What Moms Need: Week 7 – Nutrition

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31

Imagine a marathon runner showing up on a 100 degree day for 26.2 miles of running, completely deplete of nutrients.  Not having paid attention to her diet or water intake in the preceding days would surely spell disastrous for her as she attempted to make it to the finish line.

As moms, we should not underestimate the magnitude of our jobs.  In order to take the very best care of our husbands, children and homes, it should be a very high priority to focus on our own nutrition as well.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve often fallen short of my goals for healthy eating.  I have found myself on countless occasions, serving fruits, nuts, seeds, and raw veggies to the boys in addition to their sandwich, while I just quickly slam the sandwich.  Things to do, messes to clean, I think to myself, while forgetting that I won’t be able to DO those things if I neglect my own health.

I often tell the boys about my days when I didn’t have TIME for nutrition.  As a college student, working two jobs and planning a wedding, I lived on Dr. Pepper and fast food.  And accordingly, I spent some time in the doctor’s office for testing in attempt to figure out why I felt so run down, sluggish, and more alarmingly, why I suffered from irritable bowel syndrome.   Funny thing is, when I changed that diet to a more healthy one, all those problems “magically” disappeared.

So to say you don’t have the time for healthy eating will surely prove the opposite.  We don’t have the extra time to NOT eat healthy!

Throughout the years, I’ve learned more and more about the importance of healthy eating and how to try and go about  it.  It doesn’t take any more time when menu planning.  It doesn’t take any more time shopping.  It MAY cost you more to eat healthier, but if you think of the money you’ll save from not having medical bills caused by a poor diet, then you realize that it’s worth it.

Here are some easy ways to eat healthier:

Eat food that God made.

As a general rule, if the “food” can’t remember where it came from, then it’s not a good choice.

Drink water. 

Drinking too much of any other liquid can cause any number of gastric upsets.  I once thought that I was lactose intolerant when I would drink too much milk.  Come to find out, I was doing just that….drinking TOO MUCH milk.    Drinking juice, while healthier than sodas, can get us out of balance too, so it’s better to eat the fruit itself and drink water.

Choose the God-made, healthy alternatives for snacks. 

It doesn’t get any easier than sunflower seeds, grapes, raisins, bananas, almonds, or some carrots, does it?  Sorry, no need for a cheeto here.  If you’re on the go, simply fill a ziploc or jar with your favorites and take it with you.  Almonds never leave my diaper bag.  For a longer list of the easy, healthy snacks our family eats, click here.

Plan your meals around a  healthy main dish. 

Baked tilapia or salmon, and even chicken are so simple to prepare.  Serve alongside some steamed or sauteed veggies, some salad and a healthy carb choice like quinoa or brown rice and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal.

Intentionally shop at stores who choose to carry more organic and healthier foods.

Doing so will encourage you once you’re there, and you’ll have plenty more options for healthy foods than you would if you were at “another” place.  I have found that Sprouts, Kroger and Costco help me to accomplish feeding my family well while on a budget.  I have heard amazing stories about a few Walmarts here and there that carry a lot of organics, but in my area, they’re still working on it.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  Less processed.  Less refined.  More whole grain.  More food from the earth.

What are your top tips for eating well?  We’d love to hear them!

To catch up, click here for previous weeks’ posts:

• What Moms Need:  Week 1 – GOD
• What Moms Need:  Week 2 – Perspective
• What Moms Need:  Week 3 – Encouragement
• What Moms Need:  Week 4 – Rest
• What Moms Need:  Week 5 - Companionship
• What Moms Need:  Week 6 – Gratitude