Here's How You Can Be A Healthy And Happy Indian Mom

Nadiya Merchant, full-time mom and nutritionist at Kellogg India, shares some of her simple tips to ensure you’re taking the right care of yourself

- Nadiya Merchant

Maa, aai, ammi… these are not just names that we address our mothers with; these words instantly take us back to our childhood with fond memories of our compassionate and ever-nurturing moms. Mothers, the world over, are also known to be worriers: worrying about their children, family, friends, relatives, colleagues and so on. They tend to worry not only about the health and physical well-being, but more significantly about the emotional and psychological well-being of their near and dear ones.

As moms, while we are busy nurturing the needs of others, we often tend to neglect our own well-being. More importantly, while you are indivisibly a mother of your children, you are a woman first. After all, if we don’t care for ourselves, how then can we expect to be caregivers to those who depend on us? Here are some simple tricks to ensure we take the necessary care we undeniably need:

Reinforce some of those ‘special’ nutrients we often ignore

As the principal caregiver of the family, strengthening your core to maintain good health and immunity is crucial. Here, apart from the essential nutrients like calcium, B12, iron and folic acid, it’s also important that mothers reinforce special nutrient like zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and chromium into their diets, to boost their immunity. These other-than-average nutrients not only build immunity to fight against the day-to-day wear and tear that a woman’s body experiences, but also makes you feel and look good. After all, looking good is really about how you feel on the inside. Food sources of zinc include nuts and seeds, especially sesame seeds, beans, legumes and wheat germ. To increase your selenium intake, include garlic, organ meats, seafood and lentils in your diet. You can get your dose of chromium through eating simple whole grains, seafood, seeds and nuts.