Lose the guilt and get healthy

Following on from our interview with nutritionist and best-selling author Fiona Kirk last month here she suggests a few tactics to help working mums lose the nutritional guilt and get the family on board:

Cut yourself some slack!

A recent study of the eating habits of over 2,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 over three years reveals that parents might, at last be able to shed some of the guilt when it comes to reading the nutritional riot act in a bid to improve their childrens’ eating habits. All 2,000 teenagers were encouraged to include more fibre-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses) into their diet. Half of them were told to cut out their fast food favourites (burgers, pizzas, kebabs, pies, pastries, crisps etc.) whilst the other half were not. At the end of the study those who continued to include so-called ‘unhealthy’ options presented a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes than their counterparts. This is surely music to the ears of all parents and makes a lot of sense. When we are told unequivocally not to do something, we tend to crave it, be it a food, a substance or an experience. Firstly, because us humans don’t really relish being told what to do and secondly, because the body works at its best when it is chemically balanced and and that means regular nourishment with a good mix of carbohydrates, protein and fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Deficiency of any over a period of time results in the balance being upset.

So why did the teenagers who were allowed to include ‘the junk‘ fare better health-wise than those who didn’t? They appear to have been happier. Happier to include the ‘good‘ foods because the ‘bad‘ foods weren’t off limits whereas the others felt deprived and miserable. What the food police often forget when struggling to come up with a solution to the global obesity epidemic is that mood is intrinsically involved in what, when and why we eat. Few of us reach for a nutritionally-fabulous salmon fillet on a bed of greens when we are tired, stressed or unhappy, it’s more likely to be big plate of pasta, a burger and fries or a bar of chocolate.

Working mums wear their guilt like a hefty extra layer of clothing and where our childrens’ diets are concerned there is no shortage of media coverage pointing out that we are, in part responsible for their thickening waistlines and/or their preoccupation with weight loss. Most of us are doing our very best with limited time and energy but sadly we still angst over the fact that our own eating habits may not be setting the best example. Perhaps this recent study could offer us a lifeline! When we adopt an 80:20 approach to diet (include great foods 80% of the time and throw caution to the wind for the other 20%) with luck, no-one feels deprived, energy levels are improved and most importantly, everyone is in a better mood most of the time - which certainly allows for a little more harmony in the household!

Try some of these tactics for a couple of weeks:

1. Focus on your own nutritional needs first, get your own diet in order and plan ahead wherever possible; if you don’t have the energy to fulfil your daily work/domestic commitments you are unlikely to be able to cope with the nutritional needs and likes of the rest of the family.

2. If you are trying to lose some weight, make it very clear that you are going to be cooking some great food (don’t use words like ‘healthy’, ‘nutritious’ or ‘diet’) and that not only do you value their opinion but welcome suggestions for improvement on taste, texture and overall appeal.

3.Ensure that you eat regularly (breakfast, lunch and dinner with a couple of snacks mid morning and mid afternoon). This will rubber-stamp the importance of regular nourishment and why skipping meals is NOT going to result in either long-term fat loss or a mum that is fun to be with.

4. Whenever possible, enjoy treats together, big up the outing/experience and spend time discussing how delicious it is! Also, go for the best option you can afford - there is a massive nutritional difference between the burger and fries at your local gourmet pub and those on offer at some of the well-known fast food joints (and they taste so much better!)

5. Beg, borrow or steal time to make soups and freeze them in small containers. Soups are nourishing, fast, filling and fat-busting and whist the kids will make it crystal clear which ones they like (or hate) soups are veritable saviours when they come in from school/college and need nourishment fast. Yes, they take a little bit of planning ahead but a couple of hours spent creating these nutritional giants can quickly cure a lot of bad tempers and restore harmony. And, should your working day have seen you forgetting lunch/snacks are the perfect antidote to hitting the salty snacks when you finally get home before the evening chores begin.

6. A good night’s sleep is absolutely essential to your ability to cope daily but often evades you - the list of tasks not completed today or those on tomorrow’s list all too often ambush you. A bedtime snack is the answer. Stress and anxiety upset blood sugar overnight and either see us tossing and turning for hours before we get to sleep or we wake at 5am, can’t get back to sleep and end up doing the ironing or checking our emails. Both scenarios are frustrating and ultimately exhausting. A couple of oatcakes with peanut butter, a small plate of porridge, a pot of yoghurt with a drizzle of honey or a slice or two of cold cooked turkey provide good levels of the amino acid, tryptophan which encourages the production of the calming neurotransmitter, serotonin and aids sleep. This is also a great tactic to try with the kids who are often buzzing at bedtime having spent hours on their laptops facebooking or watching their favourite soaps!

For more advice, soup recipes and to subscribe to Fiona’s monthly newsletters go to www.fatbustforever where you can also buy her books, So What The F*** Should I Eat? and 2 Weeks in the Fast Lane. To take advantage of the special Workingmums.co.uk reader offer quote the following at checkout: Ref: WML1 for ‘So What The F*** Should I Eat? (£12 plus p+p) Ref: WML2 for ‘2 Weeks in the Fast Lane’ (£7 plus p+p)