10 weeks of Twitter Goals

So if you haven't been following my twitter, here are highlights of my weekly health goals I try to incorporate in my life.  Small changes to great health.

2010 weekly health goal #10: Commit to increasing your moderate physical activity by 5 minutes a day each week until you reach 1.5-2 hours

2010 weekly health goal #9: Swap one meal a day for a vegetarian meal. It could be a veggie breakfast omelet, veggie burger or salad.

2010 weekly health goal #8: Shrink your stomach by eating less than 1 L in volume of food a meal and waiting at least 3 hours between meals.

2010 weekly health goal #7: Clean your living area like your bedroom and kitchen. De-cluttering your space leads to a healthy mind and body.

2010 weekly health goal #6: Don't eat for 3 hours before bed. Nutritionists say it's untrue. Try it and weigh yourself in the AM. Believe.

2010 weekly health goal #5: Cut one thing out of your diet. It's called processed white carbs. No sugar or white bread.

2010 weekly health goal #4: Start your morning with a good breakfast. Whole grains, lean protein, veggies. Veg egg white omelet with toast!

2010 weekly health goal #3: Plan out your meals. Go for 50% of food space from non-starchy veggies, 25% lean meats and 25% whole grains.

2010 weekly health goal #2: Eat 5-9 servings of fruits and non-starchy vegetables a day. Yes to asparagus, no to potatoes.

2010 weekly health goal #1: Drink 3L of water a day. Yes, that's 2 of those monster 1.5L. Cleanse baby cleanse!         

Eat Like A Child, Your Child

After the blog about McDonald's and the children I got to thinking about how one of my milestones is having a child.  It's this far off wish that I rationalize will be the time I'll give up my bad habits.

"I'll eat right when I'm pregnant for sure."

"Breast feeding will be great for my metabolism."

"Sex and the City told me that taking care of a baby will help me burn calories."

The one thing I do look forward to is fixing things like healthy bento boxes for my kids.  Have you seen them?  Adventures in Bentomaking is one of the most inspired blogs on bentos. Small portions of fresh food heavy in fruits and vegetables along with lean proteins.  Isn't that the perfect diet?

Do you have an idea of what you actually want your kids to eat?  What if you ate the same things?  Does the well being and health of your child inspire you to be healthier?

Things I like about kids foods:

1. Convenience and portability are of the utmost importance in kids meals.  That idea melds well with the compact self contained nature of so many fruits.  Think strawberries and bananas!  How much more convenient does it get?

2. Robust colors and visual appeal are paramount to get children to eat it.  Eating the rainbow is not just some skittles advertisement.  Eating the natural rainbow in produce provides more nutrients and antioxidants than plain green leafy vegetables.

3. Small amounts of lean meats.  Kids naturally don't usually eat a lot of meat and don't have a problem consuming lean meats while not having cravings for fattening protein like bacon.  Sticking to proteins that don't overpower the fruits, vegetables and whole grains in mass results in less calories at each meal.

What I like the most about eating a healthy child's diet is that children learn good nutrition not just through what you feed them but by watching what their parents eat.  Why not be a good example?

McDonald's and the Children

After a weekend camping and relaxing I'm inspired to start blogging again.  During this camping trip a couple in the group were having a disagreement about whether or not their future children will be allowed to eat McDonald's.  The guy said that McDonald's is delicious.  The gal said that she had never had McDonald's in her life and neither would her kids.  It was a standoff that no one wanted to comment on in fear of offending either party.

On the way home though, Josh, my dear husband and I discussed it.  Though it's staggering that someone who has lived in the United States her whole life has never had anything from the Golden Arches it's a testament to the dedication of her parents to keep her away from it and teach her the habits to stay away from junk food.

It's a dedication that I would hope to have but most likely won't in the long run because I believe that to evolve a palate one must start young and make them open minded eaters.  I can't very well tell my children that they have to try everything they *say* they don't like to eat at least 3 times if I'm not willing to let them try something that they may want to eat right?

That being said, junk food is off the table until the child is at least 3 years old.  Why?  Because that's when they can actually play with the Happy Meal Toys and will likely start demanding things. 

I personally feel that if I eat a clean diet of vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and fruit throughout my pregnancy and continue on through each kid's childhood healthy eating habits will come naturally to them.  The occasional splurge on Happy Meals is a lesson in moderation. 

Depriving them of something that is popularized in the media and can be geared healthily now (apple slices instead of french fries, 1% milk instead of soda) will likely make them binge when they can buy their own food in high school and college.


(Image Courtesy of Get Fitness Here.)