:: Food For Though ::

Food for thought.

Once upon a time someone told me a great fairy story, this is how it went……..

“ All new mums maintain high levels of nutrition in order to take care of their children and family. They have a well balance daily diet, including all the food groups to keep up their energy levels, and brain food to keep their minds healthy because of all the organising they do, oh, and they always get plenty of sleep.”

The happy ending to my story – “An all smiling energetic mum with a fridge full of fruit and vegetables, not a candy bar or packet of biscuits in sight, a smoothie maker and more than enough enthusiasm and time to prepare a well balanced meal for themselves.”

That was in a land FAR FAR away!

The reality of the situation is for me as a new mum I grab whatever I can find and often finish off my toddlers meal because I have no energy left to prepare my own. A cup of tea or coffee with a half packet of biscuits
before I pass out at night is my usual dinner.

So I’m not going to lecture you on all the things you should be doing in this perfect fairy tale world. I’m going to pass on a few tips to help ease the burden of adult nutritional guilt and give you the tiniest boost of energy, which is always welcomed with open arms in my less than perfect world.

Vitamin C.
Your body needs sufficient vitamin C to absorb fat. Now that doesn’t mean that you can finish off all the leftover ice-cream at the party and rush home and eat oranges. It means that if you eat an orange or two a day it helps with the breakdown of existing body fat and keeps your fat burning levels up. Vitamin C is essential for creating carnitine, a substance that turns fat into fuel. Vegetables rich in Vitamin C include red peppers and broccoli.

Omega’s – brain food.
Modern diets are high in omega-6 fatty acids -- found in meat, eggs, refined grains, and corn oil -- and low in omega-3 fatty acids. New research suggests this imbalance could be a risk factor for depression. Add more
mood-boosting omega-3-rich foods, such as flaxseeds, fish, and nuts, to your diet.

Omega-6s and omega-3s are forms of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Researchers have long suspected that deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids contributes to depression. Now, a new study reveals that the balance
between omega-3s and omega-6s may influence depression risk, so grab a handful of nuts instead of a snack that gives you a quick sugar hit.

Watermelon benefits.
Watermelon is abundant in Asia, so there’s no excuse for not snacking on this healthy fruit and it is always on the table at kids’ gatherings.

Watermelon is loaded with lycopene. Lycopene, as studies have shown may be a cancer crusher and
watermelon juice actually gave tomato juice a run for its money in a recent study of lycopene levels.
Watermelon can also make your skin pretty, it’s loaded with a key compound credited with helping skin's
healing and regenerative processes and with fewer than 50 calories in every cup, watermelon is one smart
way to satisfy a sweet tooth. And with 141 grams of water per cup, watermelon will keep you hydrated too.

An apple a day.
It used to keep the doctor away when I was young, now it turns out that it can keep the cramps away too. An apple a day is essential for maintaining a healthy colon, and when women are stressed that part of our bodies suffer. Apple juice or a fresh apple, either way your body will thank you for it.

Now I’m inspired to write a book – Easy Nutrition Hits for New Mums.

Our children are the most important things in our lives, but without us they’re not going to get the best from this world, so let’s start taking care of us, one step at a time.

Source Reference: The Real Age Diet

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