Balanced Eating Tips & Healthy Snack Ideas (Guest Post by Amber of Three Ladies and Their Gent)

I am beyond excited about the guest post I get to share with you today! As we continue on the journey of logging miles for our fitness challenge, Mommy Needs To MOVE, it is equally important to focus on the foods we are feeding our bodies. When I was thinking of someone who would have great advice and tips for us, I immediately thought of my fellow twin mom friend, Amber Massey, who is the sweet southern belle voice behind the most adorable and down to earth blog, Three Ladies and Their Gent. Not only is she busy raising her precious little ladies, but she also wears the hat of a registered dietician and knows all sorts of ways to encourage us to make healthy choices throughout our busy days.

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My name is Amber from Three Ladies and Their Gent.  I am so excited to share with Mommy’s Me Time readers as I am new to the motherhood community and I love connecting with other mom’s, too!   I am a mom to 7 1/2 month old twins and loving every minute of it.  When I’m not being a mom to my girls, Parker and Jolie, I’m helping individuals with their personal nutrition issues and goals as a registered dietitian.  I’ve found that as a new mom, my personal health has become short changed and even though I preach proper nutrition all day long, all that seems to fly out the window once I walk through the door at home in the afternoons.  I have to remind myself that a balanced diet is a cornerstone of health and if I’m not healthy, how can I take care of my sweet babies!

Eating Right – A few things to remember when seeking nutritional balance:

Women should enjoy a variety of foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, low-fat dairy and lean protein. Nutrient-rich foods provide energy for women’s busy lives and help to prevent disease.

A healthy daily diet includes:

•At least three one-ounce servings of whole grains such as whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice or oats.

•Three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy products such as low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt or cheese.

•Five to six ounces of protein such as lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, beans or peas and nuts.

•Two cups of fruits, fresh, frozen or canned without added sugar.

•Two-and-a-half cups of colorful vegetables, fresh, frozen or canned without added salt.

Iron-rich Foods

Iron is one of the keys to good health and energy levels in women. Being a mom of two babies under the age of one, I really focus on getting these in everyday.  Iron-rich food sources include red meat, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, kale, spinach, beans, lentils and fortified breads and cereals. Plant-based sources of iron are more easily absorbed by your body when eaten with vitamin C-rich foods. So eat fortified cereal with strawberries on top, spinach salad with mandarin orange slices or add tomatoes to lentil soup.

Foods to Limit

To keep weight in check at any age, women should avoid a lot of excess calories from added sugars, fat and alcohol.

•Limit regular soft drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, candy, baked goods and fried foods.

•Limit alcohol intake to one drink per day. One drink is equal to 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

•Opt for low-fat dairy and meat products instead of their full-fat counterparts.

Eat fewer foods that are high in saturated fat—the kind found in fatty meats, sausages, cheese and full-fat dairy products, baked goods and pizza.  This is not only good for your waistline, but really great for your heart health.

Balancing Calories Throughout Your Day

Snack time isn’t just for kids.  It’s for grown-ups, too, and can be an important part of a healthy diet.  Snacks get such a bad rap, but really it is beneficial to have about three meals and one or two healthy snacks every day.  Having one or two healthy snacks in your day may help you get through that late afternoon slump and prevent you from eating too much at your next meal.  And healthy snacks can be really colorful and tasty, too!

Eating fruits and vegetables with snacks is always recommended because these are food groups most of us don’t get enough of, and they are the lowest calorie food groups, so we can eat a lot of them.  But did you know that you can mix and match healthy foods from any of the five food groups?  Worried about overdoing it?  Just keep your snacks to under 200 calories each.  So get creative with those lonely baby carrots—what else can you eat with them that you love?  Hummus, low-fat yogurt dip, nuts, mango salsa, wheat crackers, bean dip?  Any of these choices are winning snacks that will taste great.

Some important healthy snacking rules to remember:

-One or two healthy snacks that are carefully planned in your day may help keep you from overeating at your next meal and provide you with valuable nutrients if you choose wisely. Consider having at least one food group for a snack, if not two.  For example, consider having a fruit and a protein for a snack, such as applesauce and pistachio nuts.  Combining nutrients this way helps that snack to do it’s job as a mini meal.   The carbohydrates will give you immediate energy while the protein takes longer to digest- keeping us satisfied until our next meal time.  Please don’t mistake healthy snacking for grazing throughout the day, which is not recommended.

-Eat snacks that are under 200 calories.  This fits for most adults, but you may need more or fewer calories for snacks based on your physical activity level and how your calories are divided into your other meals.

Healthy snacks are limited only by your imagination.  Many meal items in small portions make great snacks, too, such as a ½ sandwich or cup of soup.  And a piece of whole fruit, handful of nuts, or a slice of veggie pizza makes quick snacks.

We have become a very mobile society.  You may feel like you spend half your life in a car just trying to get from one place to another.  It makes the trip a LOT longer if you are hungry.  Keeping portable snacks with you helps curb the need to go through a drive thru.  Nuts, granola bars, bottled water, crackers, etc. are all great snacks to keep in the glove compartment to bring out when you are hungry.  Portable snacks are snacks that don’t need refrigeration, don’t expire quickly, don’t squish or smash easily, and fit in a bag or container well.

Here are a few quick ideas for healthy snacks to get you through your busy day.

Healthy Snack Ideas:

(Click to enlarge)

Click here for a printable PDF: Healthy Snack Ideas

Life is so busy, but it makes it so much easier to manage when I’m properly nourished and feeling good!  Our families are important, no doubt, but making time for taking care of ourself should be at the top of that list of daily to-do’s!

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For more great ideas from Amber, check our her foodie blog, Broccoli-Chocolate! It’s pretty great!

Week 5 Summer Fitness Challenge Update:

We logged another 318 miles this week, and are now at a total of 1,725 miles! Keep up the great work ladies! Let’s push a little extra this week to log even more miles! It’s amazing how even a simple walk to the park with the kids can give you a fresh outlook on the day!

Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

Happy Snacking!

Amber