Nutrition Tips for Busy Moms

Even busy moms with a million things on their schedule still need to make time to eat. Though it may seem impossible at times it is possible to juggle a family and maybe a career while maintaining a sensible diet filled with healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. The following meals and snacks make it easy.

Christine Avanti, nutritionist and author of the best-selling book Skinny Chicks Don’t Eat Salads, suggests tossing a little olive oil in a pan, adding chopped leftover veggies and one whole egg with two egg whites. It's a fast and easy breakfast.

If you don’t have time to heat a pan, Avanti suggests having some Greek yogurt sprinkled with almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds, along with fresh fruit. Super easy and healthy.

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Most of us cringe at the word “fat,” but there are healthy fats that should be included in every woman’s diet. “Omega-3s are great for increasing metabolic rate, stabilizing mood and anxiety, boosting the immune system and amazing for heart health,” says Avanti. She recommends at least three servings of omega-3-rich food daily. Best sources for this healthy fat are eggs, sardines, salmon, flax seeds and walnuts.

Los Angeles nutritionist August McLaughlin recommends nuts and seeds for busy moms in need of a healthy snack. "Nuts and seeds have been shown to help stabilize blood sugar, even for people with diabetes," she says. Almonds are especially good for women because they're high in calcium, in addition to protein, carbs and healthy fats. Put 1/3 of a cup in a sandwich bag for snacking when you get hungry.

Boiling a dozen eggs on Sunday night sets you up with a healthy portable protein for the work week. “Grab a couple hard-cooked eggs and have them as a snack with fruit like an orange, apple or pear,” says Avanti, who has worked with celebrities Samantha Harris, Chelsea Handler and Giuliana Rancic. “This is great because you’re combining protein with a healthy carb to stabilize blood sugar, boost your metabolic rate and ensure your energy stays up.”

“Cheese, like the Babybel cheese, is great snack you can stick in your purse,” says Avanti. “I recommend it to my clients as a good protein to eat with whole wheat crackers or rice crisps.”

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A quick salad is the perfect brown-bag or stay-at-home lunch that keeps you from craving a candy bar a few hours later. “Just take arugula or spinach with a hard-cooked egg, sun-dried tomatoes, some nuts or seeds and some chopped vegetables,” said Avanti. “Also include a grain or bean. If you are too busy to cook some up, many grocery stores, like Trader Joe's, have pre-cooked lentils and quinoa that you can keep in your fridge to quickly add to your meals. For dressings, don’t use the store-bought, sugar-packed bottled dressing. Just add olive oil and vinegar."

“Water is the No. 1 thing you should be drinking,” said Avanti. To give it a good kick, she suggests giving your glass a lemon squeeze. If you are craving a sweeter drink, add fresh orange or strawberry slices and mint. Refrigerate in the fridge and drink throughout the day.

Green tea is great at breakfast, lunch, dinner or anytime in between. “It helps speed metabolism and cognition and helps reduce anxiety,” said Avanti.

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An easy way to get a healthy lunch in with minimal prep time is to ride the leftover train. McLaughlin suggests making a lasagna with whole grain noodles, ground turkey, spinach, marinara and mozzarella cheese. You can even substitute sliced zucchini for the noodles if you want. "It's a really flavorful and easy dish," she says. "You can prepare it one night, and it will take about an hour to bake. And, during that time, you can fix up your extra snacks and things." Freeze leftovers in individual portion and take it with you to work later that week.

No one is perfect. It is OK to indulge from time to time as long as the majority of the time you are eating healthy food. Unrealistic diets are doomed to fail. Avanti shares her 80/20 rule. “Eighty percent of what you choose to eat and drink has to be good for your body,” said Avanti. “For example, if you are having eight glasses of water a day, the other two beverages can be whatever you want.”

If you know you have a sweet tooth, plan for your cravings in advance and know what you eat. "One really simple thing you can do is to take … a whole grain chocolate cake mix and blend it with one cup of water and one cup of Greek yogurt and bake it at 350 degrees," says McLaughlin. You don't need any eggs or butter, which cuts down on the calorie count. "It's a spongy cake that's really high in fiber, and it's very balanced between protein and carbohydrates, so it's very filling compared to other cakes."

Reading labels at the grocery store will keep unhealthy foods out of your pantry.

“If you flip over the box and can’t pronounce the ingredients, it’s not all natural. If there are a bunch of dyes, it’s not all natural, it’s not all real. I don’t say stay away from all these things, but be aware of what you purchase,” said Avanti. She advises against unhealthy ingredients like MSG and hydrogenated oils.