Something that would really help me stay on track with Healthy eating was not having unhealthy temptations in the house for me to binge on, so I wouldn’t buy them. The problem was my fiance. Richard is one of those (annoying) people that can eat loads of what they want and not put on weight. I am not one of those people. And he would buy junk food and unhealthy snacks to eat on an almost daily basis, and because he is generous he would buy them for me aswell (I say ‘generous’ but really it was only because he didn’t want me to steal his food!) This meant no matter how many healthy breakfasts and carefully prepped lunches I ate during the day, in the evening when he got home from work I would probably consume my daily calorie needs in front of the telly in the form of ice cream and crisps. I know this sounds like I am passing the blame for my own lack of willpower (and I very much am) but it is very hard to stick to your goals when there is temptation everywhere. What can I say, I’m weak!
There is a more important reason why I felt like our eating habits needed to change aswell. It wasn’t just my growing waistline that was concerning me, it was the implications treating our bodies like a garbage can was having on our health and wellbeing. Consuming too much refined sugar has so many bad effects on the body, including weakening the immune system and potentially leading to type 2 Diabetes in later life. Neither of us wanted to be in that position through being greedy. Your health is the most valuable commodity that you have and it’s something you cannot buy and often cannot repair once damage has been done. Furthermore we want to teach our toddler good eating habits and what constitutes a balanced diet.
The changes that we have made aren’t that drastic, but we are cooking more meals from scratch. We have one of Joe Wicks, The Bodycoach ‘Lean in 15’ recipe books which I really recommend. They have great, healthy recipes that are fairly simple to follow and taste absolutely delicious. Some of the ingredients are a little expensive (duck and sea bass to name a couple) but you can always substitute for cheaper lean protein sources. We aren’t eating any more processed or ‘convenience dinners’ like frozen, breaded meat or fish and we are incorporating a lot more protein into our diets. We are also eating a lot more vegetables with our meals, and luckily we have a child who LOVES his veggies…seriously I think peas may be his favourite food! Aaaaannnd we are now both working out on a regular basis. We aren’t doing the same type of workouts at all but we are still both taking time out of the day to exercise which means we keep each other motivated.
One thing I have noticed is that eating healthier can be a bit more expensive and time consuming. We combat this by making a detailed plan for what meals we will be making during the week and then come up with a shopping list for everything that we will need. This way we find we are not popping to the shops all the time during the week to buy extras which really add up. The Channel 4 programme ‘Eat well for less’ has some good tips for less spending and healthier eating too.
We aren’t completely obsessed, Saturday is still cheat meal day where we will have a pizza or occasionally a takeaway and some sweet treats. I also still drink a hot chocolate every day to satisfy my sweet cravings! I am not about to turn into a super strict mum who doesn’t let my child eat anything fun or tasty. I believe children should try all sorts of foods and restricting them too much will probably only result in them rebelling and eating everything they were not allowed as soon as they get a bit of independence. However I do believe that in the younger years when children are developing it is important that they get the nutrition they need. Plus I want to ensure that when Rafe is (much) older and leaving home that he has the ability to make himself healthy meals and has some knowledge of basic nutrition.
Jess xox
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