How to Eat Healthy Without Restriction: A Guide for Busy Mums

The number one thing I hear most mums say is they want to eat healthy but they never seem to manage to stick to their new "healthy eating plan". There are many reasons why we struggle to stick to this goal, from both a physical and psychological standpoint. The first question we need to ask ourselves when deciding to eat healthier is; what do you mean by that? Though it may seem obvious to us personally, asking this question can help us to define what healthy eating looks like for us personally. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a healthy diet includes plenty of fruits and veg (at least 400g a day), small amounts of refined sugar (max 10% of the daily calorie intake) and reduced amounts of fat (max 30% daily calorie intake) and no more than 5g sodium a day. Well that was a super helpful answer, right? yeah, nah. Though there is a clinical definition of what healthy eating is, each of us are unique human being and how that plays out in a practical sense will look a little different for each of us. I would suggest that you take this clinical definition and consider how you can apply to your situation. But now, I will guide you on how to improve your healthy eating habits without restriction. 

Healthy eating is often considered something we must do but by shifting our mindset to one of self-care rather than restriction, we can make healthy eating much more enjoyable and achievable for our daily lives.. This approach to healthy eating supports your overall well-being, sets a positive example for your family, and provides you with enough energy to care for your little ones.  In this article, we will talk about why healthy eating is important, the challenges we face as busy mums, strategies to overcome these challenges, and practical tips for building balanced meals and meal planning. This article is not focused on dieting or weight loss (though these tips could potentially lead to weight loss), but rather it focuses on a balanced healthy diet for long-term wellness.

Why Balanced Eating is Important

Many people, when they say they want to eat healthy, what they mean is I want to lose weight. Though weight loss is not my focus, I respect your choice to want to lose weight but if we want to lose weight we need to be honest with ourselves. I want to eat healthy to lose weight helps us to understand both what you want to do and why you want to do it. Focusing on that first part (I want to eat healthy) needs to remain the focus though. When we focus only on the weight loss aspect, we can make some unwise choices and our eating may become either biologically or psychologically unhealthy. By focusing on healthy eating from a balanced viewpoint, we can create more sustainable habits that fit well with our lifestyle and we can maintain over a longer time. This approach to eating ensures we are consuming a variety of foods that provide the nutrients our body needs to function optimally without restricting or cutting out any food groups or foods we love. This approach helps maintain energy levels, supports physical and mental health, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Balanced eating is especially crucial for us as mothers as it fuels the demanding tasks of parenting, work, and household responsibilities, and setting a positive example for our children.

Challenges Busy Mums Face with Healthy Eating

Eating healthy is a great plan but we need to first understand what makes eating healthy challenging for us as parents. Once we understand the challenges, we can create strategies to overcome them. Below are some of the biggest challenges that I, and many other women face:

Time Constraints Between managing the household, work, and children’s activities, finding time to plan and prepare nutritious meals can be daunting. Due to these time pressures we often rush from one thing to another and meals become an afterthought, running on empty until we reach crisis level and grab whatever is easiest (highly processed foods, fast food) or grabbing just enough to turn the empty light off and keep going a little bit longer

Emotional Eating It's no secret that parenting is a highly stressful job, giving us limited options to deal with stress appropriately. These feelings of stress and exhaustion can lead to emotional eating, where food is used as a coping mechanism rather than for nourishment.

Availability of Convenience Foods Busy schedules often leads to reliance on convenient, processed foods that are typically less nutritious. Because we feel like we are constantly on the run, food is considered a necessity rather than something we want to spend time on. Learning to manage time efficiently in the kitchen and preparing simple and easy meals ahead of time are crucial tools for us as parents. Just because a meal is not Instagram-worthy doesn't make it unhealthy!

Picky Eaters Dealing with picky eaters can make meal planning challenging, especially when trying to introduce healthier options. Parents often feel frustrated when preparing meals as the stress of picky eating as well as not being able to cook what they want or have available to them can take away a lot of the pleasure in the kitchen.

Overcoming the Challenges of Eating Healthy as a Busy Mum

Prioritize Self-Care Though often overlooked, nutrition is a crucial part of self-care. The core definition of self-care is engaging in activities that support the care of the individual. It isn't just about bubble baths and complex skin care routines (though it definitely can include these things) but about ensuring our most basic needs are being met. Staying adequately hydrated, and getting in enough food and sleep are the very basics of self-care. When we overlook the importance of these, we neglect the core of self-care. The meals do not have to be fancy (those of you who follow me on social media know that many of my meals are quite simple but they are balanced and nutrient-dense, most of the time) Viewing balanced nutrition as an act of self-care is the first step towards maintaining those healthy choices.

Meal Planning and Preparation Planning meals ahead of time can save you from last-minute unhealthy choices. I have talked a lot about the importance of meal planning and preparation but it is a game-changer when it comes to nutrition. Even if you have a few default breakfast ideas that you know you can have on the table in a few minutes, this makes all the difference when it comes to meeting your nutrition needs. Dedicate a few hours each week to plan your meals, make a shopping list, and prepare ingredients. Even having fruit and vegetables precut and ready in the fridge can be a great way to speed up your meals. Batch cooking and freezing meals can also be a time-saver.

Mindful Eating Practices Practice mindful eating by paying attention to your hunger and fullness cues. Scheduling meals and setting reminders on your phone every couple of hours can help to make us more conscious of our hunger and fullness cues. There are many water reminder apps which you can set timers for; these would pair up great as a hunger check-in reminder as well. Eating slowly and without distractions can help you enjoy your food more and prevent overeating. Check out my article here on Mindful Eating https://jennytheissignutri.wixsite.com/jenny-theissig-nutri/post/mindful-eating-for-busy-moms-practical-tips-for-a-healthier-lifestyle

Involve the Family Involve your children in meal planning and preparation. Allow your kids to choose one meal a week and add to it to make sure it's balanced. For example; my son wanted chicken nuggets this week so I followed up the request with "Do you want potatoes or noodles with your chicken nuggets? and do you want carrots or cucumber on the side?" Children will become much more engaged with meal planning if they feel they have a say in the process. This can make them more interested in trying new foods and reduce the mental burden of meal planning on you.

Balance and Moderation Focus on balance and moderation rather than strict rules. Allow yourself to enjoy a variety of foods without labelling them as "good" or "bad." We have talked many times about the importance of neutrality when it comes to food but here is another reminder; labelling food this way does not help you to eat less! Having moral neutrality when it comes to food helps reduce feelings of deprivation and promotes a healthier relationship with food. This often results in us eating less of those highly processed snack foods.

How to Build a Balanced Meal

Now that we have talked about all the challenges and some strategies to make balanced eating easier, let's talk about a simple method you can apply immediately to build more balanced meals. The MyPlate method is the current method recommended by the USDA (United States Dietary Association). Though it is not perfect, it is easy to apply to everyday life with minimal effort. If you haven't tried it before, I would encourage you to try it out for yourself (I will be releasing an article in the next few weeks going into further detail on how to use the MyPlate method and deal with some of the issues that may come up.)

Include a Variety of Foods A balanced meal should include a mix of macronutrients and micronutrients:

• Proteins: Lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, and legumes. Focusing on a combination of animal and non-animal proteins helps to make sure we meet all vitamin needs as well as get enough high-quality proteins. The ideal breakdown is 1/3 animal and 2/3 non-animal-based proteins

• Healthy Fats: Avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive or canola oil.

• Complex Carbohydrates: Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

• Fibre: Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes (the crossover here is because fibre is a form of complex carbohydrate)

Portion Control Pay attention to portion sizes to ensure you’re eating enough to satisfy hunger without overeating. Using smaller plates may help (you can always go back for seconds if you are still hungry), and fill half your plate with vegetables to naturally control portions of higher-calorie foods.

Hydration Don’t forget the importance of staying hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day (minimum 1,5L a day) and be mindful of sugary drinks. Remember that unsweetened fruit- and herbal teas are also an option, as well as homemade fruit-infused water or diluted fruit juice. Check out my article here on staying hydrated https://jennytheissignutri.wixsite.com/jenny-theissig-nutri/post/hydration-habits-essential-tips-for-busy-mums

Check out this video here if you want more detail on the MyPlate Method

A few disclaimers:

• this video is produced by a vegan/plant-based youtuber but the information is very good and can certainly be applied to a non-plant-based diet

• there is some diet talk so if that is unproductive to you, feel free to skip
  

that said, it is a very useful video explaining how to use the MyPlate method and is worth your time.

Benefits of Meal Planning for Busy Mums

Meal planning has been such a life-saver in my home. I find myself constantly in and out of the house with work, church and kids, having a plan is essential and cooking ahead makes it possible for me to know my kids (and I) are well fed but if I haven't sold you on the importance of meal planning yet, here are the benefits again

Saves Time and Reduces Stress Having a plan reduces the daily stress of deciding what to eat and ensures you have the ingredients needed for balanced meals.

Cost-effective planning meals can help you make the most of your grocery budget by reducing food waste and avoiding last-minute takeout.

Promotes Healthier Choices With planned meals, you’re less likely to make unhealthy food choices out of convenience. By having a better overview of your eating habits, you can be more aware of where the gaps are in your nutrition.

Increases Variety Planning allows you to incorporate a wider variety of foods and nutrients into your diet, preventing monotony and ensuring a well-rounded intake.

A General Overview of Healthy Eating Without Restriction

Start Small Begin by making small changes to your eating habits. Swap out one processed snack for a healthier option, or add an extra serving of vegetables to your dinner.

Set Realistic Goals Set achievable goals for yourself. Rather than overhauling your entire diet, focus on gradual improvements that you can sustain long-term. Drastic changes often become unrealistic and result in us reverting to old eating habits. By focusing on small changes and identifying the challenges unique to you and your family, we can develop strategies to overcome these hurdles.

Stay Flexible Allow yourself flexibility. It's okay to enjoy a piece of cake at a birthday party or grab a quick meal when life gets hectic. The 80/20 rule is often cited in this case but be careful this does not become a diet rule in itself. Focus on doing the best you can with the resources you have (finances, time and skills). The goal is balance, not perfection.

Seek Support Find support from other mums, friends, or online communities. Sharing tips and recipes can provide motivation and make healthy eating more enjoyable. Join our Facebook community and follow my Pinterest page for meal ideas and inspiration.

Conclusion

Eating healthy without restriction is about finding a balanced approach that works for you and your family. For most of us as mums, viewing good nutrition as an act of self-care can transform the way we approach food. Understanding nutrition needs, focusing on adding rather than subtracting, utilising meal planning tools and planning our meals can make a big difference in improving our nutrition goals. Building balanced meals, and practising mindful eating helps many of us overcome common challenges like stress and lack of time, and create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. Every meal does not need to be perfect but by taking small steps slowly, we can work towards your healthy eating goals without missing out on all the foods you love.