If you have kids then you will understand how hectic life can be. Whether you are juggling football practice and ballet class or whether you are just trying to get everyone’s clothes dry on a Sunday afternoon, life can really be difficult at times, so you may not be thinking about what you are eating on a daily basis. Fast meals are probably your friend and you don’t have much time to think about your own diet and food groups because you are so busy thinking about your children and their overall health. This is completely normal and you are not alone! Being a mum sure isn’t easy but by following these top tips, you can be sure to really give your body the energy boost it needs to run after your kids better and faster than ever before.
It’s All About Calories
You need to base your total calorie intake on how active you are during the day. It’s important to balance the energy that you have, so if you eat too much or drink too much then you’ll put on weight. If you eat too little, you’ll lose it. It’s important to eat a wide range of food so you can give your body all of the nutrients that it needs. If the mere thought of calorie counting gives you a headache, then see here to get your meals delivered right to your door without having to worry about a thing.
Starchy Carbohydrates are Your Friend
Starchy carbohydrates really should make up around one-third of the food that you eat. Examples of starchy carbohydrates include pasta, cereal, rice and even bread. When you do choose to eat starchy carbohydrates make sure that you eat potatoes with the skin on and choose wholemeal pasta as well. When you do this, you’ll quickly find that this fills you up faster and it also contains much more fibre as well. A lot of people don’t eat as much starchy food as they should, so it’s a good idea to try and eat at least one starchy food with every meal that you have. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on the fat that you are adding however, for example, oil on chips and even creamy sauce on pasta.
Fruit and Vegetables
You SHOULD eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every single day. This is easier than it
sounds. Try and add a banana over the cereal that you have, or take your mid-morning snack and swap it for a piece of fruit. If you choose to have vegetable juice, smoothies or even fruit juice then this can only count as being one of your five-a-day.
Always Choose Oily Fish
Fish is a fantastic source of protein and it really does contain a ton of vitamins and minerals. You need to eat at least 2 portions of fish every week and this includes one portion of oily fish. It’s important to know that oily fish contains Omega 3 fats and this can help you to reduce the chance of heart disease. Oily fish can include salmon, trout, fresh tuna and even herring. Fish that aren’t oily include haddock, plaice and even cod.
Saturated Fat
We all need saturated fat in our diet but it’s important to pay attention to the amount of fat that you have. There are two different types of fat and this includes saturated fat and then unsaturated fat. If you do have too much saturated fat then this can really increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood and this boosts the chance of you developing some form of heart disease. Saturated fat is in food such as sausages, butter, cream and even hard cheese. Try and cut down your fat intake and for a healthier choice, and use a very small amount of olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
Always Have Breakfast
When you have kids, it can be hard to make sure that you have breakfast every single day. A lot of people skip breakfast because they think that it will help them to lose weight. In fact, studies show that people who eat breakfast on a regular basis are far less likely to be overweight. When you have kids and you make them breakfast, this can help you to boost their level of concentration throughout the morning and it is a crucial part of their diet. So as you can see, breakfast is a must-have for the whole family and it is great at giving you all of the vitamins and minerals you need throughout the day. If you want to have a healthy breakfast then consider having cereal that is low in sugar and high in whole grain.
Eat Less Salt
It’s important that you don’t eat any more than 6g of salt per day. If you eat too much salt then this can increase your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure then you are much more likely to have a stroke or even heart disease. Even if you don’t add any salt to your food then you may still be eating too much. Around ¾ of the salt that you eat in the day will probably be in the food that you buy.
It also helps to use food labels to cut down on salt. If you have 1.5g of salt per 100g then this
means that the food is very high in salt.
Balanced Diet
If you are overweight then this can lead to conditions such as type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers as well. If you want to check to see if you are overweight or not then there are plenty of body calculators available. SIBO diets are fantastic if you find yourself having bloating issues or feeling unwell after a large meal.
Physical activity is also very important when it comes to losing weight and it can even help you to maintain the weight that you have as well. If you don’t have time to go to the gym with your busy schedule then it’s a good idea for you to try and incorporate it into your day to day life.
Drink Water instead of Fruit Juice
We all need to drink plenty of fluids to stop ourselves from getting dehydrated and the government recommends that we drink 8 glasses of water every single day. It does help to avoid sugary drinks and even fizzy drinks as well. If you look at unsweetened fruit juice then you’ll find that this is still high in free sugar, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you base your 8 glasses a day on water alone, with any additional drinks being fruit juice rather than drinking 8 glasses of fruit juice per day.
Think about the Kids
As a mother, you need to continually think about the kids. You’ve probably been doing this for years now, but when you are making breakfast it’s a good idea for you to prepare lunch as well. One great way for you to do this would be for you to put some apple slices in the food dehydrator or to even prepare a larger meal such as spaghetti bolognese. This is great because it means that you can freeze it in portions and when the kids are hungry you can just put them in the microwave and not have to worry about a thing. You can also make flapjacks in advance and these are great for your kids to take to lunch with them and when they do, they can stay fuller for longer. These double up as great meal options for yourself and it is a great way for you to make sure that you have something to take with you when you go to work as well.
There are plenty of meal options available for you and your kids and when you take into account the various food groups, you can easily make a good decision when it comes to mealtimes and you can even eat healthier on a day to day basis as well.
XOXO
Debbie
This is a collaborative post
