The Health Benefits of Beans, the Black Sheep of Superfoods

When you hear the term “superfood,” do beans come to mind? If not, they should—beans pack a serious nutritional punch. They are loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals that can help reduce inflammation, fend off chronic diseases, contribute to weight loss, improve gut health, and promote satiety. Here are just some of the ways beans make a great addition to your diet.

Tips for Staying Healthy at Home During Quarantine

We’re now well into the school year, though for a lot of people, this school year has been anything but normal. We know that Moms are facing challenges like never before, especially when children of all ages may be learning from home. When everyone is home, it can be difficult to maintain structure during the week, and even harder to remember to eat healthy foods. That’s where You’re the Mom comes in! We’re here to help you navigate the learning-from-home life by supporting you with tips and helpful habits to employ for those days when everyone is working and learning from home.

Reflections on My Time at Friedman

My first year at the Friedman School was a whirlwind.

By the end of it, though, I was starting to feel comfortable and like I had gotten my feet under me. In addition to my coursework, I was working, writing articles for the Friedman Sprout, applying for summer internships, and spending time with new friends.

Healthy Skin through Food

We know that nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables are good for our health, fitness and overall well-being. Did you know that food plays an important role in the health of our skin, too? The food you eat can have a direct impact on the look and feel of your skin. Including certain foods in your diet can help to prevent early signs of aging, calm redness, and give you happy, healthy skin for years to come! In this post, we’ll talk about some of the nutrients that are good for skin health, and which foods you can find them in.

How to Navigate “Sometimes” Foods

Moms, we know you’re working hard every day to feed your kids in a way that’s going to keep them healthy and happy. We love that! We also know that life happens, and there may be certain times when your kid wants a food that you know is not the healthiest for them. Whether they see an appealing box of sugary cereal at the grocery store, go to a birthday party that’s serving sweet treats, or want French fries with every meal, balancing less-healthy foods with healthier choices can be tough! But don’t worry, we’re here to help! In this post, we’re giving you all the tips and tricks to help you navigate your child’s requests for what we’re calling “sometimes foods” with feeding them a healthy diet. Believe it or not, both healthy foods and sometimes foods can be part of a healthy diet.

How to Handle a Picky Eater

Picky eating can be very tough and can make meal and snack times extremely frustrating. But it’s important to understand that more often than not, picky eating is normal and is a phase that a lot of children go through. At a young age, familiarity is comforting to children, and this pertains to food, too. That doesn’t make dealing with it any easier, but in this post, we’re going to talk about the best approaches for handling a phase of picky eating with your child.

Why Parent Diet Matters When it Comes to Feeding Kids

As a mom, caring for your little one is your superpower. We know you’re working hard to raise happy, healthy kids. We also know that raising kids is hard work, especially when it comes to getting kids to eat well. But taking care of your kid also means taking care of you, mom. Did you know that what moms eat can influence what their kids eat? It’s true! When parents choose to eat healthy foods, they serve as a positive model for their kids, which encourages children to make better food choices for themselves. In this blog post, we’ll talk a little bit about why what parents eat matters and discuss some different ways you can encourage healthy eating in your home by way of your own food choices.

Everything You Need to Know about Family Meals

Trying to get everyone in your family to sit down together for a meal sounds impossible, right? Between parents working, kids getting homework done or playing outside, and how impatient for dinner the little ones can get, it can seem like a miracle to get everyone in the same room, let alone sitting down to eat a meal! But family meals don’t have to be chaotic. By creating a mealtime routine, you can be better prepared for dinner and enjoy some relaxing time together. Not to mention, setting aside some time each week for family meals (even just one!) can be good for the health and diet of your kids. It may sound too good to be true, but we’re here to help make family meals smooth sailing- and healthy- for the whole family. In this post, we’ll talk about why family meals are important, what it means to have a mealtime routine, and how you can create a successful family meal routine in your own home.

Kid Nutrition 101: Why and How you Should Teach your Kids About Food

Nutrition education may sound like a lot of work, and we know that moms have their hands full! But there are plenty of simple ways you can teach your children about food and nutrition that will help them to become healthy eaters for life – and will make mealtimes easier for moms, too! In this post, we’re going to talk about what it means to teach your kiddo about food and nutrition, why it’s important, and cover the ways and places you can take the opportunity to educate your child.

3 Ways to Raise a Healthy Eater

One of the big questions moms often have is, “How can I get my child to eat and enjoy healthy foods?” We know how tough it can be to feed a family of growing children with different likes and dislikes when it comes to food. This is where You’re the Mom comes in, and we’re here to tell you that healthy eating doesn’t have to be a struggle, and it doesn’t have to happen overnight. Small changes when it comes to your child’s diet can make a big impact.

Making Meals Healthy in a Pinch

Planning healthy meals for the week is great, but sometimes life gets in the way, and plans can fall apart. When that happens, the goal is simply to get food on the table- but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice healthfulness! Making meals healthy doesn’t have to take up a lot of time and planning- in fact, it can be pretty simple This post will take you through ways to easily make meals healthier, without taking up more time to prep and plan- and in ways kids will still enjoy!

Portion Size vs Serving Size: Everything You Need to Know

In past posts, we’ve talked about the importance of teaching kids about nutrition as a way to encourage healthy eating and to build their competence. In this post, we’re going to talk about a specific idea in nutrition that is helpful for moms and kids to learn about, and that’s the idea of serving sizes and portion sizes. We’re going to explain the difference between the two, talk about why they’re important, and give you some easy ways to estimate portions/servings at home.

Using Non-Perishable Produce

We’re often told that we need to be eating more produce, but does it matter if it’s canned or frozen instead of fresh? Despite what people say, frozen and canned produce is just as healthy and nutrient-dense as fresh produce! However, there are things to consider when choosing your canned or frozen produce. In this blog post, we’ll talk about the benefits of canned and frozen produce, what to watch out for when shopping for processed produce, and some good uses for these products.

Beverage Breakdown: Your Guide to Healthier Drink Choices for Kids

Here at You’re the Mom, we talk a lot about food and how to feed your kids in a healthy way. We’ve covered a lot in past blogs and Instagram posts, but one thing we haven’t yet talked about in detail are beverages. Beverages are super important. Most of us have something to drink at every meal, and usually throughout the day as well. Beverages are important for staying hydrated and can give us necessary nutrients, but some of them can be full of added sugar and empty calories. If you follow us on social media, you’ve seen our posts and videos from Dr. Caree all about drinking more water. In the coming weeks, Dr. Caree will be bringing you even more tips and tricks for getting the whole family on board with healthier drinks. To support you on your journey, we put together this guide to different drinks to help you make decisions about which drinks to serve your kids. In this post, we’re going to simplify the information on beverages by talking about common beverages for kids, what you need to know about them, and how often kids should have them.

Cooking with Kids

We’ve talked a fair amount about cooking with kids as a positive way to enhance their feelings of relatedness, increase their competence in the kitchen, and help them to become life-long healthy eaters. Easier said than done, right? You’re probably imagining a huge mess and cooking taking twice as long when everyone just wants dinner on the table, and in truth, that might happen sometimes! But in this post, we’re going to talk about the HOW of cooking with kids- how to prepare, how to keep it age- appropriate, how to keep kids safe in the kitchen, and more. We’re going to help you learn to cook with kids in a way that keeps them engaged and excited about healthy eating and isn’t a lot of stress for you!

How to Talk to Your Kid About Food

We know teaching your kid about food and healthy eating is important, and we’ve talked about how beneficial nutrition education can be for kids to develop healthy eating habits. But one really important piece of teaching and talking to kids about food is HOW we deliver that message. Whether or not they act like it, kids are paying very close attention to the way mom talks and to her body language. This is why the way we speak to kids about food and healthy eating is just as important as what we say. In this post, we’re going to give you the tools to teach your kids about healthy eating in a manner that is effective, meaningful, and in such a way that makes kids more likely to listen!

The Importance of Structure

Our first few posts have talked about some of the main ideas we’ll be talking about when helping you to be the best mom you can be when it comes to raising healthy eaters. Today, we’ll be taking it a step further in talking about structure, which is a tool parents can use in many different ways to encourage a child’s competence. In talking about structure, we’ll talk about what it is, why it’s important, and the ways you can do it at home. When we talk about ways to do it at home, this will also give you a sneak peak of future blog posts to come!

What is Competence?

Moms are the best teachers. We know that every day, you’re teaching your child something new that is helping them grow into a special and unique little person. At You’re the Mom, we want to give you the tools to teach your little ones about healthy eating so they can grow up to be happy, healthy eaters for life. In this post, we’re going to talk about something called competence, which can help kids to gain confidence in themselves and what they eat. We’ll cover what it is, why it’s important for your child to become competent, and ways you can help them become more competent.

Menu Planning Tips for Moms and Kids

We know moms have a lot going on during the week, and that by the time dinner rolls around, ordering take-out can sometimes be the easiest way to get everyone fed- and that’s okay! Having a plan for meals is another way to make your week a little easier and take some of the pressure off of having to come up with a dinner idea each night. It’s also a really great way to get kids involved with help around the household, trying new recipes, and building on their cooking skills. In this post, we’ll cover easy ways to menu plan with kids so that you can have an organized week and healthy meals ready to go!

Teaching Your Child to Eat Mindfully

Teaching kids healthy habits from a young age is important. It helps them to grow up to be happy, healthy eaters who make good choices when it comes to diet. We’ve talked a lot about the importance of what kids eat, where they eat, how to talk about eating, and so on, but we haven’t yet talked about the act of eating itself- how to eat. It may sound silly, but there is a way to approach eating that we’ve been hinting at in past posts, which is mindful eating. In this post, we’re going to break down what mindful eating is, why it’s important, and some ways to practice mindful eating at home.

Learning to Love Ugly Produce

Have you been to the grocery store and been disappointed with how the produce looks? Lumpy potatoes, tiny apples, knobby carrots- none of it looks very appetizing! This is what is commonly referred to as “ugly produce.” This ugly produce is perfectly good to eat, it just doesn’t look as good as other produce.

How to Set Smart Rules

At You’re the Mom, we know that Moms rule. But when it comes to enforcing rules, that can be tougher- especially when your little one is close to throwing a tantrum over wanting to have candy for a snack. In the moment, it can be tempting to just give them what they want- and candy once and a while isn’t a bad thing! But we want to help you set smarter rules for your kids, not stricter rules. When done right, rules don’t have to mean saying no more often. Instead, they can mean healthier choices, compromises, and fewer fights. In this post, we’re going to talk about some ways to set smarter rules around food.

How to Grocery Shop with your Kid

We know what you’re thinking. “Why would I bring my kid to the grocery store if I don’t have to?” You probably already know you can get the shopping done much faster on your own (and without having to deal with begging for chips, soda, or sugary cereal!). Not to mention we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and going anywhere at all can be a challenge. But there are times when bringing a kid to the store with you can’t be avoided and we want to give you the tools to manage that. We’d even go as far as saying we can help you make grocery shopping with kids work to your advantage! It can help make the shopping quicker AND teach your kid to eat healthier. In this post, we’re going to talk about how to make sure grocery shopping with kids is a positive experience for both you and them.

Creating a Healthy Home Food Environment

When little ones are hungry and begging for a snack, we often reach for the closest thing for a quick fix. The problem is, whatever is closest is not always what’s healthiest. But if your home food environment is structured so that healthy foods are easy to access, you’ll find that making good food choices is easy. A healthy home food environment can help your kids make better food choices on their own, too! In this blog post, we’ll talk about what a healthy food environment is, why it’s important, and how you can create one in your own home.

What is Relatedness?

So far, we’ve talked about some important concepts around feeding kids that not only help them to be healthy eaters but also help them to grow up to be self-sufficient, well-adjusted people. To review, some concepts we’ve discussed are autonomy or helping your child make good decisions for themselves, and competence, which means helping a child feel confident to tackle new tasks and situations. Today, we’re going to talk about a third concept that is just as important to raising a healthy eater, which is relatedness. We’ll cover what it is, why it’s important, and how you can encourage relatedness at home.

What is Autonomy?

At You’re the Mom, we’re here to help moms raise happy, healthy eaters. Like you, we want kids to feel good in their bodies and minds. We also know that it’s a lot of work! That’s why we want to give you the tools to make it easier, and so you can be the best mom you can be, in your own unique and special way. One thing you’ll hear us mention when talking about ways to help your child grow to have a healthy diet and sense of self is autonomy. Today, we want to talk a little bit about what autonomy is, why it’s important, and ways you can help your child gain autonomy when it comes to food and health.