Nutrition for Carers is exceptionally important, why? As a Carer for my mum and now for David, I believe that you can best care for another person by looking after yourself first. We as Carers need to be on the go 24 hours a day and life is busy, however, when you feel better and have more energy, then life is better.
A well-balanced diet will help keep your mind and body strong and supply you with the nutrients you need so you can try to be at your best to provide care for your child and for yourself.
We are always worrying about our children’s health and nutrition. We wouldn’t think twice in paying large consultation fees to get our children seen by a dietician. But when it comes to paying for good advice for us as Carers then we automatically hesitate.
Why is this, isn’t it so important we really look after ourselves.
From my experience sometimes all you want to do after a hectic day is to go and have something sugary or a few glasses of wine in the evening. Believe me, I’ve been there and that’s ok to do sometimes but if it’s going to become a habit then that can lead to poor health and you not feeling good about yourself.
So take a look at what you could do differently. I have a few suggestions that have helped me.
- Always have a healthy snack and a bottle of water in the car for yourself as appointments can run overtime.
- Snack on foods that will keep you fuller for longer such as nuts, fruit, seeded crackers, etc.
- When possible always try and sit down when eating.
- Try to plan and prepare meals as much as possible.
- When cooking dinners in the evening make an extra amount so you can freeze some for another day
- Eat everything in moderation.
The list could go on and on, but you know what to do. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Make small changes and stick with them. And if you slip up, as we all do just gently remind yourself to keep going.
Remember as Carers we can have extra stress in our lives and becoming stressed over a long period can lead to lots of health problems, make sure you don’t add to this by eating the wrong foods.
Eating healthy will give your body the fuel it needs to be a Carer long-term.