Hey Pretty Mama,
So, seriously, how’s your diet at the moment? Is it packed full of all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients a busy mom needs? Or, do find yourself constantly eating on the run, not making time to eat, and you are therefore constantly tired?
Ok, so life with a newborn certainly is not easy. You’re not sleeping, and your baby’s nowhere near in that “routine” all your friends are talking about yet.
Nutrition plays a massive role in weight loss. Today, I’m going to talk to you about “What foods will help shift your “Mommy tummy’”.
I hope, with a bit of tweaking here and there to your current eating plan, you’ll feel less sugar cravings, feel less hungry and feel more energized in the process (even when you have the worst night’s sleep ever!).
Ready to make some life changes?
PROTEIN
Ok, so you’ve probably heard the food ads that claim that if you eat this meal you’ll feel “fuller for longer”. In theory, yes, if you eat a protein-rich meal, it will help fill you up. No question. You need to eat a lot more protein-rich meals which include ingredients such as: eggs, chicken, liver, fish, seafood, beef, and pork. Eat whatever protein you like, as long as it’s clean and lean, so I’m talking without creamy sauces, without additives and make sure any excess fat is removed.
GREEN LEAFY VEGGIES
Pump your body full of green leafy veggies at every opportunity, and I mean breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pack your salads full of spinach, kale and watercress (watercress is particularly useful for ridding your body of cellulite, by the way), and get used to eating lots and lots of stir fries on the side, with veggies such as: peas, green beans, zuccini, broccoli, sugar snap peas, asparagus, leeks, cabbage, and kale. These vegetables are particularly good at cleansing your system and stabilizing your blood sugar levels, because they’re quite low in GI and full of antioxidants. Here are some examples of protein and vegetable meals you could try: Have an omelette for breakfast on a bed of spinach, or kale and watercress, drizzled with olive oil. Prepare a simple chicken and avocado salad to eat at lunch to keep you going for the afternoon. Complete your day with oven-baked fish and a green stir fry on the side. Green leafy veggies is the secret to weight loss, if I’m honest. These types of vegetables are packed full of all the vitamins, nutrients and minerals you need, without spiking your insulin levels sky-high so that 20 minutes after you’ve eaten, you feel as though you need a nap because you’re on the “come down off that sugar high”, and/or you could eat your way through the entire chocolate aisle of your local supermarket because you’re craving something sweet.
WATER
Ok, so water is not technically a “food” but, if only more new moms drank more water! It’s not only beneficial to you if you are nursing, but it will help you loose the extra weight gained during pregnancy. Ideally, you should be drinking at least 2-3 liters of water a day. You would think bottled water is better then tap water as tap water is riddled with chemicals, and estrogen (due to the amount of women on the contraceptive pill peeing it into our waterways, but I am also learning that bottled water is not as regulated as tap water*, so you are actually better off with tap water. Make sure you have a good water filtering system at home. High levels of estrogen contributes to weight gain and weight gain encourages excess estrogen, so you can kind of see how this hormone really affects you as a woman and a new mom. During pregnancy, your body was busy producing estrogen and progesterone. If the levels of estrogen and progesterone aren’t balanced out postnatally, this creates a fantastic environment for your body to store fat. By drinking water, and lots of it, it literally flushes your body of toxins and helps restore balance. You’re probably already aware that 70% of the muscles in your body are made up of water, so feeding them more water, helps hydrate you, which in turn helps stabilize your metabolism, making your body better at burning fat and ridding itself of toxins.
*For more information on the dangers of estrogen and other chemicals in your drinking water go to www.chestsculpting.com/the-dangers-of-estrogen-in-your-drinking-water/
Hope this was helpful and as always be well, be fit and always smiling.
