4 Simple Nutrition Tips for Busy Moms
Hey Mama! Are you running around all day and forgetting to eat? Or are you mostly living off of leftovers from your kids plate and copious amounts of tea or coffee?
I hear ya!
As a busy mom, it is so easy to look after everyone else and forget to look after ourselves. But when we look after ourselves, especially when it comes to how we are fueling and nourishing our bodies, we show up differently. We have more energy, more focus, and we can help others more powerfully because we have taken the time to help ourselves.
So how do we make eating nutritiously easy , quick and delicious?
Check out these 4 tips to make healthy eating easier each and every day!
Eat Protein at every meal:
Every cell of our bodies is made up of protein so it is important that we get adequate protein each day. Protein can be from animals (chicken, beef, turkey, eggs etc.), seafood (fish, shrimp etc.) or from plants. Beans, nuts, seeds and legumes are awesome ways to get non-meat protein. Not sure how much protein to have at each meal? Aim for the protein source at each meal to be about the size and shape of your palm.
Fill your plate with veggies:
This might sound obvious, but how many veggies are you actually eating each day? A handy rule of thumb is to fill your plate with 50-75% veggies. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry! Gradually work yourself up to that amount. You can also include veggies as part of your snacks, such as baby carrots and hummus, celery and peanut butter or incorporate spinach in your smoothies.
Let the store help you:
Supermarkets and grocery stores can be lifesavers when it comes to getting meals on the table fast. Look for pre-washed, pre-chopped fruits and veggies for smoothies, salads and snacks. Pre-cooked meat, such as rotisserie chickens, can be used in a myriad of ways. You can use it for a simple roast chicken dinner, a chicken pasta, chicken salad, a chicken noodle soup, or chicken stir fry. Get creative! And remember to use sauces, herbs and spices to change the flavor of your meals. Some flavor adding ingredients are sauces like pestos, salsas, relishes, fresh and dried herbs, whole and ground spices. Remember to make use of online ordering as much as possible to help save time and energy too.
Drink Your Water!
This is the easiest first step to improve your health. Drink more water! Most people are not drinking enough water on a daily basis. You might be drinking a lot of tea and coffee, but both of these drinks are diuretics, which means that you are more prone to releasing water from your body, than you are intaking water. Aim for about half your body weight in ounces of water each day e.g. if you weigh 150 lbs then aim to drink at least 75 oz of water each day. You can gradually increase your water intake over time till you reach your goal. Also, if you sweat a lot during your workout or if you work in a hot environment, you may also want to increase your water intake above your goal.
Pick one of these 4 tips and start implementing it each day.
Then after a couple weeks, pick another tip and start implementing that one. Focus on building sustainable habits over time. When we have sustainable habits, that is when we can make lasting change to our health. These healthy habits not only affect us, but our kids, families and friends too. They see us making these powerful changes on a daily basis. And it inspires them to join us in these healthy habits, so that they can be healthier and happier too!