I KNOW that you want to cook healthy meals, but you’re struggling because you feel like you have no time. But, don’t worry, I’m here to help! In this blog, I am going to help you understand what you need to do to be able to cook healthy meals so that you can give your baby a head start in life. 

Don’t have the time to eat healthy?

I’d like to start by saying that this is one of THE most common complaints that I hear from the women that I see… they WANT to eat well, but they feel like they don’t have the time.

And, I get it, life is super busy. I’m busy too. I run my own business, am an adjunct academic at Swinburne University so am always undertaking new research, sit on a few Boards, am the mum of a beautiful little girl, am a foster carer so have a succession of little ones coming through my door, often at all hours of the night, as well as making time for friends, family and a social life. I always say that I’d rather be busy than bored though! But with the busy lives that we lead, HOW do we find time to eat well?

Here’s is the secrete…

The secret is to give yourself PERMISSION to prioritise yourself. 

You see, I know that you’re a giver. That you put everyone else’s needs before your own. And, that’s why you struggle to find the time to eat healthy meals. 

But, I need you to understand that we choose to fill our lives. We all have 24 hours in a days and 7 day a weeks. It’s up to us what we do with that time. So, if you need to, eat well for your baby rather than for yourself. Eat well because you know that it will impact the start that it will give him or her.

Live the Mediterranean lifestyle…

I’ve sure that you’ve heard about the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. I was interested to discover that researchers have found that it’s not just the foods included in the Mediterranean Diet that make such a difference to our health, but the Mediterranean lifestyle that goes with it… cooking together, eating together, taking time for sleep and just being. 

Now, I admit that I personally haven’t yet been able to transform my life to get to the stage where I have an afternoon siesta every day, but I have found that the less “busy” I am, the more that I achieve – both career-wise and personally. It feels like swimming against the tide living in this chaotic culture that we live in, but I’ve found little things really make the difference. 

Try these!

A few changes that I’ve embraced include:

1. Using the best quality ingredients that I can find
2. Creating a weekly schedule where I carve out time to shop and cook, and
3. Focus on simple, healthy dishes instead of elaborate ones. One of my favourites is simply grilled salmon steak with a side of garden salad made from fresh salad leaves, sugar snap peas and red capsicum drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.  Delicious!

But overall, I’ve found that the hardest stumbling block, both for myself and for many of my clients was giving themselves the permission to do these things. 

Now, I want to ask you a question.. and I want you to write your answer in the comments box below….

If you’re trying to conceive… are you willing to give yourself permission to take the time to care for yourself so that you can nurture the eggs growing inside you?

If you’re pregnant… are you willing to give yourself permission to take the time to care for yourself so that you can give the baby inside you the best nutrition possible?

If you’re a new parent… are you willing to give yourself permission to take the time to care for yourself so that you can set an example to your little one that life is about enjoyment and not becoming a human robot?

Then, let me know how you’re going to start nourishing yourself today.