In our technologically driven lives, life has become filled with instant gratification and quick fixes. For moms, overall family health is often a concern and keeping your family mentally and physically healthy and fit has become a rather daunting task. So how can you ensure that you and your family maintain a balanced, healthy lifestyle that will contribute towards long-term health benefits?  We believe that it is all about making positive choices on a daily basis, and ensuring that these choices become lifestyle habits.

Here are our eight positive choices that you can practice daily:

1. Regularly spaced meals and snacks

The pace of life today makes skipping meals all too common and often may cause you to reach for the wrong foods – chocolate, cake, pastries – a quick and convenient meal to silence those hunger pangs! Whilst your hunger is momentarily satisfied and your energy levels receive a quick boost, before long you’re hungry and tired again – and reaching for the wrong foods – again!

Get your and your family’s bodies used to regularly spaced meals, which will help maintain optimum blood sugars levels and keep hunger at bay. Set your intentions on a daily basis and plan to eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Know what your healthy snack options are and plan to have it available for when your body demands a boost in-between meals.

2.  Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated

Healthy meal choices can be rather simple when planned, and healthy choices on a daily basis become routine – oats in the morning and a wholewheat sandwich with protein in the afternoon. With a plan and system in place, it is easier to avoid last minute, on-the-go snacks or meals that tend to be extremely unhealthy.

Plan ahead by knowing what your breakfast and lunch options (and portions) are and stock up ahead of time to ensure that your meal options are readily available.

3. Make time for exercise and make it fun!

Make time for exercise by doing things together as a family. Twenty minutes is all you need to make light exercise both attainable and effective. Exercise can be fun – turning up and dancing to the music; a jog on the beach; taking the dog for a walk; weekend hikes or simply play ball – exercise ideas for the family are endless, so find fun and heart-pumping activities that you and your family can do on a regular basis.

Introducing active and exercise opportunities into your child’s life from a young age will teach them that remaining active, whether indoors or outdoors, is a fun, positive and long-term health benefiting activity.

4. Take charge of your pantry

As a mom, you determine your family’s nutrition and diet. By controlling what is in your home, your kids are less likely to grab those unhealthy cookies or chips. If it is not in the house, they cannot eat it! Taking charge of your pantry may also help prevent your kids from developing a lifestyle habit of snacking on sugary or salty treats. Rather opt to have healthy snacks such chopped fruits, veggies or even nuts available.

5.  Maintain balance

Fruit and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants, which may protect you and your family against certain heart disease and cancers. Make sure your family eats fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Choose fruits and vegetables that are in season, as it will be fresher and less expensive. Aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 and a half cups of vegetables per day. Also, ensure that whole grains are included in your family’s diet too.

6. Eat together as a family

Decide to eat together around the dining table at least for one meal each day. Nutrition is one thing, but sharing a meal together as a family develops a healthy relationship with food, improves eating habits and most importantly gives the family a chance to share their daily lives. Eating together is important for every aspect of your family’s health.

7. Put away your phones

Be a family that communicates with each other.  The best way to achieve this is to make strict rules surrounding phones. One way is to agree to put away phones when you are eating at the dinner table. Limiting screen time is essential to help your children develop optimally.

8. Supplement your diets

The sad reality is that there are a number of reasons why you would need to supplement your family’s diet. Here are 3 reasons why you should supplement your diets:

8.1   Soil depletion starts occurring when crops and produce are harvested and nutrients are not added back into the soil for the new crops that are planted, plus with modern agricultural methods that allow for fast-growing and pest-resistant  foods, the result is that the produce that we eat has fewer vitamins and minerals compared to previous crops.

8.2   During the picking, packaging and transporting of fruits and vegetables; the heat, oxygen and light exposure have a negative impact on the nutrients found in these foods, causing a degradation and loss of nutrients and increasing spoilage.

8.3  Busier lives mean less time to prepare meals that are healthy and well balanced.

To ensure adequate and well-balanced nutrition, we recommend adding good supplements to your family’s diet. Our range of supplements ensures adequate nutritional support to meet your daily dietary requirements. Mixed with water or milk to make a tasty shake, not only do they offer nutrition at a cellular level, but convenience and a solution too, by providing an ideal in-between meal snack-shake that will also help you keep hunger at bay.

Discover our range of dietary supplements here.  We can help you make positive choices for a healthy family and lifestyle.