative learning that adhere to stringent provincial regulations, where students receive top-notch education that meets the highest standards.
Science-based Evolving Curriculum
- Passionate about the evolving advancements in holistic wellness, CSNN courses are continuously updated and revised to reflect the most current in health sciences.
#1 in Holistic Academics
- With the highest number of instructors and academic advisors in the industry, CSNN ensures students have access to guidance and support.
Educational Publishing Initiative
- The establishment of CSNN Publishing further underscores the passionate dedication to educational excellence, today producing exclusive books, handbooks, and workbooks tailored for CSNN students.
Health Courses for Everyone
- From basics to advanced courses, CSNN empowers individuals and their family to embrace holistic wellness with accessible and inspiring educational programs, courses and workshops.
- Introductory Courses on Healthy Eating and Holistic Lifestyle
- Holistic Kitchen Cooking Workshops
- In-person Classroom Classes
- Distance Education
- Advanced Holistic Nutrition Workshops for Health Experts
30 Holistic Tips for a Healthy Family
Let’s celebrate with these 30 holistic tips for a healthy family. Featuring inspiring, easy-to-do holistic lifestyle tips for your body, mind and spirit.
Body
Start with simple holistic lifestyle tips to fuel your body with whole foods and water, and offer it opportunities to move. Why? Research shows:
- Up to 71% of adults don’t drink enough water – a habit that increases risk of chronic diseases.
- Kids who take part in cooking at home eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Canadian researchers found families who ate ultra-processed foods ate more sugar – parents too.
- Growing evidence highlights the negative impacts of eating too much added-sugar, including dental, brain, metabolic problems.
- Celebrate Health: Shake off traditional measurements, such as body weight, and celebrate energy, happiness and strength.
- Hydrate for Life: Make water fun – infuse water with fruits, herbs, or vegetables.
- Family Fitness Adventures: Explore active outings together from a family bike ride to a dance party in the living room.
- Embrace the Rainbow: Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables is linked with health (lower inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, body weight), in studies of over 37 million people.
- Love Fiber: Fiber keeps you feeling fuller for longer, aids digestion and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Plus, it feeds the good microbes in your gut that promote wellness.
- Get Friendly with Fats: Many family’s avoid fats, replacing them with refined carbohydrates – research shows this does not benefit heart health. Fats are essential for hormone production, and nutrient absorption, plus omega-3 fats improve brain function in studies.
- Limit Added Sugars: Ultra-processed foods contain added sugar – evidence links negative impacts on health.
- Fuel Up: Plan healthy snacks to help replenish energy during and after your family’s active outings.
- Grow Herbs Indoors: Create a mini herb garden indoors – a natural way to add flavor to meals.
- Schedule Movement Breaks: Try jumping jacks during commercial breaks or a family walk after dinner.
Mind
A healthy mind is the cornerstone of a happy life. These holistic tips will encourage your family to develop stronger emotional intelligence, foster creativity and cultivate a sense of peace. Here’s why:
- Research shows a mindful family has kids with lower anxiety and depression, and happier partners.
- Hugs are scientifically proven to lower stress hormones.
- Evidence shows immerse yourself in nature to improve sleep and mood, reduce stress and blood pressure.
- Adequate sleep is essential for mood regulation, positive social interactions and cognitive function.
- Hug Daily: Hugs are scientifically proven to lower stress hormones.
- Make Time to Move Together: Doing regular physical activity together improves your family’s physical well-being and boosts moods
- Eat Mindfully: Turn off distractions, focus on the flavors and textures of food, and chew slowly to promote satiety.
- Power Down for Sleep: Healthy sleep habits for everyone involves powering off electronics early and creating calm, dark sleep spaces.
- Grow Your Own Veggies: Even a small balcony pot of vegetables is educational, promotes healthy eating and is linked to better mental health and wellbeing.
- Cook Together: Involve children in age-appropriate meal preparation to foster healthy eating habits and give kids a sense of ownership while teaching valuable life skills.
- Plan Your Meals: To reduce stress and overcome barriers preventing healthy eating try planning meals – it also helps avoid unhealthy impulse buys.
- Pack Good Lunches: The best days come with a lunch you’re looking forward (and reduces reliance on processed snacks).
- Detox Your Home Environment: Add plants to your home to help improve air quality. Minimize exposure to environmental toxins: choose natural cleaning products, avoid artificial fragrances.
- Be Creative: Drawing, baking and other creative activities can be helpful to anyone in your family’s mind – take the time.
Spirit
Family life is enriched when you share connections and a purpose. Help your family explore their values, gratitude and wonder about their lives with these holistic tips for the spirit. Nurturing your spirit has proven health benefits:
- Studies show writing for as little as 15 minutes benefits mood, lowers anxiety and depression.
- Connection to other humans and yourself can enhance and improve your spirit.
- Evidence links both healthy body behaviours and spiritual health with well-being.
- Try Gratitude: Express gratitude as a family and fosters positive emotions, increases self-esteem and optimism.
- Plan Family Fun Nights: Schedule regular family fun nights focused on activities that don’t involve screens, such as playing soccer, going mini-putting, or building an epic fort.
- Embrace Mindfulness: Introduce mindfulness practices like meditation or deep breathing exercises.
- Get Outside: Connect with nature by spending time outdoors as a family – it’s good for everyone.
- Play More: Make time for unstructured playtime to promotes creativity, problem-solving skills, and social development in children.
- Establish Screen Time Limits: Great for the whole family, this encourages other activities that foster connections, and improves sleep quality.
- Eat Meals Together: This creates opportunities for connection, conversation, and modeling healthy eating habits
- Practice Forgiveness: Mistakes happen. Teach your children the importance of forgiveness, both for themselves and others. Forgiveness promotes emotional well-being and reduces stress
- Volunteer Together: Give back to your community as a family. Volunteering fosters social connection, purpose, and a sense of gratitude.
- Acknowledge Big and Small: Celebrate healthy choices your family makes, big or small: the positivity encourages healthy habits to stick.
With so many ways to foster a holistic, healthy, thriving household it’s easy to nourish your family’s body, mind and spirit.
Here to empower you and your family as you embrace a holistic lifestyle that promotes health and wellness, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition has been proud to be a part of Canadian’s health for 30 years.
Whether you’re looking to improve your and your family’s health, or pursue a career in holistic nutrition, there are many courses to discover at Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.
Thank you for celebrating 30 years with the CSNN!
References:
A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials on Interventions Adopting Body-Mind-Spirit (BMS) Model on Holistic Well-Being. J Evid Based Integr Med 2022; 27.
Studies: BODY
Should We ‘Eat a Rainbow’? An Umbrella Review of the Health Effects of Colorful Bioactive Pigments in Fruits and Vegetables. Molecules 2022 Jul; 27(13): 4061.
Health effects of whole grains: a bibliometric analysis. Foods 2022 Dec; 11(24): 4094.
Whole grain muffin acceptance by young adults. Foods 2018 June 13;7(6):91.
A healthy approach to dietary fats: understanding the science and taking action to reduce consumer confusion. Nutr J 2017; 16: 53.
Impact of dietary fats on brain function. Curr Neuropharmacol 2018 Aug 16(7): 1059-1085.
n-3 LCPUFA improves cognition: the young, the old and the sick. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2014 Jul-Aug;91(1-2):1-20.
Water Intake, Water Balance, and the Elusive Daily Water Requirement. Nutrients 2018 Dec; 10(12): 1928.
The degree of food processing contributes to sugar intakes in families with preschool-aged children. Clinical Nutrition 2024 Feb; 59:37-47.
The impact of free sugar on human health – a narrative review. Nutrients 2023 Feb; 15(4): 889.
The role of family time together in meeting the recommendation for physical activity among
primary school children. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17(11): 3970.
Cooking at home: correlates of frequency and intention in fifth graders. Health Edu Behav 2023 Jun; 51:2.
Meal planning as a strategy to support healthy eating. Nutrition Science en evolution 2020; 17(3): 12-16.
Studies: MIND
The mindful family: a systemic approach to mindfulness, relational functioning, somatic and mental health. Curr Opin Psychol 2019 Aug;28: 138-142.
Associations between nature exposure and health: a review of the evidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 May; 18(9): 4790.
Home gardening and the health and well-being of adolescents. Health Promo Prac 2016 Oct; 18(1).
Hugs and cortisol awakening response the next day: an ecological momentary assessment study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023 Apr; 20(7): 5340.
Studies: SPIRIT
A brief gratitude writing intervention decreased stress and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Happiness Stud 2022; 23(6): 2427-2448.
Development of a consensus statement on the role of the family in the physical activity, sedentary, and sleep behaviours of children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Activ 2020; 17(74).
The relationship between spirituality, health-related behavior, and psychological well-being. FrontPsychol 2020; 11: 1997.
Effects of excessive screen time on child development: an updated review and strategies for management. Cureus 2023 Jun; 15(6): e40608.