Lean Mommy: The Golden Rules of Good Nutrition

When you're consumed with mommyhood, you may feel too busy to eat right or follow a diet. Or you may not know where to begin if you are restricted from dieting because you are breastfeeding, or because all the information can seem overwhelming! Lisa Druxman's book Lean Mommy sets some simple guidelines that will help you to not only make healthy eating choices and turn them into habits, but to know why these choices are the best ones for you and your family.

Rule Number One: GO FOR COLOR

One easy way to take in the variety of nutrients that you and your family need is to make every meal as colorful as possible. Nutrients in plants known as phytochemicals are often found in the pigment that gives food its hue. So create a plate that has plenty of green, red, orange, and yellow foods. Healthful beans and grains and meats, poultry, and fish will add neutral shades of white, beige, brown, and pink.



Rule Number Two: GET A HANDLE ON PORTION SIZES


Every food has calories So, in theory, if you eat too much of anything, you can gain weight. (But I'm still looking for the person who got fat eating too many strawberries and oranges.) The truth is, fresh foods usually have lots of fiber and so it's hard to eat too much of them. Processed foods like pasta, animal products like cheese and oils, on the other hand, are calorically dense, which makes it easy to overload on them. Learn what a sensible portion really is. (And no, it's not the two-foot-wide plate you're given at some family restaurants!) Read the labels and notice if the foods says three servings for the whole can or box you were about to eat.



Rule Number Three: KNOW YOUR GOOD CARBS FROM YOUR BAD CARBS



Plant ingredients like wheat grains that have been processed into manufactured foods like pasta or bread are known as bad carbs. High-sugar foods are, too. These foods are broken down quickly and tend to be absorbed into the body very quickly, too. This is not a problem unless you are overweight and inactive and are glucose intolerant. Then too much insulin may be released to help carry the glucose into the cells of your body that use it for energy. Over time, this overload can lead to diabetes. ... You will always make a better choice when you choose brown rice over white rice or whole grain bread over white.



Rule Number Four: PICK PROTEIN CAREFULLY

Protein is the term for the different amino acids. There are 11 amino acids that cannot be made within the body, so they must come from food. If you eat a variety of healthy food, you'll have no trouble obtaining all the needed amino acids. That's why a vegetarian will have no problem getting enough protein if she eats a healthy range of foods. Animal foods - meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy - contain all eleven of these amino acids. They are called "complete" for that reason. But research shows that we should take in a higher proportion of protein from plant foods that from animal foods. So when you think protein, don't just think meat, think vegetables, nuts, beans and grains, too. When eating animal protein sources, go for organic, grass-fed, low-fat, and/or lean when you can.

Rule Number Five: CHOOSE GOOD FATS

Not only are fats yummy, some are beneficial to your health. Animal fats in meats, poultry, and dairy products are mostly saturated fats since they have a chemical structure that makes them solid. That's why you can cut off a piece of fat from a steak or slice through butter or cheese. Less than 10 percent of the fat you eat should be saturated. Unsaturated fats are found in all foods, but are predominant in plant food. They have been shown to help reduce, not raise, your levels of bad cholesterol (your LDLs) and raise levels of your good cholesterols (HDLs). So that's why, even though foods like olives, avocados, and nuts can have a high percentage of fat, they're still great for you.

Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid (sunflower, walnut, olive, and corn oils). Trans fats are good fats gone bad. Food manufacturers take a healthy oil, like soybean oil, and modify it in a process called hydrogenization so that it becomes solid, and more like saturated fat. Think Crisco or margarine. It's cheap and has a longer shelf life. That's why most fast food restaurants and big companies that make packaged foods use loads of the stuff. The fact is, no known about of trans fat is considered safe. The best way to avoid it is to stop eating processed, packaged foods. If you do eat packaged foods, look for 0 grams of trans fat on the label.