It can all start with a cheeky grin, a snicker or a giggle,  a chuckle, or, a chortle and open up into a cackle, a schriek or howl and  full on laughing fit.  You can certainly feel your stomach muscle at work when you are having a good laugh.  What better way to tone that tummy!

It feels so good to have a good laugh and a great way to lighten the load when you are having a  stressful day.  

The study of laughing and its effects on the human body is called Gelotology.   Laughter has been proven to have many health benifits, including, increasing oxygen flow, improving circulation, reducing stress and strenghten your immune system, even reducing pain.  This can all occur due to the release of endorphin, the feel good hormones being released into the blood, along with the  increase in blood flow from increased oxygen and the relaxation of muscles groups from the release of tension.  

Dr Madan Kataria a physician from Mumbai India is the creator of Laughter Yoga.  This really is the wellbeing workout.  He teaches that the body can not differentiate between pretend and genuine laughter.  Both produce the happy chemistry in the body.  If life is all getting a bit serious and you want a quick pick me up and a good old belly laugh check out Dr Madans work on u-tube.  I challenge you to give it a go, it is very effective and hilarious.

Link to laughter yoga - 100 Laughter Yoga Exercise Dr Madan Kataria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq4kTZuLops

If you are ready for a bit of fun either on your own or with your family and friends organise something that will help you too laugh.  

Consider the following:
 
What has made you laugh in the past?
Who are those friends that always makes you laugh that you want to hang out with?
How can you laugh at yourself more?
Where could you go that would be funny?
What could you do that would be funny?
How could you start your day or finish your day in a funny way?
How could you make your family or friends laugh?
Whats your favourite funny family game to play?
What funny book could you read?
What funny movie could you watch?
What funny date night could you plan?


                                              A day without laughter is a day wasted
                                                                     Charlie Chaplin

It's the time of year when  everything seems to happen at once.  End of year school activities, organising holiday breaks, Christmas parties and yes Christmas!  Add to it all a family crisis or extra unexpected expenses and its easy to feel overwhelmed trying to manage it all.

If you are starting to feel stressed or in the past this time of year has been a  mad rush to the finishing line, make a commitment to yourself to plan a different approach this year.  

Plan your events, activities, holidays, get togethers  around your health and wellness so you can turn up  full of energy, with clear skin and bright eyes ready to enjoy your family and friends.  If unexpected stressful situations or events happen, be kind and nouirsh yourself like you would a close friend who needs support.   

Planning to nourish yourself with nutrition is a great way to stay on top and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to cope with this extra stress and pressure.

Stress, alcohol and coffee can deplete you of vitamin B, C and magnesium which are key nutrients essential for energy production and maintance of skin, hair and eyes.   They are also essential for helping you cope with stress.  Nourishing yourself with nutrition is the best way to get healthy doses of these nutrients from unrefined whole foods.

Plan to Pre - plan  Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that are hight in Vitamin B , C & Magnesium to help you cope.

B Vitamins
Spinach, Dark greens, Broccoli, Lentils, Black beans, Soya beans, Kidney beans, Oats, wholegrain cereals, mushrooms, eggs

Vitamin C
Berries, Blackcurrents, Kiwi fruit, Oranges, Peppers, Dark greens, Spinach, Broccoli, Tomato, 

Magnesium
Dark Greens, Spinach, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Nuts, Black beans, Bananas, Avocados, Salmon, Unsweetened Probiotic Yogurt, Cacao

Here are some meal ideas of how you could combinding the foods above to get great stress less nutrition.

Breakfast
- Oats with frozen or fresh berries, yogurt
- Omelttes or eggs with spinach, tomatoes, peppers, or mushrooms
- Mushroom and spinach on wholemeal toast
- Green Smoothie - Dark green veges, banana and berries, yogurt, nuts, cacao

Lunch
- Salmon with green salad topped with pumpkin seeds
- Wraps with dark green salad, egg, tomatoes
- Bean salad with peppers tomatoes
- Lentil salad, mushrooms, spinach 
- Minestorne soup, with wholemeal bread
- Eggs on wholemeal toast  

Dinner
-Saag aloo curry - spinach, tomato based curry  Add chicken, lamb or veges
-Vegetable lasagna with wholemeal lasagna sheets
-Salmon & Salad with brocolli
-Stir fry vegetable with brocoli, soya beans, cashew nuts add chicken, lamb, beef 
-Black bean tacos with tomatoes, peppers and avocado.

Snacks
-Nuts and fruit
-Avocado on wholemeal crackers
-Unsweetend yogurt with fruit
-Banana slices with  almond or peanut butter
-Green Smoothie 

Consider setting some goals or strategies around eating and drinking while socialising in order to keep yourself in check

For example:

limiting yourself to 2 glasses of wine for the evening
Deciding which events you will drink at and which you won't.  
Drinking spritzers or water between alcoholic drinks
Drinking non-alcoholic mocktails
Arrange to take a plate of food or nibbles  that you know with be a healthy option and you enjoy
Eat healthy before you go out so you aren't hungry and prevent overindulging.
Think of portion size of meals if eating out - consider ordering two entrees or,  main and desert or 
entree and main.
or
Plan to indulge and enjoy every bite and sip without feeling guilty as part of your balanced approach to eating.  


Alcohol can often interfere with sleep  which is essential when you are stressed.  Alcohol can often help you go off to sleep but may interfere with REM sleep which is the restorative sleep period.   You may find you wake up latter in the night or don't feel refreshed in the morning.  If you are already struggling with sleep consider whether it is worth making it worse by over indulging.  Consider what you need to do the next day and whether you can afford to feel less refreshed.  

Say No - Easy right!

If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, don't overbook or overcomitt yourself,
Its ok to say no to others. 
Focus on your priorities  and put your health first to be at your best.

Exercise the right way for you!

Exercise is a great stress releaser.  However when you are under stress long hard workout can add extra  stress to your body and deplete you further.  Whereas short simple exercise routine can destress and restore energy.   Consider what is best for you.

Down time

And finally plan some down time where you plan nothing, time just for you to read, relax, have a bath whatever you need to keep yourself in check.  

Stay in the moment and enjoy the crazy season!

"The shortest way to do many things is to do one thing at a time."
Sir Richard Cecil

There may be many jobs you need to complete before you finish up for the year and can take a break.   You may be multitasking to try and achieve everything on your list.  However, research shows that multitasking is actually over rated and effectively means that you may be doing more than one thing inefficiently.

When you are multitasking you are actually switching between two or more tasks and you are never completely present for the task at hand.  This tend to mean you will miss things as  your brain becomes overloaded.  It can become harder to see the obvious things right in front of you.

Here are some of the common problems you may experience when you multitask.

• You may get memory loss and forget things as your brain switches between the activities
• You may upset people you are with if you aren't focusing on them and present in the moment, e.g. answering phone or email, texting while with people
• You may be putting yourself or others in danger if you are driving while texting, eating or talking on the phone
• You are more likely to make mistakes and miss important things
• Its harder for you to retain information
• You are more likely to feel stressed and overwhelmed
• Depending on the task you are doing it may take you 10-15 minutes per task to refocus as you switch between each.  It can wastes  a lot of your time.

So here are some tips you might find helpful to get you organised and focussed and ready for Christmas day.

Taking the time to write down all the tasks or projects that are in your head, that you think need to be completed, can help you  decide what is really important for you, and your family and what has to take priority this Christmas.  

Once you have everything down on paper, decide what are the priorities, and what needs to be done today?  Starting your day with a clear intent or knowing what you want to achieve can be helpful in prioritising what is important and making sure it happens.  

Pick no more than two priority items each days that must get done.  Then think about your day and plan it into blocks of time, slotting in your priority, (must get done tasks) into the best time slots for you and your family situation to ensure they get done.    

If you start to feel overwhelmed by a task, breaking it down into smaller steps may be helpful.
For example, if you have to organise Christmas dinner,  break it down into the steps involved and focus on one task at a time. 
Step 1 set budget
Step 2 plan menu
Step 3 decide who will do what, 
Step 4  ring or email family and ask them to bring something
Step 5 make a shopping list
Step 6 go shopping etc...

With the remaining items on your list think about any jobs that could be delegated or family can help you with, either today or over the course of the week.  Make sure you give clear instructions when you pass on the task so they know exactly what your expectation are and when it needs to be done by and why its important to you.  And, remember to check that they understand clearly what you are asking them to do.

Try to organise and prioritise tasks that are similar on your to do list into groups e.g.: Grocery shopping for Christmas,  picking up food gifts for friends, send Christmas parcels (things that can be done in a similar time period ) 

If you need no distractions for certain tasks, make sure that you allocate times in your day when there are the least distractions.  Turn off your phone, Facebook and don't check or answer any emails, remain focused on the task at hand.   You will be surprise at how much quicker you get through everything.

Setting a timer to remind yourself to take breaks will help you be more productive.  Taking regular breaks and nourishing yourself with food, water, or movement is the best way to help you stay on track.  Its important to break up periods of activity or concentration to prevent your body and mind from becoming exhausted.

Remember not to over plan your days and let go of anything that is just not that important. Set boundaries around your time and  say no to others if necessary to ensure you do get things achieved that are important to you.







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 As a  working Mum you understand how difficult it can be to juggle work and home life and keep your own health on track.  Often we talk about managing our time to get through our to do list and use calendars, schedules, list to keep us on task.  However you may find managing your energy levels is a way to stay focused and achieve your daily goals, while making the most of your time and really enjoying your days.  When you are full of energy,  you can cope with the unexpected challenges and achieve so much more and enjoy the things you value.  Nobody gets it  right all the time, however having strategies, and healthy habits that you can return to at any point may be the different between feeling exhausted day after day or having one bad day and pushing reset.

So what do I mean by managing your energy?
There is several key areas where  you can lose energy every day.  
                                                                 
                                                   Physically  Emotionally Mentally Spiritually        

The right nutrition, exercise routine and quality and quantity of sleep for you in your unique situation are  essential to achieving energy in your body. Each is an important factor in contributing to your mental and emotional state of of mind.  

Managing your energy mean creating healthy habits that you can implement through out your day to support your body mind and spirit in order to be at your best.

The first step is to identity where you are losing energy.   Lifestyle factors, behavioural habits, work or home situations may be within your control to change. 

Here is a list  of healthy behavioural habits you can implement to manage your energy levels.  There are many many more but here are a few of my favourites.  

​ Creating healthy habits that are simple, quick and easy to implement that work for you  can help you stay on track.

                                                             Energy building habits          
                                                                                                               
Setting an alarm to remind yourself to move and stretch when sitting, or at the computer for long periods of time
Carrying a water bottle with you to keep hydrated
Drinking herbal teas or limiting coffee
Meal planning ahead
Carrying healthy snacks in the car
Including raw foods with each meal
Drinking green smoothies 
Supplements on hand specifically for your needs
Listening to uplifting energizing music
Diffusing essential oils, to relax, d-stress, uplift
Having something to look forward to every day
Regular short exercise routines that work for you
Active mindfulness practice becoming more aware
 Breathing exercises to remain calm 


No one should care more about your health than you do, creating healthy, energy boosting habits can help you to feel more energized throughout your day, more patience and tolerate, less overwhelmed and more in control. Your situation is unique and having a customized wellness plan and support to meet your needs is important to get you the results you are looking for.


 
 
 
 
 
 

"Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” –Jim Rohn

Are you tired from not sleeping well, or is stress keeping you awake at night?  
 
It can be a vicious cycle because when you don’t sleep well, you are more likely to feel stressed and make poor health decisions. When you are stressed and make poor health decisions you are less likely to sleep!  

It’s like the chicken and the egg scenario, which comes first?  Being stressed or poor sleep!

So how as a busy working mum can you get a better night sleep ?
There is so much advice, information, seminars, supplements, drinks, marketed to you, to try and help you to get a better sleep and reduce stress.    However, without completely understanding your unique situation as a working mum, and your unique challenges and the problems that arise, it’s hard for someone to make the right recommendations for you or your family.  

If you are ready to take action and make some lasting changes have a look at some of the possibilities of things you may want to work on. 

In which area do you need to look at making some changes?

• Planning ahead and feeling organised
• Unwinding, relaxing, playing, de-stressing in ways that fit with your values and routines
• Exercise daily, the right amount and the right type to suit your unique situation
• Improving or eating a wholefood diet low in sugar, fat, salt and stimulates that can keep you awake or drain you of energy.
• Improving your digestion or correcting your nutrient deficiencies that can aid sleep, or help you cope with stress 
• Creating a restful and calming sleeping environment for you and your children
• Creating boundaries and rules around work time and home life
• Creating boundaries and rules around bedtimes
• Avoiding blue light from computers and devices in the evenings
• Getting the help and treatment you need for any medical conditions that may be interfering with your sleep. 

When you sleep well you naturally wind down and have conscious and unconscious bedtime rituals and behavioural habits that you preform which promote good sleep.  Eating well and exercising regularly is important.  Calming overstimulated senses is essential.  Having support through change can get you the results and the great night sleep you are trying to achieve.  
​

 It's your day!  WHOO H00, no cooking, cleaning, running the kids around or organising stuff.  A day designed for you to take a break, sleep in and  put your feet up.   No-one can make you feel guilty for lying in bed reading your book, sipping your chamomile tea.  This day was created just for you,  to take a break and to be shown gratitude and appreciation for all that you do as a Mother.  Soak it up, you know on Monday it will be back to the routine.  This is your opportunity! 

What better gift could you be given this Mother's Day, than time out to relax,  and take care of your mind, body and spirit!   

We have  Anna Jarvis to thank for making Mother's day possible.  Anna, lived in the early 19 th century in West Virginia US.  She was the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, who was responsible for setting up woman working groups after the civil war in the US.   Anna was truely a daughter who valued all that her Mother did, not only for her, but the wider community.

Anna's inspiration to campaign for a Mother's Day holiday came about at the age of 12, when she  overheard her mother  praying, that one day there would be a holiday to celebrate all Mothers and would allow them a break from their duties.    Her Mother died on the 2nd Sunday in May 1905.   Anna celebrated and remember her Mother on this day each year by wearing a white carnation which was her Mother's favourite flower.

In 1910  a bill was passed  in West Virginia after many years of Anna campaigning and Mother's Day was established.  It  was celebrated on the 2nd Sunday in May the day of Anna's Mothers death.   The day was spent in church and  young children would write heart felt letters to their Mother showing their  gratitude for all that they do.  White carnations where worn to remember those Mothers that had past, or red or pink carnation for Mothers still living.

However, ironically Anna spent the last years of her life and her entire family inheritance fighting against the commercialisation of Mother's Day and was even arrested on Mother's day in 1930 for protesting to abolish the holiday altogether.  Anna became so outraged at the fact that the florists and greeting card companies where making large sums of money from this holiday.  No doubt, she would be horrified and turning in her grave at the current commercialisation  and extravagant suggestions on TV and online of gifts to give on Mother's Day.

This day was created for you!  I hope you will take the opportunity to take a well deserved break  just as Ann Reeves Jarvis had prayed for many years ago! 

Happy Mothers Day to all the amazing Mums and a big THANK YOU to Anna Jarvis for her hard work in creating this day for us!




  

There is nothing better than a big bowl of hot soup on a cold day.  Soups are full of nutrition which will help boost your immune system over the winter months.     Hot soup in a flask for school lunches for the kids or yourself is a great way to protect the family from all those colds and flu bugs by boosting your immunity with nutritional support.

The base for most soups is onions and garlic.  Not only  do they add beautiful flavours to your soup but these two remarkable related plants  have the ability to kill bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Garlic contains a compound called allin which when you crush or chew changes to allicin. .  Allicin is the strong sulphur smell and taste that you experience when eating garlic and the main active ingredient that has medicinal benefits and can help you fight the common cold or flu.

​Onions contain high levels of polyphenols which have numerous health benefits, but in relations to boosting your immunity they provide prebiotic to feed and increase the good bacteria in your gut.  Gut bacteria helps with digestion and absorptions of the nutrients in your food which ultimately supports your immunity.  

Check out these websites for some soup meal inspirations

http://wellnourished.com.au/category/healthy-soup-recipes/
Favourites - Immune Boosting Broth
​ 
http://chelseawinter.co.nz/category/recipes/soup-recipes
Favourites - Thai Pumpkin Soup  or Mean Green Vegetable Soup

https://shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/RecipeCategory/38?name=soups
Favourites - Carrot Soup with Feta & Quinoa or Chickpea & Lentil Soup

Adding thick crusty sourdough bread as a side, to dip into your delicious soup will help satisfy your hunger.  Sourdough bread begins with a starter containing natural yeasts.  The yeast creates the enzymes needed to predigest the grains in the bread which can help prevent that bloated feeling you may get after eating other breads.  The longer soaking and rising times helps break down the proteins (gluten) and makes it easier to digest.

Topping the bread with hummus, pestos or olive oil and crushed garlic will give you an extra tasty nutritional hit of garlic with your soup or, as a snack on its own.  

Enjoy!

Have you booked a holiday for later in the year?  Are you already feeling excited as you count down the days until its time to pack up and go?  Are you anticipating some time out to relax or taking time out to enjoy a good book?   Are you thinking about the time you can spend with your family or friends and the great things you are going to see and do?    Maybe you are reliving the holiday you had over Christmas in your mind and remembering all the awesome thing you did.

The anticipation of looking forward to something in the future or reliving the experience from the past may make you feel happy,  but why not relax, unwind, play have adventures every day or every week?     You can't necessarily go on holiday every week,  but you can book time out into  your days and weeks that you can look forward to.   

Having something to look forward to in the future keeps life exciting.  But having something to look forward to each day and living in the moment makes life more interesting, fullfilling  and keeps you from burning out.   Why not have mini breaks everyday, enjoy the moments, express, share and relive the highlights of your day with your friends and family.  Lighten the load and focus on the good stuff!

Often we focus on all the things we have to get done, all the places we have to be, all the people we have to keep happy.    How can you focus on creating some  time for yourself to  enjoy more of what makes you happy?  

If you are thinking I just don't have the time.  Ask yourself is your happiness and health a priority to you?
Health is wealth, without your health you will have all the time in the world but won't be able to do the things you love.  So make your health and happiness a priority, make time for yourself and don't wait until your next holiday to relax, unwind, play, have an adventure or enjoy the things you love. 

What has been the highlight for you this week?
What moments do you want to retell, relive and share with someone?
What are you looking forward to tomorrow or next week?
Whats one thing that you enjoy doing or somewhere you would like to go or experience in the coming weeks? 
How can you schedule some time  into your day to do something just for you that makes you happy?












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                                  You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces,
                                                     just good food from fresh ingredients
                                                                            Julia Child

Meal planning for evening meals and keeping everyone happy in the family can be frustrating.  You probably already know what your families likes and dislikes  concerning  meals that you prepare.   Often when we are rushed or haven't planned in advance you may choose quick unhealthy options or stop at the supermarket 3-4 times during your week picking up things you need.  You may be preparing different meals to keep everyone happy which can be a huge time waster,  or you may be throwing out food that doesn't get eaten.   Meal planning for your week may save you time and money,  it may help you to eat healthy nutritious  home cooked meals and make you feel more organised.  So here is one way you might like to try to meal plan in order to  cater for your families tastes and lifestyle.

When you have a moment to plan, put the jug on, make yourself a cup of tea and start by looking through your favourite recipe books or, online for suitable recipes for your family.    Ask the rest of the family to contribute their ideas to if they are old enough.  Pick out healthy home cooked unprocessed meals that everyone is happy with.   So if they want burgers or pizza find a healthy home made recipe option, if you eat vegetarian look for vegetarian options.    Start to make a collection of around 20 recipes under different evening meal categories such as:

Roast meals,  
Pasta dishes,
Stir fries,  
Curries,  
Pies,
Soups,  
Mexican dishes,
Home made burgers,  
Home made Pizzas,  
Quick meal options 15 minutes or less,
Favourite salads, 
Favourite vegetables etc...  

Write down the meal, cook book and page number, or  website as a future reference to find it quickly when you  need it.   Store this list somewhere you can access it easily when you come to do your planning for the week.   

If you can find  20 recipes, this will allow for around 4 weeks meal planning with a variety of different options you change around over the weeks.    When you go to plan out your week,  split up the types of meals you offer from the  categories, like,  pasta night,  Mexican night, etc.  Plan which nights need to be quick easy options and who will be there for dinner.   Select your meals based on the above then list the ingredients onto your shopping list from the recipes you have selected, to ensure when you go shopping you will get everything  you need to cook for the week.

Include side vegetables or salad ingredients  that you know everyone likes.  Leave salads disassembled  when you prepare them so that family members can make it themselves, choosing from the options on the plate that they like, or, keep family favourite frozen vegetables in the freezer as quick side options.

Double a couple of recipes for the week,  the extra can be frozen as quick meal options for the following weeks when you don't have time to prepare meals.

If you are cooking roast meats buy larger sizes in order to use extra meat for lunches during the week.  

If you have kids 3years +  ask them to contribute to choosing one favourite meal for the week or giving them a choice of 3 meals they can choose from.   Ask question like,  what would you like as your favourite pasta meal this week, spaghetti, mac cheese or lasagna?  What soup flavour would you like,  pumpkin or Chicken?  What vegetables would you like to have with your roast this week peas or beans?  If you where to try one new vegetable this week what would you choose?   Giving them choices and not to many options helps them to feel involved and in control of their eating.

Get others in the family involved in cooking one or more nights during the week,  if possible.  Anybody can cook if they are able to read a recipe.

Here is an example of an evening meal plan for the week.

                                                                    Dinner Meal Plan     

                       Meal                                   Sides/Veges             Evening Activities             Recipe Book Pg no
Monday         Stir Fry                                Quinoa/Rice             After school activities    
Tuesday        Pasta dish                          Vege/Salad              Dad cooking /Mum out                                                                                                
Wednesday  Mexican dish (double)      Vege/Salad
Thursday      Prepared meal in freezer                                    School meeting/defrost meal
Friday           Curry (double)                      Quinoa/Rice           
Saturday      Pizza                                      Vege/Salad            Molly staying over
                                                                                                      kids help make their own
Sunday        Roast Meal (double)             Vege/Salad           Dad & kids cookings
   

      Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1000 percent
                                                                     return on energy!
                                                                           Brian Tracy






                                         
 






 

 Do you currently have a healthy eating plan in place in your family?  Are you teaching your kids healthy eating habits and why its important to make healthy food choices?  Have  you thought about what family routines  and values you  are creating around eating?   

Creating habits and routines that encourage  healthy eating in your family will teach your children how to make healthy choices.   Learning to make healthy choices for themselves  is an important life skill.  It’s the small habits that you create around food in your family today that will contribute to long lasting life skills in your children and help them become healthy adults. 

We are living in a society full of unhealthy, overweight adults with epidemics of diabetes, heart disease and stress related illness such as anxiety and depression.  Most cases of these diseases are lifestyle and diet related.  

You might like the idea of meal planning and getting  the kids involved in helping prepare  or cook meals  but how do you make it happen in your busy schedule?  I often talk with Mum’s who are bored with cooking the same things each week or think that they have to have new and exciting recipes all the time to get the kids interested in eating healthy foods.  Its funny really because a lot of kids kind of like the same stuff all the time and they like to know what they are having in advance .    

There was a period of time in our family when our son was an incredibly fussy eater.  Meal times were    stressful.  Over a course of 6 months we overcame this problem by putting together  an action plan that he was in control of.  This may seem like a long time but in the scale of things, it's not at all.  Was it easy? Not really!  Did we have set back? Yip!  Was it important for his long term health? Absolutely!   Are meal times more enjoyable and less stressful now because we persevered? Yes!  

Our goal was we wanted him to choose  to make healthy choices and understand why it was important.  He is now a fantastic eater and knows how to make healthy choices.  There are still some foods he won’t touch but he has a well balanced healthy diet which includes his own home made baking treats he bakes for us once a week.  At age 11 he  has become a master baker which I encourage and I believe it is a balanced way of approaching eating and is teaching him many  other skills.  Lemon drizzle cake is his signature dish.

I also have a daughter, who decided at the age of 5 that she was  turning vegetarian. It was partially my fault as I started talking to her about where her food came from.  I thought this was the right thing to do.  She was happy about honey coming from bees and apples growing on trees but when she found out her chicken leg was once a chicken  she was horrified.    She physically couldn’t cope with the idea of eating a chicken or a lamb and would vomit if she was forced to eat it. 

We had to adapt to overcome this, as she was very determined.   Luckily she had a mother who was prepared to cook vegetarian meals and who had the knowledge to teach her how to eat healthy as a vegetarian.  At 13 she is an active, athletic, healthy vegetarian who has stuck to her morals and never faulted.   She cooks regularly  and knows how to get the necessary nutrients from her diet to be at her best.   Our daughter has learnt that people have different ethical, religious and cultural values around eating food and in particular meat.  Although she would like everybody to become vegetarian she realises  people have different views from her own, but she also doesn't have to compromise her values to please others. 

I remember I also use to struggle with our kids having friends over for dinner or afternoon tea and not knowing what to feed them because their friends didn't want what was on offer.   I would often revert to giving treats that I knew everyone would eat to keep them happy and then I realised, I was sending the wrong message and going against all my values around encouraging healthy eating.    Kids are so over exposed to treat foods and I didn't want to be contributing to the problem.  So now  I only offer healthy options that are commonly liked and I let the kids choose if they want to eat or not.  It was important to me to be consistent with my message around eating for my children.    However there are occasions when we just indulge in takeaways, like birthdays,  holidays or family get togethers.   It's a treat, and for our family thats something we enjoy but don't miss it in-between and also realise we don't feel that great afterwards.  


Do you Know what obstacles or challenges you would like to overcome around healthy eating in your family?  What has and hasn’t worked for you in the past?   What knowledge do you need for your family situation to move forward?   Your values and routines around food may be different to mine and you may be facing similar or different obstacles than the ones I have mentioned.    However, regardless of the challenge  you are facing in your family,  creating a plan and knowing how to implement that plan is what will get you the results you are looking for in teaching your children the life skill of healthy eating.

If you know that you will succeed, where would you start today?







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