For so many women, mothers, and business owners, days can often go by in the blink of an eye. In the midst of those days a lot of the choices we make, specifically when it comes to the food and drinks we consume, can just get lost in the craziness of work and family life.
But we’re here to remind you of the importance of each of those decisions, and give you a few of the ways Hope Smith incorporates nutrition and food into the day to maximize her physical and mental wellbeing!
Getting Your Body the Nutrition it Deserves
Each day brings new challenges, but one of the best ways to ensure you’re ready for whatever comes your way is to get the most nutritional value from your food and drink choices.
Making sure your body is nourished properly will help in two key areas:
- Boosting you energy levels
- Improving your mood
One of the most important, and actually one of the simplest ways to maximize your nutrition each day, is to make sure you’re drinking enough water. According to the Mayo Clinic, the average intake per day for women should be around 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters.
Now you may be thinking, “that’s a whole bunch of trips to fill my water bottle,” and it is. But the Mayo Clinic also notes that the total goal amount can include all fluids we consume, including water, but also juice, milk, and even coffee or tea. Plus you also get about 20% of your daily fluids from the foods you eat as well — so don’t forget to eat hydrating items like fruits and vegetables throughout the day!
Just drinking water alone won’t cut it however, so here are a few tips from Medical News Today to give your body balanced nutrition:
- Eat a wide range of colorful fruits and veggies
- Avoid sugary drinks
- Eat healthy fats — like avocado, fish, or vegetable oil
- Enjoy your coffee and tea — both have a wide range of benefits
- Eat less red and processed meat
- Supplement your diet with vitamins
- Use herbs and spices to add flavor and nutrients when cooking — for example: garlic, turmeric, and ginger all have various nutritional benefits
And if you’re a little tired of avocado toast for beneficial healthy fats, try the latest boost trend: adding magnesium oil to your diet, notes Hope Smith. Modern diets can be deficient in magnesium, and many swear by the oil’s benefits for exercise recovery, better sleep, less stress, and healthy skin.
Focusing on what you put into your body on a daily basis can have a hugely positive impact on your effectiveness as a mother, partner, friend, co-worker, or boss — all leading to a healthier state of mind.
Seasonal Superfood Spotlight: Pumpkin
As the seasons change so will the foods you eat, and there might not be a more seasonal food than pumpkin in the fall. Whether it’s a pumpkin flavored coffee or latte, bread, desert, or even soup, the possibilities are endless with the sweet tasting orange fruit.
Pumpkins, while often used as flavoring in sweets and beverages, actually provide great nutritional benefits on their own, including:
- They’re low calorie
- They offer a wide range of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin A, B2, C, E, and Iron, Copper, and Potassium
- They don’t contain fat
- They don’t have any sodium
Pumpkins are also packed with a powerful antioxidant called beta-carotene. This phytonutrient can reduce the risk of developing cancer, combat heart disease, and even slow down the aging process!
Like we said above, the downside to pumpkins is that they are often included in foods and drinks that contain high amounts of added sugar for flavoring. While desserts and sweets can be enjoyed in moderation, here are some healthy twists on classic foods including pumpkin:
- Pumpkin muffins
- Pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin spice chai latte
- Gluten-free pumpkin bread
Getting a little more creative with pumpkin, here are a couple recipes that are a bit outside the box:
The best part about pumpkins? They don’t only have to be used in food to have a positive impact on your health! Pumpkin scented candles, aromatherapy, and other fragrances can remind us of the holidays and happy times with friends and family. The power of smell can improve your mood quickly, afterall.
Nutrition, Food, and Family the Hope Way
As a mother of four, and CEO and founder of skin care brand, MUTHA™, Hope’s days are full of work, and looking after her children.
“I’m nonstop 14 hours a day”, Hope told Business Insider in an interview on September 9, 2021.
To make sure she doesn’t forget about herself, and her own health during even the most hectic of days, Hope has carved out a few routines that she tries to stick to:
- Sit for a coffee each morning
- Two eggs, one avocado, and a gluten-free blueberry pancake for breakfast
- Lunch with her children — eat a protein-rich meal and pair it with a vegetable
Each routine is less about the specifics, like what you’re eating or drinking, and more about finding time to spend with yourself, or with people you care about during the day.
And while day-to-day activities can sometimes seem trivial, Deepak Chopra reminds us that each moment does matter, “The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.”