Top 3 Tips for Busy Parents

Top 3 Tips on eating well when you’re a busy parent:

1.     SHOP ONLINE – and repeat order every week/two weeks

This has been a game changer for me – I have a weekly organic food box delivery – I personally use Abel & Cole but Riverford are also good as well as Farm Drop. This means there’s no sneaking in a few chocolate bars when you’re feeling drained doing the weekly shop. No moments of weakness and no kids chucking the world into the trolley and having to bargain with them to be able to take it out. This leads onto my next tip…

2.     MEAL PLAN – and rotate every two/three weeks.

This takes all thought/stress out of working out on a daily basis what to eat. It also means the kids are less likely to argue about what they want for dinner every night as they do. Especially if you get them to help you plan it out with the healthy meals they enjoy. Choose easy/ready prepped meals on evenings when they may have after-school clubs or you’re collecting them later due to work/school/nursery etc. Again leading nicely onto my last tip…

3.     BATCH COOK

Aim to prep 2/3 meals on a weekend/when you have an hour or two to be able to do this. Top tip here – get the kids to help. The can fetch you ingredients/mix/combine things for you and if they’re anything like mine they will love doing this. This way you can also tick off the “quality family time without TV” bullet point on the “guilt list” in your head as a busy parent!

WIN WIN!!!

ENERGY...where's it gone???

I attended a seminar recently on Energy. When i speak to the majority of my clients “energy” is always a word that comes up time and time again - or rather a lack of it, even for me. So i thought this would be good to learn a bit more about to help not only me but also my clients. A lot of interesting material was covered in the day but one thing that it really came down to was blood sugar balancing - get this right and the energy will flow, get this right and lots of other issues such as stress, diabetes and metabolic syndrome will also work themselves out. So i have put together a few simple tips i use to balance clients blood sugar (as well as improving their general diet):

• CINNAMON - a great blood sugar balancer, you can sprinkle this on sliced apples for a snack, add to breakfasts and even sip the teas when you feel like an energy dip is on the way.

• Eating protein with every meal and snack - protein slows the release of sugar into the blood stream so eating a few rat nuts and seeds with fruits for example will leave you feeling satiated for longer.

• Making sure you eat a meal or snack every 3-4 hours will keep the blood sugar level and you won’t get the crash that leads to the chocolate craving.

• Drinking enough water regularly throughout the day. (2 ltrs/day)

So try those out and see if you notice a difference. For more bespoke, therapeutic plans do get in touch and we can get you back on track so you can live the life you want.

with health,

Kelly

Mindful Eating

We're hearing the word "mindful" a lot at the moment it's the current buzz word for slowing down and pressing PAUSE. Many of us, including me find it difficult to slow down in todays hectic world where we must be doing something or we are wasting precious time. Trying to squeeze every last minute of the day out by filling it to the brim where we feel so wound up like a coil we eventually break. This is the current state of play in all aspects of life  for many people and one which i believe contributes to the poor diet of many. In my former career as an events manager my diet was diabolical. I would eat on the run from meeting to meeting, stuffing in a croissant and latte - sooooooo many lattes i would get palpitations if i didn't have a dispo cup in my hand (it was probably the lattes giving me the palpitations to be honest). Never allowing time to digest or even make the right choices. I was tired and "skinny fat" and my cholesterol was through the roof - which i scoffed at, being a slim tall 30 year old...i was unhealthy but because i ran around, had a busy job and worked out i believed i was the epitome of health. I was malnourished and i was ill - a lot. 

PAUSE - i like this word - this word makes me feel calm. If i could go back and tell my old self one piece of advise it would be this. In all areas of life. When we pause we can make better judgement, better decisions and in the long run that little bit of time we use to pause, will save us a whole lot of time making mistakes. This applies so well to the decisions we make about food. SO often hunger clouds our judgement, thats why they say never go shopping on an empty stomach - it couldn't be truer. So here are my 5 tips on being mindful around mealtimes:

1. always carry some raw nuts - full of protein these are my go-to snack and will stave off that hunger allowing you to make a clear call on what to eat.
2. WATER - sometimes that hunger can be thirst so make sure to have a (preferably glass) refillable water bottle with you.
3. If you can't be trusted to make the right choice when you get to meal times - plan it out in advance. Whatever you make for dinner - make twice the amount and use it the next day or the day after for lunch. 
4. When eating out - look straight at the healthier options, make your decision, then put the menu down - too often we make choices because of what we "fancy" not what we need.
5. Eat SLOWLY - and enjoy what you are eating - be thankful for every mouthful and be assured in the knowledge that you're nourishing your body well.

Kelly x