Real Nutrition for Real Moms

Real Nutrition for Real Moms

January 16, 2013 By MomLifeToday

By Lindy Ford

I want to set everyone at ease right from the get go. Your dream of making your family life more productive, enjoyable and healthy is doable—without going bankrupt or losing your mind.

Let’s start the year exploring ways to get your kids to eat better, overcome pickiness and optimize you and your family’s health and nutritional status. Parenting guilt or adding something else to your already overloaded “to do” list are not on the agenda.
I’m a “real life” nutritionist and mom who struggles in the same areas as you. I never met a carbohydrate I didn’t love and I don’t have unlimited time or the bank account of Bill Gates. In the area of nutrition, I rely heavily on God’s wisdom and good nutritional savvy.
You may not struggle in the carb arena, but you may lament over getting your 10 year old to eat vegetables, or what constitutes a healthy meal, or how to lose that extra baby weight, or how to feed your family healthy on a budget, or … you get the picture …
It’s good to start with the “whys” instead of the “hows” so we can get the benefits firmly planted in our minds. Here are a few reasons why healthy eating is so important for you and your family:
:: Healthy eating enhances the immune system.  It’s a fact. Good nutrition helps us fight germs and illness. There’s no 100 percent guarantee, but we will get sick less often. Our families can’t live in a bubble so building our immune systems up is wise.
:: Healthy eating prevents disease. This goes along with the previous point, but takes it a step further. A new research study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that initial signs of heart disease can be seen in children as young as 12—directly related to consuming too many refined carbohydrates (the white stuff). Type II Diabetes (primarily an adult disease) is now being seen in kids. Many other diseases are on the rise.
:: Healthy eating increases energy. When we are taking in more nutrients and less junk, our stamina increases and so do our kids’.
:: Healthy eating improves moods. Studies in the last 5 years are promising in the area of using certain nutritional interventions to help with elevating moods and decreasing anxiety—encouraging stuff.
:: Healthy eating lowers obesity. You might be thinking, “Now she’s just turned to meddlin’.” First off, I never make any of my nutrition talks or writings primarily about weight issues. Good nutrition is for everyone—even if you are 90 pounds on your “heavy day.” Nevertheless, obesity is a national problem.
I hope you’re thinking, “I’m signing up for this program! It’s a new year and a new me!” So glad to have you join the journey. The next time we’ll talk about strategies to get your kids to eat healthier foods (but let’s help “mom” first).
Lindy Ford’s passion is to encourage women to live in spiritual, emotional and physical freedom. This desire came out of her own pain in every one of these areas. Lindy turned the incredible lessons God taught her into a Bible study for women called, “From Busy to a Beautiful Life“. 
She is a nutrition and wellness coach with a BS in Dietetics/Nutritional Science from the University of Maryland and speaks extensively on the subjects of wellness, stress, and nutrition. Lindy loves to equip busy moms with strategies to make healthier choices for their families and themselves. She is married to Bryan, a former widower and the best builder/contractor that ever lived. Five children make up their blended family—teenagers to a cute toddler named Piper who is trying to pound on her keyboard right now.