Health of our family members is a topmost priority for us. We and our families are exposed to various hazards that can damage not just our physical health, but also our finances. Investing in a family health insurance is the most prudent step you can take to protect at least general health of your loved ones. A Mediclaim or an Health Insurance provides monetary protection in case of  unforeseen situations and gives you a peace of mind. Health insurance for your family members comes with a variety of benefits to ensure your family’s wellbeing if your major concern is availing of a quality family plan then you should consider comprehensive plans offered by some of the leading yet reliable insurance companies in India. Let’s look at some standard benefits offered in a basic family policy.

A family health insurance plan covers you and your family members against sudden medical contingency.

The policy lists a package of medical benefits such as medical tests, drugs and treatment services. The insurance company charges you a Premium (usually on a yearly basis) to cover you against the risks.

The insurance company agrees to cover the cost of certain benefits listed in your policy. Sometimes, it covers not only the expenses incurred during hospitalization but also the pre and post-hospitalization expenses.

 The family policy also covers the expense of your preventive health tests.

In addition to this,you get a tax benefit and can save on your income tax under section 80D of the Income Tax Policy (in India)

Medical requirements of each of your family members are covered and that also in easy premiums.

Apart from covering costs on illness and surgeries, the family health insurance includes coverage for emergencies arising out of acts of terrorism. Cashless facility comes to you across the network hospitals listed on your health insurance company’s coverage list. Plus, the family plan offers you a 2-year continuous coverage with no change in premium in the second year. Also, there are some additional benefits when you buy your policy online. It is a convenient process with no paperwork involved and an instant policy is generated. Having a policy online helps you to print, manage and renew it anytime, anywhere. This way, you can save your family’s future by making a sound investment.

Is healthy eating a problem in your home?

It can be difficult to encourage your partner and kids to make healthier choices.

But, having the right attitude can make a huge difference in how your family reacts, and subsequently whether they choose to eat healthy food, or not.

Here are 5 tips for getting your family to eat healthier:

#1 Ask them what they want
Find out what foods your family enjoys or what new recipes they would like to try, and then offer these often. If the suggestions are somewhat unhealthy, simply find out how to make a healthier version.

#2 Make gradual changes
Making small changes, one step at a time, is much more effective in the long run than trying to change everything at once.

#3 Make healthy food easily accessible
If chocolate chip cookies are the only ‘easy’ food available, that’s what they’re going to choose. So, if you want your family to eat healthy food make sure they have a supply of wholesome, ready-to-eat foods, for example:

Healthy granola bars

Fresh fruit salad

Frozen fruit, such as bananas, grapes or berries

Fresh fruit smoothies

Raw veg such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and red peppers served with reduced fat hummus, or peanut butter.

Mixed, unsalted nuts

#4 Subtly add healthier ingredients
Try these suggestions:

Add cinnamon, chopped apples, and raisins to oatmeal.

Puree vegetables, finely chop, or grate them to disguise in baked goods, curries, stews, sauces etc.

Choose whole grain breads, muffins, and pasta where possible.

Try using wild rice rather than white.

Add peas, beans and lentils to soups, stews, and curries.

Serve leaner meats such as turkey, chicken, beef, and fresh fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna regularly.

#5 Be their role model
You can have a huge impact on your partner and kids by simply following your own advice, but be careful not to aggravate them in the process! Leading by example, is much better than preaching at them constantly.

The best way to living a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy and forming healthy eating habits for the long run, has always come from within, within the home that is. We cannot look to others, books, magazines and publications for making us a healthy family or giving us the healthy lifestyle we would want to live. Sure these publications could give us the inspiration and motivation to take that step ourselves and to live a healthy lifestyle of choice. Everything still ends up with the home and family and we need to take that extra step in being courageous consumers when it comes to our choice of food.
One of those choices would be whether we want to continue eating obese foods, such as fast food, refined foods, processed foods or bleached foods. We need to take the responsibility and get back to what Mother Nature provided us, with food in its natural form, without any instructions to refine or process these foods. Obesity is directly linked to bad food choices in the form of highly refined carbohydrates and sugars which really is only a form of poison to our bodies. Gone are the days when considering those foods nutritious or beneficial to our families.
A solution each of us have available is to return to the bygone years of food production, or processing at home, sure it is less convenient, but the benefits are overwhelming an in a sense, you don’t have to watch what you eat really if you are consuming natural, high fibrous and unprocessed food. These foods will not only provide a healthy lifestyle, but will enable you to take care of a healthy family through healthy cooking and eating.
Ways to produce healthy food for your family would be to look at obtaining a grain mill and natural whole wheat grains which you can mill in your own time and for purposes you need such as baking and providing daily natural and fresh bread to your family. Another would be to start a victory garden, or vegetable garden in your back yard or in smaller pots in order to provide your own vegetables and salad items for the table. These foods are so healthy and nutritious for your family that you would reap the benefits almost immediately without worries of consuming unnatural processed and refined foods from the store.
Make healthy cooking and eating a priority for your family and the benefits will be seen before long. Benefits would include healthy digestion, disease fighting nutrition, obesity suppression etc. which will lead to a healthy family and lifestyle you will be grateful for. Not to mention the fun and satisfaction in producing your own food, being independent wholly from buying all your food from the supermarket. You can start your journey on the road of independence and take charge of your healthy eating habits, cooking and eating to promote your healthy family
A last word on healthy eating habits is this: there are many ways to promote the healthy family lifestyle you want and deserve, look at fresh produce you can grow in your own yard, storing whole grain which will last years, and when milled will give you the best and freshest whole wheat flour you can use for all your healthy cooking requirements. Canning vegetables and sauces is very easy too and is a skill you can learn in a very short time. In a day and age where the economic future is uncertain, being able to produce and store your own healthy food is vital to your health and lifestyle you would like to preserve