Self-Care Healthy Eating Tips For Moms

A mom’s life is like being on a roller coaster ride going in circles.  You do everything and look after everyone: the kids, the dog, the house, schedules, daycare, appointments, meal planning, shopping, family obligations, real work to pay the bills, and in your ‘spare time,’ you squeeze in a personal life. It’s exhausting.

We’re so busy looking after everyone else that we tend to put self-care, including healthy eating, on the “I’ll do it later” list.  

But think about it. If you get sick, who’s going to get the stuff done?  

You are. 

That’s why self-care healthy eating is important to add at the top of your list.  It’s a doable goal and here are some tips to help you out.

Self Care Healthy Eating Tips For Moms

1.  Get up 10 minutes earlier and feed yourself breakfast first.

You’ve probably heard it many times, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ Why?  Because if you sleep 7-8 hours you’re basically starving yourself at night.  Your body needs fuel to kick-start into gear when you get up.  Even if your groggy brain doesn’t register it.  Fill your belly. It could be simply a banana and toast with peanut butter.  Then, your body can relax, gear down and slide out of starvation mode.  This will take away the urge to hunt down sugary foods later in the day when you’re ravenous. 

2.  Have a healthy mommy snack bag ready to go.

You wouldn’t leave the house without some sort of snack for your kids, so why not have one for yourself? Even better, use an insulated bag with an ice pack to keep things cold.  

If you’re in line at a coffee shop and the hunger pangs start, the call of those sugary treats will be hard to ignore.  But, if you have a healthy snack such as the peanut butter granola bar (in this newsletter) in your mommy snack bag, you’ll dive into those instead of buying something you’ll regret later.  Other snacks you could throw in are:  nuts, apples, dried fruit, trail mix, granola, cheese and crackers, or  hummus and veggies. You can even take leftovers from last night’s dinner.

Carry A Healthy Mommy Snack Bag

3.  Carry a water bottle around.

Water bottles are like those darn cloth grocery bags. You know, the ones you forget in the car when you go inside the grocery store?  We all have multiple water bottles in the house. But I know, it’s so easy to forget to fill them up and take them with you when you’re on the go. 

Why water?  Well, water perks you up and keeps you hydrated.  You need to keep hydrated because every system in your body relies on it.  And drinking water regularly throughout the day replenishes what you lose.  If you need an incentive to drink more, then add a few lemon or cucumber slices to your water bottle for a tastier sip. 

4.  Take a break and eat lunch with your kids.

Turn off your cell phone, sit down at the table with your kids and enjoy lunchtime together.  It’s tempting to be busy the minute kids are preoccupied with food. But remember, you need a break, and you need to eat as well.  Lunch is a good and easy way to squeeze in both.

5.  Meal plan. 

It’s stressful getting meals together fast with screaming kids at your feet.  As much as you want to create healthy meals, it’s difficult to do on the fly. That’s why having a meal plan is golden. Plus, it’s easy to do.  It will also save you money, add variety to your meals and help to feed your kids great tasting dinners. 

Here’s what you do: when the kids are in bed sleeping or napping, grab your calendar and decide how many nights that week you will cook. Find recipes you will make. Maybe it’s only one or two nights, it doesn’t matter.  Write the recipe name in your calendar and where the recipe is (cookbook, magazine, website). Create a shopping list.  Order your groceries on-line and strike  “What am I going to make for dinner tonight?” off your to-do list.  You’ll be amazed at how stress free daily cooking will be. Really. 

As a mom, remember to put yourself first.  Healthy eating is a doable self-care goal. If you do it, everyone will benefit.

Meal Plan