One Mum’s Approach: Healthy Eating and Educating Kids

I met Aamena Nathie at an Additive Alert talk and could have talked with her for hours!  After attending the talk she emailed me to let me know how she is sharing the Additive Alert message with her children.  I was so inspired I just HAD to get Aamena to share it with you and her top 3 tips that make a difference in her day as a wife, mum to four fabulous kids and a full time Bookkeeper!

One Mum’s Approach:  Aamena Nathie

Over the years as my children have gotten older I’ve realised the value of putting time into finding out how we can prevent obesity, asthma, allergies/ intolerances from occurring.  But I’ve also decided the best way I can help my children is to give them an education early – so they can make the right choices now and later on in life. One of the easiest things I have done to educate my children about healthy choices, and explain what happens to their brains and bodies when they eat certain foods is to get them to read what I’m reading!

There is a 20 min drive through traffic in the morning to school largely due to our lovely Brisbane traffic, so I get my kids to take turns in the car to read certain chapters from ADDITIVE ALERT out loud.

So far my kids are asking a lot of questions as well as processing the information they are reading. The kids are more aware of what they are eating now and are telling others.

My 8 year sums it up perfectly: “So if these things are bad for us, why don’t the police stop the people from putting it in our food?”

My 10 year old boy wants to just solve problems: “well if these additives were put in to help the food look good, stay longer and fresher but they hurt our insides, then maybe we should look at how we can find ways to keep the food longer and fresher without hurting our health? I know!  I will do the research when I am big Mummy and look for a way around this BIG problem.”

My 13 year old son is the advocate, asking me to email the link to his school to get the school canteen aware and get some info sessions!

While I’m taking steps to educate my kids and look at the ways we prepare our foods, I’m also looking at how we live our lives holistically, after all, kids love to copy their parents!

Like most mums I juggle a lot, so I’m sharing some strategies that make a difference in my day in the hope they make your life easier too.

Tip #1 Wake up early!

Getting up early gives me the time to prepare lunch for my kids, partner and myself. It also gives me time to reflect on my day and week ahead, gather my thoughts, and take a little time out while the house is still.

Most mums rarely have this kind of time if they are working. When I am awake and ready for the day, I can begin the day with a more positive approach, THEN wake the kids.  It helps me sets the stage for the day to come.

Tip #2 Think Ahead

Waking up early is one thing, being organised is another.  I focus on what could be done ahead of time, e.g.: soak the oats the night before, this way the porridge will cook faster in the morning – no need for the microwave!  Also baking ahead muffins, muesli bars for school lunches (the night before or on the weekend) means they are ready to go.  [Check out this Muesli Bar Recipe from Aamena: Click here]

I bake a loaf of bread each evening, not hard if you have a bread machine and your house smells amazing for at least 2 hours!

We always try and go to our local farmers markets on the weekend so we can buy direct from the producer.  This way its fresher and we can choose either organic or chemically free fruits and vegetables.  We find shopping directly from the farmer doesn’t have to cost the earth!

Tip #3 Be Proactive

Every mum wants their kids to be healthy.  While in the short term we may take short cuts and rely on the pre-packaged items from the supermarkets, I do what I can to make the changes and educate my children about healthy choices and the changes I am making.  I explain to them what happens to their brains and bodies when they eat certain foods – this gets them on board.  The Additive Alert book has been so handy to gain perspective on how to handle the kind of foods we give to our kids.

About Aamena Nathie

Aamena Nathie is a mum to four fabulous kids and works full time as a Bookkeeper. When she’s not balancing the books, she is balancing her life between hubby, kids and making healthy choices and cooking.

I have asked Aamena to share her tips in the hope they inspire other women who are trying to do it all too.