3 nutrition mistakes that almost all busy moms make

Mothers who also have a lot to do besides raising children quickly drown in a sea of tasks and responsibilities. Often, healthy eating falls overboard here. But that doesn't have to be the case if you avoid the following mistakes.

Being a mother sometimes feels like swimming in a wild river full of rapids and crocodiles. After all, there are tasks waiting to be done at every turn. Whether it's the laundry, lunch, delivering the offspring to kindergarten or planning a children's birthday party for a dozen wild rascals.

And then, unexpectedly, there is a call from school saying that the offspring is sick and wants to be picked up. Rest, relaxation, or even regular and healthy meals are far from being on the cards. If you don't have a master plan in your pocket for situations like this, you really do become a pawn in the flow of life and can only react instead of acting.

The first step you can take to pull yourself out of this flow is to realize exactly where the problems lie. As soon as you know this, you will immediately notice when something is going wrong and can take countermeasures. But in order to take countermeasures, you need to know the 3 biggest nutrition mistakes that almost every busy mom makes.

Error 1 -"Survival Eating.

Just as in many other life situations, as busy moms we tend to be more reactive than proactive when it comes to nutrition. Stress and time constraints magically cause us to grab just about anything edible we can get our hands on. And that's regardless of whether it affects our fitness goals or not. This behavior pattern is called "survival eating" and is fatal to an athletic lifestyle. That's because the loss of control leads to creeping weight gain. And by the time you notice it, it's too late anyway.

What can I do about "survival eating"?
The most effective way to resist this "urge" and avoid its consequences is to make a plan in advance for everything that has to do with food. It all starts with writing a big shopping list at the beginning of the week and then really only going shopping once. Stick to your list and buy everything you need.

That way, you won't be tempted to go to the supermarket a few days later with a growling stomach and buy unhealthy sweets or "on-the-go" snacks. Replace unhealthy snacks with healthy snacks and pre-portion them. You can do the same with your meals.

That way, you'll always have a portion of a fitness-friendly meal in the fridge that you just need to heat up. So always cook a little more, so you can store the surplus ready to hand. It does take some time to get used to. But with time you will get used to it. And then it will work all by itself.

Error 2 -Negative thinking

Negative thinking is generally one of the biggest problems in our society. This is true not only in politics, self-perception and the media, but also when it comes to food. We are all too happy to contrast the boring, healthy and fit food with the delicious, exciting and easy to have fast food or other junk food. But if we're honest, that's not really a realistic assessment of the situation, because why should healthy eating per se be boring and difficult to implement?

Here's how you can overcome negative thinking about healthy food
Yes, it definitely takes time until you have finally chased many a negative thought about fitness-oriented nutrition into the desert. But with the right mindset, you'll learn how to break down prejudices step by step and discover how much fun healthy eating can actually be. As mothers, we in particular have the decisive advantage here of being able to join forces with our children. Just pick out a few simple recipes for healthy food that you can implement together with your kids.

And the best thing about it is not only that it makes it easier for you to achieve your goals. By involving the family, you might even make little broccoli fans out of your kids right from the start and save yourself the eternally long argumentation later on why vegetables are healthy. You'll also save time, since the whole family will now be on the same nutritional wavelength as you, and you won't be tempted to reach for other temptations that your kids will be munching on at the table.

Error 3 -Dependence on ready meals

Without question, moms are busy and chronically pressed for time. All too often, this situation tempts them to reach for foods that are quick and easy to prepare and consume. The arsenal ranges from cookies for in-between meals to breakfast cereals flooded with tons of sugar to ready-to-eat meals that can be served up for lunch or dinner. But these are only temporary problem solvers that do more harm than good in the long run.

The problem is that many of these foods are pumped full of simple carbohydrates, sugar and various flavor enhancers. While this boosts your energy levels in the short term, it causes you to fall into an energy hole at least as quickly and get hungry again. This sets off a vicious circle in which you repeatedly reach for such fast energy suppliers and eat significantly more than you would like. The result is unnecessary pounds on your ribs. And this affects not only you, but also your family.

What is the solution?
Quite simply, give up these types of foods and learn to have fun with healthy food. This may sound a bit harsh, but you'll find that even healthy food can be fun if you just prepare it in a creative way. Always try new things and combine unfamiliar ingredients so that the taste is never boring.

The fact that you'll feel awake, fit and energetic for much longer after a healthy snack is enough of an incentive to stay away from convenience foods and overly processed foods in the long run. Focus on the quality of the food and use the tips we gave you for mistake 1 and mistake 2 to say goodbye to bad habits here, too.