Nutrition Essentials for Mum Life
There are never enough hours in the day, you never get to the bottom of the to-do list. The thought of making any time for you exhausts you, and before you blink, the weeks start all over again. Let’s not heap more guilt, food rules and shame onto the list. Let’s look at the energy you’re already expending and make the most of that. I don’t need you to put yourself before all the kids or your partner — but I need you to get a seat at the priority table. Your health in 3 months, 12 months, 5 years will be grateful you have.
Cooking more when you’re already cooking
This seems like a simple one, but the amount of mums I speak with who will prepare food for the kids’ lunches or play dates and not prepare anything for themselves is surprising. You are already there; you are already cooking or preparing — so just make one more. In terms of dinners, a practical way to go about this is to set an extra plate at the table, or use your containers as the “first served”. Pop them in the fridge before you and the family even eat. Lunch tomorrow is sorted!
Some ideas:
- Here is our veggie bake recipe — simple and easy, and keeps in the fridge well.
- Here is a quinoa recipe — handy to have on hand for some high-quality carbohydrates for meals.
Quality carbohydrates versus no carbohydrates (and a guilty, hungry binge)
Your body’s best fuel for energy is carbohydrates. Unfortunately, carbohydrates is a very large category of macronutrient — it encompasses both simple, inferior-quality, highly processed foods and high-quality, fibre-filled, energy-abundant foods. For a lot of our society there is a stigma attached to carbohydrates, and a judgement of them doing harm to us. In a reactive and sometimes emotional state, that judgement does nothing but serve us with a whack of guilt when we eat them.
What I suggest is being proactive in your use of carbohydrates, rather than trying to justify that chocolate or biscuit because you’re so desperate for energy by 3:30pm that your brain is in survival mode. When I say proactive, I mean make them a part of breakfast and lunch. Allow yourself to eat good-quality carbohydrates, and you’ll find the carbs in the cheap seats at 3:30pm will be a thing of the past. As simple as it sounds, a multigrain sandwich may be the only switch you need to make — or adding a small wrap to your salad.
If we can use your body and hunger levels as a guide, and proactively nourish with quality carbohydrates, we will hopefully ease some of that reactive late-afternoon eating — and a lot of guilt along with it. The other thing that happens with carbs is that once the floodgates open, there’s no stopping us. The tendency to overeat carbs is a lot higher, particularly when heightened by the use of simple sugars, salt and/or fat in processing.
Some ideas:
- Porridge or overnight oats for breakfast
- Multigrain bread or toast with avocado or some salad filling
- Quinoa in salads or as an accompaniment to meals
- Wholegrain wraps the size of a small dinner plate, in place of large white pizza-style wraps
- Sweet potato and potato used as the carbohydrate portion of the meal — grilled on the BBQ, baked in the oven, or even boiled in the skin. Just not fried in oil!
Hydration
The amount of difference water can make to your life will blow you away. I want you to go out and buy yourself a ridiculously expensive water bottle — spend more than $20 on it, and do it just for you. That way, you won’t leave it somewhere; you’ll prioritise having it next to you.
It would surprise you how often we go to food for thirst instead of hunger. Because our food supply is so good in Australia, and water is the largest component of food, we will often eat when in reality we’re thirsty. The old calculation in the undergrad days was 35ml per kg of body weight. While calculations are nice, I prefer to recommend going off what your body is telling you: what is the colour of your urine? A pale straw colour is our aim. Are you finding it hard to concentrate? Do you have headaches? Does your skin feel dry?
It’s the simplest, most effective change you can make. Even if it’s only 500ml per day more, that’s an amazing 180+ litres of water you will drink over the next year compared to last.
More practical ideas:
- Add a slice of lemon, lime or orange to your water bottle (only use it once — they get a bit yucky on round 2)
- Tea can be a good inclusion for fluid, but not a like-for-like replacement — make sure you include both, and go herbal if you’re in doubt
- Milk and dairy alternatives such as soy, oat or almond milks contain very high percentages of water, so their inclusion in your fluid intake is important — particularly as we want to be vigilant of your calcium intake
A few questions to ponder throughout your next busy day in mum life
- Have you prepared for yourself the way you would prepare for your partner or kids? (Remember, near enough is close enough for this one — I just need you to be somewhere on the priority list, not the only one.)
- Are there some good-quality carbs in the fridge or pantry, or am I going without until the Tim Tams call?
- Have I got my water bottle with me?
- How much water have I drunk today?
- Am I thirsty or hungry?
Key takeaway
You don’t need more food rules — you need a seat at your own priority table. Cook one extra serve while you’re already cooking, eat quality carbs proactively at breakfast and lunch to beat the 3:30pm slump, and keep a water bottle you love by your side. Small shifts now, big thanks from your future self.
Yours in Health,
Sean Cornish
Ready to get yourself back on the priority list?
No guilt, no food rules — just practical nutrition that fits around real mum life. Book a consultation and we’ll build a plan that works with the energy you’re already spending.
