We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” But, have you ever let yourself sit with that statement for a moment and really think about what we’re putting in and on our bodies every day? And further, what are we allowing our children to put into theirs.
Thankfully, with so many more options available to us these days, it’s easier than ever to eat to treat your body right and live a long healthy life. Let’s take a look at some ways to accomplish that.
Start With Subscriptions
As busy women, life can sometimes be more hectic than it usually is. Especially now, with children out of school for the summer, our days may technically be longer. Still, it seems like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to shuttle them to and fro, stay caught up on things around the house, and take time for ourselves (even when we have supportive partners or a tribe to help us out).
Thankfully, there are subscription services that make eating healthy easy and convenient. A simple online search will connect you with several only grocery “stores” that deliver foods with ingredients you trust straight to your doorstep. If it’s within your budget, these types of services are worth it.
Farmers Markets
While food deserts are a significant problem in our country, which is another issue altogether – if you are lucky enough to live in a city or town with farmer’s markets, please take advantage of them. Not only are you driving the local economy, but you can also be assured that what you’re consuming is as fresh as possible because it’s local and hasn’t had to travel far on a truck to get to you.
Being able to literally meet the dairy or produce farmer of the food you’re consuming gives you confidence that what you’re putting in your body is top quality. And, as the saying goes – pay the farmer today or the doctor tomorrow. So, patronizing farmer’s markets is great for your community and even better for your overall health. And, you’ll likely find other fun wares there if you decide to take the family along. Another bonus? You’ll probably have fresh flowers in your house every week.
Lifestyle Changes
Maybe you need to overhaul a significant portion of the way you or your family eats in general. Admitting that is totally normal and taking action on it is totally admirable! We’ve all given in to eating convenience items or feeding them to our children because we’re tired or overwhelmed or don’t want to deal with a tantrum.
If you commit to certain lifestyles, like going plant-based, for example, it’s easy to only have snacks and foods in the house that you feel confident in consuming anyway. Your children may resist initially, but trust me; eventually, they’ll prefer the apple to the Oreo.
While meat is tempting for many of us, there are a host of issues that come along with too much meat consumption. So consider swapping out your fast food or fried chicken meals for a more ethical alternative, like chik’n nuggets.
Swap out an overly processed burger for a mushroom burger. It’s small changes that add up over time when you’re eating to live. You don’t want to diet; you want to change the way you eat every day to stay healthy and full of vitality.
How You Hydrate
You may not give much thought to the drinks in your refrigerator or pantry, but they too play a prominent role in your overall health and longevity. Swap out sugary processed drinks you buy en masse at the grocery store and homebrew your own teas. You can also invest in machines that make carbonated flavored drinks for you so you can control what the sweeteners and flavors are in your beverages.
This may seem time-consuming, but it’s genuinely not, and once you’re in the routine, it’s second nature. Not to mention, once again, you know exactly what’s in the food or drink you’re consuming, and you can trust it.
These are just several lifestyle habits to implement to add to your overall health and longevity. Life is short; make it as long as possible. If you need to take small steps and your time, that’s totally fine and at a normal pace.
The easiest way to stick with these types of commitments is to implement them slowly over time. If you take a few steps back, it’s alright; just keep moving forward. Your health will thank you for it.
Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash
