What a stormy morning! Glad that many of you still made it out to MOPS and enjoyed a very wellness-focused morning. For those of you that couldn't join us, here's a short summary of my workshop:
My name is Moriah Bruner and my professional interest is helping people live healthier so that they have more energy and more ability to do all the things they need to do in their daily lives. I don't know about you, but as a mom and a wife I certainly need all the energy I can get. Can I get an AMEN? Well, that means we need to arm ourselves with fact-based food knowledge and solid nutrition resources so that we can make healthier food choices for ourselves and our families.
First, we need to be savvy and informed consumers. Reading factual, unbiased nutrition information is way more reliable than relying on fear-mongering bloggers on the Internet or fancy and misleading corporate marketing campaigns. Two resources I highly recommend to help build up your arsenal of food knowledge are "Nutrition Action Healthletter" published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.nutritionaction.com) and HealthyChildren.org powered by the American Academy of Pediatrics (click on the "Nutrition" tab).
Second, let's all have a firm grasp of basic nutritional concepts. Make sure you understand what a calorie is and how to count them and remember that it only takes 3,500 calories to equal 1 pound of body fat. Burn more calories than you eat to lose weight and you've mastered the "big secret" to weight loss. Ok, so maybe we aren't all so great at counting calories and watching our weight. So that takes me to my challenge for all the women of Conway MOPS: The 7-day food journal challenge! Grab a notebook and pen, visit a food tracker website, or download an easy-to-use app on your smart phone and record everything you eat for 7 days. EVERYTHING! Water you drink. Condiments on your sandwiches. Additives in your coffee and tea. Once you are done recording for a week then have a look. How are you doing? Did you realize how much you are consuming? What are your areas for improvement? Even if you aren't trying to lose weight, are you still needing to improve in areas such as fiber or calcium consumption? Remember, too, that by performing this exercise you are also learning how to more closely monitor your children's diets. In fact, why not do this exercise for your kids too? It might just highlight areas that need tweaking. (Note: Be discreet with older children and talk to your pediatrician for any major nutritional concerns!)
Finally, a few reminders and encouragements from one mom to another: I want nothing more than for all of you to have enough energy and feel good every day to be the best mamas you can be. Our children and our spouses demand a lot, if not all, of our energy and so it is really important for us to take care of ourselves so that we are able to take care of others. Here's a statistic for you: 72% of the food eaten in a household is controlled by the nutritional gatekeeper-- this is the person who chooses the food, buys it and prepares it and they are the opinion leader when it comes to establishing beliefs and preferences about food. Who is the nutritional gatekeeper for your family? Is it you? Do you bring a positive influence or a negative one? Just something to think about.
Lastly, if I leave you with any bit of advice it’s this: No mom is perfect in any aspect of parenting, including their children’s nutrition. Do not live with the burden of guilt. Treats, in moderation, are perfectly acceptable and an important part of food enjoyment. A cookie (or two) here and there is fine if balanced with veggies and fruit later. And remember that if you make an effort to be knowledgeable about food and surround yourself with the resources you need to understand the food environment we live in, you will always be prepared to make a HEALTHIER choice, even if the HEALTHIEST choice isn’t available or an uphill battle with your child.
For questions, or for a free review of your 7-day food journal, please don't hesitate to contact me at BeWellConway@gmail.com. For other great tips, articles, and wellness news you can follow me on Twitter @BeWellConway or find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BeWellConway.
