Ever moved house over Cup Match? Amazingly, we survived thanks to huge amounts of effort and muscle from the Irishman. I also had wonderfully co-operative teenagers, a convoy of cars from friends and the lovely gents at Foxy’s Trucking, phew! At 20 weeks pregnant ― surprise ― I was in charge of selling things, logistics and most importantly, the air conditioning remote.

When I was no longer allowed AC, I lay on the front porch with my head on Belle’s lap and an ice pack pressed against my back.

Aside from Ellie the cat getting loose in the car as we made our last trip everything went surprisingly smoothly. We’re now in a new lovely spot, somewhat upside down, but getting there.

All the madness meant that a few things had to give when it came to nutrition. We rarely, rarely get takeout, but we’ve ordered a few times.

I made dinner twice without any vegetables ― something unheard of for me ― but the fridge has remained full of healthy snacks and Spindrift, our essential summer thirst quencher.

At the same time, Belle turned 14 so we had an influx of cake and Celsius.

I am trying to ride out her addiction to the latter without being too much of an overbearing nutritionist Mom!

My strategy these days is to crowd out any bad stuff with so many good things that there’s just less room for the junk.

I find if I have enough seltzers, cherries, watermelon, hummus and carrots in the fridge, that things stay fairly balanced. It took me a long time to really learn that you have to pick your battles.

So if you, like us, went slightly off-track over Cup Match, try and jump back in with some great habits that will keep your household nice and healthy.

Here are my top tips for encouraging healthy eating at home:

1, Spindrift, all the way

Sweet drinks are the fastest way that most families go off track ― and unfortunately this includes fruit juice. The fast-releasing sugars zip straight into the blood stream.

If you must have juice, try not to drink it when you are thirsty. Try hydrating with water first and then have a small amount of juice for pleasure afterwards. Sip and savour!

Switching to naturally coloured/flavoured seltzers is a bit of an adjustment as they are much less sweet, but the Spindrift option is so good. If you are having a hard time making the transition, try a small amount of juice topped up with a Spindrift and gradually reduce the juice. You can do it!

2, Make veggies easy

Everyone in our house loves carrots and hummus (or guac), but my teens can rarely be bothered to peel a carrot. Try assigning prepping fresh veggies as a chore for a teen, or prep them as you make dinner a few nights a week. Having veggie sticks ready to go will make it much more likely that people will actually eat them.

3, Buy the best fruit you can

I’ve found that fruit only becomes viable as a sweeter snack when it’s really fresh. The teens are much more likely to pick up their favourites. I have one that loves cherries ― with that sticker shock ― and one that loves the much more economical watermelon.

Fortunately they balance each other out. Bear in mind that if you are trying to transition kids or adults away from cookies and towards the fibre and antioxidants that you get from fruit, the fruit may not feel sweet enough to them to satisfy the fix.

The only way around this is to explain that taste buds take a while to adapt, and to not keep the other options around. Meanwhile, it will help if you are able to keep their favourite fruit to hand.

4, Don’t forget the protein options

Fruit is a wonderful snack, but it’s best balanced with some protein to provide more sustained energy release and put less pressure on the insulin response. Try and keep fruit portions small and balance with nuts/seeds for an easy protein option. Other good protein rich snacks include Greek yoghurt, boiled eggs and grass-fed jerky.

5, Have half a plate of greens with dinner

Try and get in to the routine of serving lots of greens with dinner. Ideally, for most older kids and adults, half of your plate at mealtime should be non-starchy leaves or vegetables. That’s all the green things, but it also includes cauliflower, peppers, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. Remember that corn, carrots, squash, pumpkin etc count as carbs!

6, If you don’t want them to eat it, don’t have it in the house

If it’s in the house, you’ll want it ― and they will too. We’ve all fallen in to a pint of ice cream or a bag of chocolate chips late in the evening because we heard them calling our name from the kitchen!

It’s easier and kinder just not to have them at home. This doesn’t mean no treats, it just means treats are best enjoyed occasionally when you are out of the house.

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION, BNTA is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition Britain. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda or instagram @naturalbda