Mother's Advice

This may not be the best way to educate someone, but perhaps
we've all felt this way at one time.
Sometimes it even ends up being true :)

After celebrating Mother's Day yesterday, it got me thinking about my own Mom's advice on eating. It may be similar to your Mother's too. Though I went through the nothing-green phase, the no-fat phase, and I drank diet coke for a while, my Mom tried to teach me how to eat healthier. She would still make or buy me things I enjoyed during those crazy phases, but the message stayed the same.

This list is a compilation of things from my Mom and my husband's Mom:

• Eat your veggies (and especially greens)
• Skip the pancakes and eat foods that "stick to your bones" (we later realized that meant foods with fiber and protein)
• People need to eat some fat (that was during my awful no-fat phase, luckily I was in my 20s and rebounded!)
• Try at least one bite of everything on your plate
• Drink milk (i.e. something good for you... not soda)*
• Fruit is delicious
• Eat home-cooked meals rather than eating out (saves money too!)
• Eat sweets and snacks only occasionally and if made at home
• Drink coffee when you're old enough (coffee... not a coffee-shop specialty drink that barely resembles coffee)
• Buy from local farmers or farmers markets
• Plan meals ahead and freeze them for busy evenings

Is your list similar? Now think about your children or other family members. What are you teaching them with your cooking or food purchasing decisions? Are you giving them the basics like our Moms gave us - some by telling and others just through their actions. People will make their own decisions at times, and many wrong ones, but everyone needs to know the basic principles of healthy eating. Sadly, numerous people today do not because of the ever-present fast and convenience foods and accompanying advertisements that inundate our lives.

*Since some of you might be working on the Week 2 mini-pledge to only drink REAL beverages, I've included some articles below to help.

Today, add berries or lemons to a pitcher of water, place it in the fridge to chill. Voila, tasty fresh healthy water.

 

Action Item: Eat Right. Share that knowledge with your loved ones. When you serve carrots, tell your child why carrots or good or how they grow. Get them interested! Better yet, if you grow a garden with your child, he is more likely to eat the vegetables he has helped grow! If you don't have children, you can still grow a garden and actually it might be easier to talk another adult into helping you than a child :)

For Further Reading: Water is Essential For Health, Six Reasons to Drink Water, Why Coffee is Good For You, and 10 Reasons Why You Should Drink More Water