Healthy Mom, Healthy Family: Prioritizing Health & Nutrition
Our lives have come to an absolute halt since the intensity of COVID-19 has forced us to stay at home. The repeated days of being confined within the four walls can lead to emotions like loneliness, anxiety, and depression. These sensations will be followed by poor eating habits and diet preferences therefore making health and nutrition for women an important matter.
A positive side of spending indoors is it creates an opportunity for you to get familiar with the important aspects of nutrition including your menu and how it impacts your overall well being. Notably, nutrition comprises two aspects – primary and secondary. The primary phase might include your bonds with your dear and near ones, physical activity, career, spirituality etc. Whereas the secondary aspect deals with the food you eat.
To help you with the nutrition and health of your family, we are spreading the words of eight mothers, their tips on how to cope during the pandemic.
Krupa, Blogger since 2011
https://www.instagram.com/ishtyleawhile/
The entire world is in a frenzy right now trying to battle a pandemic. Wearing a mask, washing our hands regularly, and staying indoors is the best way to ensure that we are not exposed to the virus as much. However, if we turn out to be infected, our first line of defence is our own body. A healthy body and mind can fight this infection alongside all of the medication. This is why as I choose to prioritize health and nutrition during this pandemic.
Here are a few things that we do.
1. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits every 2-3 days from the local vendor who comes to our doorstep. We have started to introduce a good variety of fruits and vegetables in our everyday diet.
2. Increase our protein intake by consuming it in different forms- paneer, soya chunks, dal, channa. The elders in the family also have a medicated protein drink to help supplement their protein intake. As the mother of a toddler who is in a food refusal stage, I put any source of vegetarian protein into his every meal.
3. Introduce more cereals such as foxtail millet, barnyard millet, ragi etc. It brings a change so it does not feel like the same idli or dosa every day.
4. Stays hydrated with lots of warm water, jeera water, and some homemade brews made of lemongrass, mint, tulsi and other herbs help to improve immunity. These herbs are grown in our small garden and plucked fresh for brewing.
5. Reduced packaged food from outside has helped us feel lighter and now we are eating more healthy diets prepared at home.
6. Cooking and eating together has made the entire family bond better. Everyone pitches in and this has made cooking more fun, and less of a routine job. Of course, cleaning up is also a huge part of the process.
It may seem like a task to cook every meal and clean up after, but a little bit of planning has helped. We have also invested in some tools to help with cutting vegetables, grinding chutneys, and making Rotis. Our priority right now is on staying healthy and staying indoors.
Ex Capt Amita Chaudhary, Mental Health Counselor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amita-chaudhary-2252961b9/
In the past year, the covid – 19 pandemics globally has overtaken the entire world. The impact on the world was huge. A deep silence had spread over the busiest streets. The schools and offices were shut and our lives came to an abrupt stop. Therefore, as a counsellor and a primary caregiver, it is my utmost responsibility to prioritize the health of my family by providing a well-balanced diet which in turn helps in boosting their immunity.
Nutrition and immunity of our body will act as a barrier to fight against the deadly virus during the pandemic. Hence the need to attain and maintain good nutritional status to fight against the virus has arisen.
Along with various safety precautions and covid appropriate behaviour, here are some of the policies I have adopted concerning the nutrition of my family since the pandemic began.
1. It’s essential to have a structured routine for everyone (kids, adults and elderly) as structure brings discipline in one’s life.
2. 45 minutes to 1 hour of physical activity (walking, jogging, dancing, outdoor sports like badminton, cycling, yoga and meditation) is important for everyone based on age.
3. Eating a healthy breakfast that includes eggs, sprouted grains, idlis, oats, milk and fruits.
4. Lunch would include pulses, cooked veggies, chapati, rice, curd, salad etc.
5. Dinner would include cooked veggies, chapati, cottage cheese, cutlets etc.
6. 200ml of turmeric milk as it helps in boosting immunity.
7. For snacks fresh fruits are preferred like apples, banana, muskmelon, guava, oranges, grapes, papaya etc.
8. Along with the above measures lots of fluids like water, fresh juices, homemade soups are also included daily.
Make the meals interesting and try to provide variety so that monotony doesn’t set in and everyone relishes eating home-cooked food. Thus, providing a diet high in nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals supports the ideal capacity of the immune system to fight against various infections.
Dt. Ramita Kaur, Certified Maternal & Kids Nutritionist
COO, Nutriapt Healthcare Pvt Ltd
https://www.instagram.com/dt.ramitakaur/
Good nutrition is crucial for health, particularly in times when the second wave of the corona has hit us back again. So it’s high time now because we as mothers carry the great responsibility of an entire family’s health & daily nutrition needs. We all, rather than only focussing on external precautions, really need to work upon our internal health to prepare our bodies much stronger than before to fight against this drastically spreading infection and cut down the COVID-19 chain. A strong immune system could be the perfect shield to deal with this pandemic situation.
The foods that you must include in your daily diet to boost up your immunity should be rich in vitamin C like orange, kiwi, amla, lemon, berries, capsicum, guava etc, and loaded with Zinc like pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, almond etc. These foods help to deal with symptoms like cold and flu and also give you the power to cope with the virus.
Incorporate a good amount of protein sources like dals, milk, cheese, curd, quinoa, peas, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds etc in your family regular meals as they are the main building blocks of the cells, which will give sufficient amount of energy.
For children, choose healthy options like sprouts chaat / tikki, fermented millet dosa, fruit and nuts based smoothies, lemonade, coconut water, buttermilk, aam panna etc rather than giving them unhealthy options like wafers, biscuits, packed juices etc.
It’s very much mandatory to keep your body well hydrated, as water helps to flush out toxins from the body. Ensure to use more kitchen spices like ginger, turmeric, black pepper, garlic etc in the meal as they have amazing antimicrobial properties to combat infections. Highly processed and refined foods should be restricted to the maximum extent. Also, avoid foods with a high concentration of sugar and salt and specially packed juices, soft drinks etc which in reality leads to dehydration & disturb your digestive system.
Syed Ali Fathima, Certified Parenting Coach
https://www.facebook.com/idealparenting/
https://www.instagram.com/my_ideal_parenting/
Only if I’m healthy, I can keep my family healthy. Raising healthy kids and family is not easy. I want my family to have a healthy lifestyle and would like to see them grow with real healthy food.
We need to take a well-balanced diet to be healthy and to increase our immunity to fight against infections. I don’t prefer giving processed foods to my family. As a mother and wife, I make sure that the food I prepare has balanced nutrients. Being hydrated is another key to a healthy lifestyle.
As a family, we take ginger and spices decoction twice a week which helps in boosting our immunity. We prefer taking lemon juices daily as it is rich in Vitamin C.
We also meditate at least for 10 minutes. My son and my husband have a scheduled time for meditation and I meditate when I’m free.
This covid pandemic has made it harder for kids and families to maintain healthy habits. Kids are very much frustrated being at home due to covid. I plan indoor activities for my son to make him engaged and thus reduce the screen time.
We should be grateful for what we are during these tough times. Let us pray and help each other to have a fruitful life. A balanced diet, exercise, meditation and stress-free life leads to a healthy life.
Sneha Soni, Blogger
https://www.instagram.com/journey_of_vihareya/
Motherhood journey makes us busy with little ones around. Most of the time we tend to forget about our health but it is very important to take care of ourselves as well. A healthy mummy after all makes a healthy family.
In a situation like this, it is normal to feel sad, worried, confused, scared or angry. You should know that you are not alone and should talk to someone you trust, such as a parent or a trusted adult so that you can protect yourself and your health.
Mothers are the main pillar of our family. They are the source of all inspiration for a family. If she is healthy and positive she can infuse an encouraging environment around us which will develop everyone appropriately.
In this current situation, we all mothers are worried about our family’s immunity and health. A healthy diet rich in immune-boosting foods can help your body build infection-fighting white blood cells, repair injury to cells, and do whatever else it needs to do to protect itself against infection and illness.
Sonali Jattewar, Professor
https://www.instagram.com/curryleavesnweaves/
A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned ‘as a mother I strongly believe in this.
Mothers are often the heart and centre of a family, the one striving to keep everyone healthy & safe during difficult times.
In my food world, there is no fear or guilt, only joy and balance. So no ingredient is ever off-limits. Rather all the meals that I plan for my family follow, usually – sometimes – rarely philosophy, in short there is no never, everything is in moderation.
We live in a fast-paced society especially moms like me of sports-loving kids. There is a regular after school session of fitness and rigorous practice. I have to monitor the needs of energy and all the nutrients their body needs throughout the day.
A well planned nutritious diet should meet five essentials. Macronutrients include protein, carbs & fats to promote growth & repair. Also, micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.
A well-balanced breakfast gives a jumpstart to the day. Some days start with south Indian breakfast like Idli, dosa with sambar full of fresh veggies and coconut chutney & ends with chicken thai curry. While other days it starts with eggs, the most healthy & versatile breakfast option, cereals with milk and nuts, sprouts, rava, upma, poha, peanut butter, a slice of whole wheat bread, pancakes and ends with simple dal, chawal, roti sabji to replenish your body with a punch of five essential nutrients.
Well….. lunch box is history now since we all are fighting the pandemic for more than a year now. It is difficult to deal with the track on time and also the limitations on our activities. These days I make sure to keep my family’s focus maintained, balanced blood sugar level, and active metabolism. I take care that they should not get into cranky, snappy moods.
A mother is a powerhouse of happiness for a family and the right food planned by her is half work done. I feel extremely proud of raising a family with the right values about a healthy body.
Minu M M, Freelance Blogger
https://www.instagram.com/my.take.on.my.cake/
Parenting is not easy and parenting during a pandemic is more challenging. While some parents have support, others are working from home and looking after their kids and family as well and trying their best to balance it all. One of the major issues parents have been facing is in terms of prioritising the health and nutrition of the family. While I am not an expert in the field of health or nutrition, I am here to share my experience as a family member, a mother. I also believe that the responsibility of healthy living and eating should not be limited to the mother. It is teamwork and each family member is responsible for it and should work towards it. It is all about practicing before preaching.
Healthy eating and healthy living is a process, a process of being consistent. If we were already into the habit of healthy eating, it would not have been difficult to continue the same during the pandemic too, we do love to treat ourselves which might not be termed healthy but that is occasional.
Eating together is another important practice that people began following during the pandemic as all of us were at home. We should not limit it to eating, but doing chores together and cooking and helping each other helps to divide the work and hence reduce the pressure on a single person. This helps us in reducing our stress levels which is important for our mental health and physical health as well.
Kids need change, few things I followed and have been following are: eating simple home-cooked food. As a family we have been having simple nutritious meals otherwise too, starting the day with a healthy breakfast, keeping fruits, fresh salad and natural snacks like nuts (not processed) within their reach, keeping them hydrated by keeping water in their reach and teaching them not to waste it as well. Fruits, fresh juice and soups help in hydrating too. It changes their mood when I serve their meal at times in their school tiffin box. As they miss their school, we had many terrace picnics where we packed some regular food as picnic food. We should involve the kids in the process of cooking which is right from cleaning the fruits and vegetables to cooking and serving the food too.
We should also make sure that we use limited resources and not waste food during the pandemic.
Healthy living is not limited to healthy eating only, nor it is for weight loss. It is for our overall well being. We need to be active though we cannot go out like before to the gym or park. Some of us have the privilege of having an open terrace where the kids can run about and we can take a walk too. If they are physically active, they feel hungry, they will eat well and sleep well. It is a cycle. Even if we have limited space, we should keep them and ourselves active. Child obesity has been a serious concern during the pandemic.
Sanjita Kour, Food Blogger
https://www.instagram.com/foodie_singh_kour/
In March 2020, I was seven months pregnant when the pandemic broke all over the world. It was heartbreaking and such a difficult phase. I was under constant fear of keeping myself healthy and safe to bring my child into this beautiful world.
I spent the third trimester indoors completely, stepping out only for doctor’s appointment. Healthy eating was a must for two reasons – Pregnancy as well as strong immunity. One most important thing to maintain immunity is to include a lot of fruits, vegetables and proteins in our diet.
In the world of growing packed foods, pandemic taught us that our culture and diet is all we need. Indian food recipes are rich in pulses, legumes, millets which are high in nutrients and help in maintaining a balanced diet. Processes like pickling and fermentation have been part of Indian food for ages.
During the pandemic, we just had these basic pantry staples in abundance and we survived with them by making our staple comfort food like dal –rice, khichdi, idli, dosa and more.
I followed the below tips while buying grocery and cooking for my family in the pandemic.
1. No added sugar, refined sugar, corn syrup etc
2. Always look for ingredients, read labels while buying outside food
3. Avoid deep-frying methods in cooking
4. Avoid plastic vessels
5. Made more one-pot meals
6. Always plan my meals for weekdays and weekends
We worked as a team during the pandemic, as everyone is at home all the time. We needed more food and ideas to eat healthily. Like all other tasks, cooking was also done together as a team.
Apart from healthy food, staying hydrated was the key to maintaining a healthy weight. We always followed good hygiene practices to stay healthy and safe. Followed all covid related safety protocols like wearing a mask, washing hands and using hand sanitisers.