The Mom's Cheat Sheet » health

7 Steps To Sustainable Healthy Eating Habits

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:55:55 +0000

By Sherri Kruger, with Zen Family Habits

Diets don’t work. At least that’s been my experience. I’ve never been the type of person to be overly concerned about my weight or physical appearance. What I am concerned about is having a healthy body through the foods I consume.

It’s difficult to eat well and be healthier overall if you are disorganized, misinformed or simply don’t know what you don’t know. Here are 7 things you can do to get you well on your way towards establishing healthy eating habits that are sustainable for the long run.

1. Educate yourself. This doesn’t mean you need to know the composition or origin of every fruit, vegetable or grain that you consume. Here are a few things to consider educating yourself on:

Learn what foods are actually good for you and in what quantities.
Learn about food substitutions if you have known allergies.
Learn how to cook different dishes especially if you are stuck in the meat and potatoes or pasta rut for dinner every night.
Learn how to prepare food to get the maximum nutritional benefits from it.
Learn about healthy snack alternatives

2. Start small. You are less likely to see big life altering changes through to the end. This is why it is important to start small when establishing any new habit. When it comes to eating healthier, start with changing one meal, one day or one week. Try this change for a few weeks and see how it works for you and your family. You shouldn’t be afraid to admit when something doesn’t work. It’s unrealistic to expect a perfect change the first time around. You should be willing to look at what doesn’t work and try something else. Think of one of the obvious eating habits you currently have that you want to change. Do you drink too many soft drinks? Do you eat too much junk food or processed food? Do you rarely eat fruit or vegetables? Whatever it is choose one or two things and begin making a change. Add 2 vegetables to your dinner plate tonight. Drink water, herbal tea or green tea at lunch today instead of a soft drink.

3. Make a plan. Going in cold and flying by the seat of your pants is no way to establish a good eating habit. If your goal is to completely overhaul the foods you consume then it will be infinitely easier if you start with a plan. Creating a meal plan doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be done using something as simple as a recipe card, notebook or a spreadsheet on a computer. Start by making a list of all the meals your family enjoys. Include healthy mains, sides, desserts and snacks that you became aware of during the education part of this process. Next you can pick and choose what meals to have on which days as well as healthy snacks to ensure no binge eating.

4. Remove the friction. This is a big one for me. Friction here, is all those little things that make it just a little more difficult to eat healthy. To remove as much friction as possible consider:

Pre-wash fruits and vegetables and leaving them on the counter for easy access.
Package snacks into individual serving sizes to grab as you’re running out the door.
Cut vegetables into manageable pieces.
Keep water in the fridge.
Do as much of the food preparation the night before so you can quickly whip up a tasty healthy meal for dinner when you really don’t feel like it.

Once you have removed a few of the mental hurdles it’s easier to stay on track. After a while these things will become second nature and you won’t have to think about it.

5. Be flexible. You should avoid making a plan too rigid so as not to allow for deviations throughout the week or month. Decide what flexibility means to your family. Is it pre-cooking a variety of ingredients at the start of the week and using them in diffierent combinations throughout the week? Or is it planning a different meal every night and skipping one if you’re invited out or substituting if you decide to have people over? Whatever it is you shouldn’t get too hung up on the details. Allowing flexibility in your meal planning will reduce stress and make it a lot easier to stick with in the long run.

6. Have a cheat day. This is one thing that can really help sticking to healthy eating over the long run. Choose one day a week when you can eat whatever you like, within reason of course. If you’re really wanting pizza, ice cream or donuts have them on this day. In the beginning, transitioning to a healthier eating habits can be trying. However, it’s easier to eat healthy during the week when you have that one day, your cheat day, to eat your guilty pleasures. If you choose a day try to stick with it. After a month or so you’ll likely notice the “need” for your cheat day will diminish and you’ll find eating healthy your new way of life everyday.

7. Many things in moderation. One of the reasons diets don’t often work, is you feel you need to eliminate “everything”. Everything that tastes good, everything that’s fun and all that you really enjoy eating. The problem is that as soon as you eliminate these foods from your diet you crave it even more. Saying I will never eat chocolate or no more ice cream really doesn’t work. When you do eventually have some, which is entirely expected, you aren’t likely to eat a small portion are you? No, you’re likely to binge and eat a whole chocolate bar or an entire tub of ice cream. Everything in moderation.

Establishing healthy eating habits can increase your energy levels, get you feeling better about how you look and feel and just make you healthier overall. Start small and implement changes gradually. The key is to start. Now.

7 Steps To Sustainable Healthy Eating Habits [Zen Family Habits]

[Editor's note: Thanks to Sherri Kruger for her post on learning to eat well. These are some great tips, and I especially like her tip regarding a "cheat day." Eating well the other six days doesn't sound so bad if there is a bowl of ice cream waiting at the end of the week!]

Yoga – Wonderful for Moms

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:21:15 +0000

I recently started yoga, and I absolutely love it. I find myself sitting up straighter, feeling more attractive, and seem to be more relaxed lately. It was surprisingly easy to get into; all I did was buy a DVD, a mat, and yoga pants. I do the DVD for about 30 minutes (I’ll eventually build up to the 50 minute routine, but want to go slow at first), and I feel refreshed and energized afterwards. Yoga is awesome!

I was happy to see that Green & Clean Mom feels the same way. In her blog, she lists the benefits of yoga, as well as easy ways to get started. Check out her post below!

Thinking About Starting Yoga [Green & Clean Mom]

Lowered Blood Pressure – Yet Another Breastfeeding Benefit

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:59:56 +0000

Most of us moms have heard of the benefits that breastfeeding comes with. Not only is great for your baby, free, and convenient, but it benefits your health, too. Nursing moms often enjoy quicker weight loss after pregnancy, lower chances of breast cancer, as well as other added benefits. One benefit that I was unaware of is something that I came across this morning in an article from USA Today -

“The longer women breast-fed, the lower their chance of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors such as high blood pressure and high triglycerides associated with obesity, the scientists found.”

I think it’s great that we are finding out more and more about the benefits of nursing. Since nursing can be a challenge at first (not to mention painful!) it is encouraging to read about the benefits for both mom and baby.

For the full article, see Breast-feeding may protect moms’ health [USA Today]

Swine Flu: Questions and Answers

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:30:08 +0000

Like every other mom out there, I’m doing my best to stay on top of my kids’ health this season. If I had a dime for every time I said, “Wash your hands!” or “Cough into your elbow!” then I’d be a rich woman. With concern over the swine flu this season, it’s even more important to stay on top of things.

I’ve gone back and forth about whether to have my children (and myself) vaccinated, and have come across some helpful articles here and there. Along with some research on the vaccine, I’ve looked around for general information on the H1N1 virus – symptoms, precautions, risks, etc. What I have found is a great article that lays out everything you need to know about the swine flu, and I highly recommend you take a look at it.

All You Ever Wanted to Know about Swine Flu [Mom Logic]

Feeling Lousy? Check This Out.

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:25:42 +0000

It’s getting colder out, the days are shorter, and sometimes the days just seem a little “blah.” Whether there is a specific reason, or just an overall feeling of negativity, it happens to the best of us.

I have my own little tricks for perking myself up, but sometime they take too long or aren’t on my list of healthy things to do. Sure, yoga would make me feel better… but I don’t have 30 minutes right now. And I do love ice cream, but should I eat a bowl right now just because I’m in a funk?

I have recently started following Serene Journey, and I wanted to share this post with you. If you (like me!) often find yourself feeling “blah” and need a quick and healthy way to perk up, then read on.

10 Ways To Feel Better in 60 Second Or Less [Serene Journey]

Go to the ER, or Just Call the Pediatrician?

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:01:17 +0000

If I had a dime for every time one of my kids tripped, banged their knee, or pinched their finger, I’d be a rich woman. Those injuries are common and harmless enough, even though they may cause a few tears. Part of being a child means falling off your bike once in a while, and (although we want to) we can’t prevent many of the bumps and bruises that kids get. What we do need to do is keep an eye out for the serious injuries, and be able to discern when to call the doctor or head to the emergency room.

This post from Parenting discusses some common situations we may face as parents, and how to react if it happens to our kid. As a mom, I find these particularly helpful, especially since many of these things haven’t happened to us yet. Thankfully, my kids have never been stung by a bee, but now I know a few tips for when that day arrives.

“You can use tweezers, pinch it [the stinger] between your thumb and forefinger, or scrape it out with a butter knife or credit card. Then apply a cool compress. You can give your child Children’s Benadryl — check with your pediatrician about the appropriate dosage — or apply calamine lotion if he’s itchy.”

I can only imagine trying to hold down my two year old and get a bee stinger out with my Mastercard, but at least I’ll have that info in my head when I need it. The moments when it’s most important that we think clearly tend to be the times when it’s most difficult, like when your child is hurt. Check out these other scenarios from Parenting, in case you find yourself in one of these situations.

10 Common Healthy Emergencies and How to Deal With Them [Parenting]

Got Energy?

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:29:04 +0000

When that mid-afternoon slump hits, I’m so tempted to brew some coffee. But alas, I’ve decided to cut back on the caffeine and try to find alternative ways to perk up. So with that in mind, where do I turn? The kids are sleeping upstairs, the house is (finally) quite, and I know that I have a list of stuff to knock out during naptime. Yes, I could just brew some coffee and get on with my afternoon, but I’d rather not fall off the wagon and start that vicious cycle again of brewing coffee every day or risk a splitting headache.

Need some ideas for ways to perk up naturally? Check out 5 Surprising Ways to Get More Energy. [Glamour]

An Easy Way to Administer Meds to Your Baby

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:53:38 +0000

Don’t you love it when it’s 2am, your baby is up with a cold, and you are trying to give her medicine in the dark? She gags, isn’t sure what to make of the dropper, and then the infant Motrin is all over you instead of in her. So you start over, hoping eventually you’ll succeed.

I came across this post from parent hacks today, and it’s awesome. This makes absolute sense to me, since babies are used to either nursing or drinking from a bottle. Check out this little gadget –

Nipple-Shaped Medicine Dispenser Works Well For Babies [parent hacks]

Coffee and Other Foods Help Lower Cancer Risk

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:11:27 +0000

I can already justify my love of chocolate (antioxidants!), but it looks like now my coffee is on the good list, too. I already knew that fast food and artificial sweeteners are foods to stay away from, but did you know that barbeque may be something to cut back on? According to Self’s post,

“Cooking meats at high temperatures (as well as charring them) creates cancer-causing chemicals.”

I enjoy these refreshers on the foods we should enjoy, and those we should shy away from. It’s good to keep in mind what we are putting in our bodies, and what they do to us. I know that my Friday Morning Pancakes have butter and syrup on them, but I also know loading them up with wild blueberries is a smart move. It’s not about cutting out everything that is unhealthy, but it is about staying informed and up to speed.

For more info, go to Self’s article What to load up on… and where to lighten up [Self]

Tips on Incorporating Fitness Into Your Life

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:29:48 +0000

Yep, I’m one of those. I get into my fitness routine, I love it, and then I “get busy” and slack off. I really do enjoy working out, but somehow I let life take charge and suddenly I’m too tired, too spent, and too busy to think about when or how I’m going to make it to the gym.

I know that I could squeeze in time for myself to exercise. I know it’s true in one sense, but in a whole other way I’m at a loss for how to make that work. Yes, I know that theoretically I have naps and after bedtime without my kids to chase after, but aren’t there a hundred other things I need or want to use those precious hours for?

This is a great list of ways to make fitness something that works for your life. My favorite one is the very first suggestion –

“Always schedule workouts and stick to your scheduled time. We take time to schedule vacations and appointments; why should we not do the same with workouts?”

Isn’t that the truth? I love schedules anyway, so writing down “Pilates DVD” on my calendar for a couple days a week during naptime may actually work for me. If it’s on the schedule, I think I’ll be able to get it together more easily. Having this vague desire to exercise “sometime today” isn’t going to motivate me – but seeing it on my planner will.

For more on this, see Ten easy ways to add fitness daily [Canada.com]