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Women tend to gain weight at midlife based on less healthful eating habits, thereby increasing risk of chronic diseases. This study prioritized barriers to healthful eating among midlife women (40 to 60 years old; mean 48.8±5.4 years) by degree of importance during eating occasions focused on nurturing family (that is, occasions characterized by a specific set of situation-based needs and having at least one other adult or child household member present). A convenience sample (n= 37) of women in Minnesota and North Dakota met in seven group sessions (three to ten women per session) using a nominal group technique to identify and rank barriers. The majority of participants were white, 65 percent had a college degree, and 35 percent had some college education. Sixty percent were employed full time, while 16 percent were employed part-time, and 24 percent were not employed. Self-reported height/weight data indicated a mean BMI of 28.6±6.0 kg/m 2. Thematic analysis methods were used, and rankings were summed. The most important barriers to their eating healthfully were time and budgetary constraints, where perceived lack of time limited healthful meal planning and food preparation, and healthier food options were perceived to be more expensive. Activities and work and family schedules played a role by influencing time available for meal planning and food preparation. The need to consider family members’ food preferences was also ranked highly as a barrier to their own healthful eating, but was secondary to time and budgetary constraints. Several additional barriers were reported as being less important. Information from this …