Feeding Your Family

It’s 5 p.m. Your children are behaving like wild hooligans and your last nerve was incinerated hours ago. The absolute last thing you want to do right now is get in the kitchen and whip up a hearty, healthy, delicious, made-from-scratch meal.

I get it, moms. I do. Feeding your family three meals a day (plus answering the never-ending demands for snacks and treats) can be exhausting. The responsibility can make you feel chained to the kitchen and ready to go on strike, sending you straight to the nearest McDonald’s … again.

But you and I both know this isn’t what’s best for you or your family. You know they deserve more — you deserve more — and I know you want more out of this phase of your life.

I’m here to throw you a lifeline. There is a way to give your family the health and nutrition they deserve, get control over mealtime, and feel a sense of purpose and satisfaction during these trying phases of motherhood. It’s all about accepting the responsibility to feed your family well, and taking charge in the kitchen.

a mother’s sacred duty

I believe that one of a mother’s innate primary duties is not just to feed her children, but to nourish them. Your first job as a mother is to nourish your growing baby before it even enters the world. What’s more, a woman’s body is designed to feed her offspring after it’s born — just more evidence that feeding a family is a mother’s sacred duty.

Outside of my own personal opinions, the numbers support this idea that feeding the family more often than not falls under a mother’s responsibilities: In both traditional and modern families, more mothers than fathers are full-time parents; more mothers than fathers prepare the bulk of their family’s meals; and more mothers than fathers are single parents who shoulder all the child-rearing responsibilities on their own.

I’m not here to wage a battle of the sexes, and I believe fathers are vital in a child’s life. But let’s put aside that debate and get to the matter at hand: It’s time to be serious about your family’s nutrition.

Nutrition is for everyone

Food is the literal lifeblood of your children. It becomes the building blocks of their young bodies and shapes who they are and who they will become, physically, mentally, and emotionally. If their nutritional needs are not met, a host of problems will follow, like poor physical growth and development, early or delayed puberty, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, emotional issues and mental illnesses, allergies and food intolerances, immune system disorders, chronic sickness and disease, and even the illnesses commonly believed to only strike adults like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Poor nutrition in childhood and beyond can lead to serious physical problems throughout life, like infertility and even cancer.

It’s easy to say to ourselves that as long as our kids get fed regular meals, they’ll turn out just fine. But the fact is, today’s children are not fine. These physical, mental, and emotional challenges are showing up in more and more children at a terrifying rate. As doctors and scientists search for answers, by and large their studies are pointing the finger at a diet devoid of fresh, wholesome ingredients but full of nutrient-deficient, chemical-laden processed foods.

This isn’t a scare tactic, mamas, but you do need a harsh wake-up call. This is the reality facing your family today. If you’re not taking the responsibility to feed and nourish your children, who will?

The good news is, in addition to an abundance of information on the problems facing our kids, there’s also a wealth of knowledge on how to put them on the right nutritional path. I’m going to help you get there.

Healthy bodies and happy families start in the kitchen

It’s time to bust out that apron, channel your inner Betty Crocker, and get your booty — and your family — to the kitchen. A thorough, step-by-step eGuide for boosting your family’s nutrition — as well as my method for helping even the pickiest of eaters (and husbands!) change their ways — is coming soon. In the meantime, keep up on the blog and follow this website (using the buttons on the right ⇒)for the latest news and information as well as tips for coaxing your family along. Don’t forget to browse my recipes for family-friendly, whole foods plant-based meals, and if there’s anything you’d like to see more of, send me a message at Lindsay@HealthyLittleChanges.com.

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