We all recognise that eating nutritious foods is crucial to maintaining high levels of energy and brain power. A healthy diet helps us keep fit and arms us against diseases and viruses. However, as for several other things, busy mums tend to place their needs last and forget to maintain a daily healthy diet. This creates an even greater issue for work at home mums, especially when they work around their young kids. Our children can take up all our focus while they're up and about, and when they go to sleep or are not home we typically take the opportunity to get some work done and do house chores. Our heads are full with schedules, work commitments, our children's education and health, household planning (and the list goes on), and we occasionally have to thank our stomachs for shouting out that we are hungry, otherwise we sometimes wouldn't remember to eat! I am sure some of you can relate! I am not an expert in diet and nutrition. I believe however that sometimes taking even the simplest recognised health-promoting steps will help mums achieve greater results, and feel healthy, focused and empowered. So with the risk of repeating what everybody knows, here are some important yet easy dietary facts you need to follow to help maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit!
About Carbohydrates and the Glycaemic Index: Carbohydrates are the preferred supply of energy for your body. They are rated against the glycaemic index (GI) consistent with how quickly they get absorbed and bring up the blood glucose level. Low-GI carbohydrates help you to reach and preserve the energy you need to perform at your best, making you feel fuller for longer (hence reducing the sugar cravings and linked sugar-intake habits!). Work at home mums should include the following low-GI foods in their diet plan: oats, bran, barley, soy-derived products, beans, fruit, milk, pasta, lentils and grainy bread. Plenty of vegetables, fruits and leafy greens. Higher GI-foods like potatoes, highly refined grain products and concentrated sugar should be taken in moderation.
About Protein: Protein is also a source of energy for the body, though accounts for only a fraction compared to carbohydrates. Most significantly, proteins play an essential role in growth and repair, as well as metabolic, enzyme and chemical processes. Proteins can be found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, seeds, soy beans and other soy products, nuts and wheat.. Eating a diet too low in protein isn't usually a concern in industrialised countries, but it's important to understand that proteins are not stored in the body and should be taken daily.
About Iron: Tiredness, fatigue and a decreased immune system can sometimes be connected to diet-related iron deficiencies. Work at home mums simply don't have time for these! If you have concerns concerning your iron levels, see your doctor. If you have low iron levels which can be addressed through diet, ensure that you consume iron-rich foods on a daily basis, such as wholegrain cereals and breads, meat, poultry, fish, dark-green leafy vegetables, raisins, nuts, seeds, beans, peas and lentils. Remember that Vitamin C assists with iron absorption, so include fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C.
About Sugar: Sugar can give you an energy boost, but can bring back down your energy level even lower, and slow your brain down too. If you crave sugar, what you actually need is a low-GI snack. Wholegrain and oat-based snacks, nuts and seeds, orchard and stone fruit, bananas, dried apricots, baked beans, freshly popped popcorn, and low-fat yogourt are all examples. My best trick for work at home mums to beat the sugar habit is this: don't keep high-sugar foods in your home! If they're not within reach, you'll have to settle on the healthier choice.
About Fruit and Vegetables: You have most likely heard the magic formula by now: two serves of fruit + 5 serves of vegetables every day. This simple formula is so powerful, it helps prevent cardiac disease, cancer, obesity, and assists with cholesterol, blood pressure and digestive regularity. Work at home mums usually make sure that they include the right quantity of veggies and fruits in their kids' diet throughout the day, but forget their own. When you take the time to arrange fresh fruit and vegetables for your children, make extra for yourself to eat throughout the day.
About Legumes: Legumes, such as soybeans, lentils, kidney beans, and chick peas are great brain foods. They are also a great substitute for meat when served along cereals or pasta, providing protein, vitamins and fibre. They're versatile and easy to integrate in your diet, which is handy for work at home mums! You can add them to soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, casseroles and stir fries.
About Water: Ok, I am not going to discuss this one in too much detail. You know water is good for you, so drink plenty of it! Fill up that big jug in the morning and have it drunk by the end of the day. Line up your glasses. If you are a busy mum working from home around your children, you might need to use creative tricks, drinking cues or monitoring tools for drinking the eight glasses of water you need, so find something that works for you! Keep in mind also that sometimes feeling hungry means that you are dehydrated, so hydrate before you fill up your plate!
About Salt: Even though salt plays a vital role in regulating blood and tissue fluids within the body, we typically consume it far beyond the recommended daily intake. The over-consumption of salt is not related to adding table salt to meals, rather we pick up the excessive amounts of sodium from the processed foods we eat. Over-consumption of salt is connected to several serious conditions, from heart and kidney disease, to cancer and osteoporosis. For work at home mums and their families, the most effective approach to ensure that the daily limit of 6g of salt (2,300mg of sodium) is not exceeded is to eat fresh, unprocessed foods. When you eat processed foods, be alert to the amounts of sodium by reading the nutrition facts on the label.
Work At Home Mums deserve to look after their health and take the time to prepare healthy meals for themselves. Let's not forget how vital it is to eat varied nutritious foods, each day, for maintaining our physical health, mental health and brain power.
Justine Simard is a mother and work at home business owner. Visit Work At Home Mums to find out about a work from home business opportunity which allows mums to attain a greater income, a better lifestyle and more freedom.
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