Eating real food, not supplements

1. X avocado, green beans, kale, X broccoli, X spinach and lettuce

My son loves broccoli and spinach but it took me about 2-3 weeks of healthy habits before my son picked up a lettuce leaf and crunched it up on his own!

He still does not like avocado or X tomato.

Do you know that they need to eat 2 large eggs or 1 medium X orange or 1 CUP of leafy greens EVERY DAY to fulfill their lutein and zeaxanthin requirements for healthy eyes and a strong immune system?

When I was a stay-at-home Mom, I could prepare a fresh and green salad for breakfast for myself and my toddler.

Can you see her dipping a carrot slice into the yoghurt dressing? :)

2. Fresh, home-cooked meals

Now that I'm a full-time working Mum, I hardly have time to eat breakfast, let alone wash and cut fruits or veg!

I have been hard-pressed to prepare home-cooked food, aiming to cook 3-4 nights a week.

The kids? They have tons of homework every night and exams THREE times a year.

It's a miracle if I can feed them a wholesome breakfast and dinner yet they need the nutrition for growth and also the energy to keep up with their crazy schedules.

 

I shall persevere as a Japanese mother would and prepare healthy, wholesome meals for my kids ^_^

3. Rising food prices

We all know that we need to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet.

Do you know that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables have become increasingly expensive since 2010?

Cheap foods are processed foods (burgers, junk food, instant noodles, nuggets, sausages) that contain A LOT of additives and coloring to make up for the lack of content and nutrition. Let's not forget biscuits, bread and other simple carbohydrates.

How about super foods (anti-oxidants) like asparagus, X avocados and blueberries?

I once bought a bunch of X plums and was shocked to pay so much for them!

4. Food allergies and food intolerance

How about people who are allergic to eggs?

Or my son who hates X tomatoes?

I think that they should still benefit from the goodness of these real foods.

Since I doubt that my kids are eating 1 cup of leafy greens/carrots/tomatoes  every day and I can't afford asparagus, avocados and blueberries every day.

6. Protect our health in today's busy and crazy lifestyles

In the info graphic below, you'll see that lutein (phytonutrients) not only "aids in protecting our eyes", it has also been shown "to boost immunity and support healthy skin, tissues and blood".

Here's what I found from the American Optometry Assocation:

"Two carotenoids, lutein (pronounced loo-teen) and zeaxanthin (pronounced zee-uh-zan-thin), are antioxidants that are located in the eye.

Lutein and zeaxanthin filter harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light and help protect and maintain healthy cells in the eyes.

Of the 600 carotenoids found in nature, only these two are deposited in high quantities in the retina (macula) of the eye."

If your kids or you are playing/reading a lot on the the computer or iPad, you need to PROTECT the eyes with lutein and zeaxanthin. There's only so much that "retina-protection" screens can do.

Trust me. I read a lot (one book a day) since I was 9 and I'm 40+ now. I am still not short-sighted.