Wellness – Balance
In the latest post in the Wellness Series, Megan Horsley, heart mom and Pediatric Dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, discusses how to find balance with your nutrition.
Have you ever felt off balance? I am not specifically talking about when you were walking on a balance bean during gym class or gymnastics; or stretching your quadriceps after a run; or learning how to ride a bike for the first time. I am talking about BALANCE as you journey through life. I can assure you, from heart mom to heart mom and heart dad to heart dad, having your child affected by heart disease creates imbalance in your life at times. I think this unevenness, even though challenging in the moments, help us to grow into better individuals in the long run.
What about when you ignore your alarm and wake up late, panicking because you have to get to work, an appointment, or make sure the kids make the bus, or let the dog out before he or she pees on the floor. Then like dominos, the rest of your day may seem off. You either eat late, skip eating or choose something half satisfactory and unhealthy and then before you know it, it is dinner time when you stop and think about your eating and drinking choices throughout the day!
Well, I often think of one’s health and nutrition in the same manner. Sometimes, our eating and healthy behavior is “off balance” and we need to get it back into check. At times we are not mindful of what we are entering into our mouths or how it will affect our body’s long term. We put the nutrition of the ones we love and care for every day before our own nutrition. This is being a parent, right!? Maybe, some of us are better at it than others but no matter what we can all use reminders of how to be more mindful to eat healthier.
I believe mindful eating is vital to maintaining a healthy weight and eating behaviors. Listen to your body. Slow down. The more mindful we are, the more balance we have around our nutrition and diet. It is especially important to practice around the holidays, celebrations or social events. For example, have you ever actually counted out the number of chips/crackers the label says is a serving? or measured out the appropriate amount of salad dressing or cheese for your salad? This practice encourages more self-education but you also get to visually see what a portion size looks like for that item. Try it for the next food you eat! Learn what normal portions look like for foods. Read those food labels! They have been updated this year and are more reader friendly. This includes even those calorie-dense fluids like juice, Kool aide or, yes, alcohol. I think you will be surprised. Conscious awareness will go a long way in healthy decision making. You may find yourself eating from smaller plates or drinking from thinner glasses. Use mantras to keep you aligned with your goals. One of the mantras I use to remind myself of mindful eating is: Eat, Drink, Be Mindful.
Another contributor to a healthy diet is pre-planning. We are busy people and on the go. If meals and snacks are not planned, it is easy to give in to fast food or limit food groups when grabbing something quick. This can lead to overeating or uncontrolled snacking. Take a few minutes to pack ahead some healthy snacks so you are ready to fuel yourself as well as your family when you hear, “I’m hungry!” from your child in the back seat. Get a dry erase white board and plan your meals out for the week. Incorporate the kids in the process. Taco night or breakfast for dinner can still be offered as a balanced meal. If headed to a party, plan to make a dish that you know has good nutritional value and that your family will eat at the party. I like to think as planning ahead as “mapping out your nutrition” for the day/week. Now, yes, this does take effort but so does getting dressed or maintaining hygiene. If you make it part of your routine, you won’t be bothered by the time it takes.
Keep your plate colorful! Try to eat from a variety of colors during your day. Each color represents different phytochemicals, antioxidants and nutrients for your body. They are all important. If you only eat one color all the time, you may be missing out on other vitamins and minerals important to your heart health, the skin or immune system. Be creative with your colors. Try new colors of foods. We have over 10,000 tastes buds and they change often and over time. Repetitive tasting of foods will help one acquire a taste. Don’t get frustrated but find different ways to incorporate a new food if your child/ren won’t accept it.
Pair protein with each meal and snack! Protein is the building blocks of our bodies. By pairing protein with a carbohydrate or fat, your digestion will be slowed and you will have less spikes in your blood sugar. Try the peanut butter with the apple or banana; add a cheese stick to your crackers; dip sliced peppers or carrots in your hummus or veggie dip; add avocado to your toast; try almonds with your dried fruit. You will have more lasting energy and feel stronger.
Choose fruit for dessert if looking for something sweet! This is a nice way to add more nutrients while feeling like you are fixing your craving for sweet. Yogurt and berries, banana bread, mango sorbet can be a lower calorie, higher protein, nutrient-enriched option.
I would like to end this blog with Role modeling good healthy behavior. Eat to live, not live to eat! As a heart mom, and a cardiac dietitian, I am endlessly reminded of how precious life is. Be kind to your heart and live as you want your children to live! Yeah, it sounds cheesy but it works. If they see you exercising routinely, packing your lunch for work, making meals as a family, downing a kale smoothie, or trying something new they will follow this learned behavior. Find balance again when you may have fallen off. Be mindful of your body and health and don’t waste time with weight loss pills or quick fixes. Use hard work, education and dedication to help you be successful in maintaining a healthy weight.
You can find more healthy nutrition information at various nutrition blogs. See nutrition blogs for all categories at: http://www.nutritionblognetwork.com/
Megan Horsley, heart mom, heart dietitian
Pediatric Dietitian @ Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Megan.horsley@cchmc.org
My Heart Hero: Maggie
Megan Horsley is a Clinical Pediatric Registered Dietitian at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She currently practices in the Critical Cardiac Intensive Care Unit as well as outpatient cardiology areas. She is a Certified Nutrition Support Clinician in addition holds a Certification as a Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2006 and completed her dietetic internship with the University of Northern Colorado in 2007. She has been a lead dietitian for the Children’s Heart Institute and participates in many projects and community services such as, The National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative, family education day and heart camp to name a few. She recently joined the Cincinnati Children’s Heart Association Board in October of this year. She has ten years of professional practice in pediatric nutrition and thirteen years of personal experience as a heart mom herself. She plans on continuing to concentrate her efforts on improving the nutritional care, experience and outcomes for all children affected by heart disease.