The Curious Mom

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It's vital that we get more protein into our diet. We have to remember that whether we're trying to get stronger or maintain our physique getting enough protein is crucial. The recommended daily intake is 50 grams per day but there are researchers that say you should be eating more than that. But when we're trying to eat healthier and focus more on vegetables and greenery, we may not necessarily get enough protein into our diet. There is still some protein in vegetables but you've got to make sure you're getting enough in other ways. And besides, we need to make it tasty! What are the best ways to do this?

Add Eggs To Everything

Even if you don't like an egg as it is, it is a vital ingredient to meals like pancakes. In fact, this homemade pancake recipe can be altered to add a scoop of whey protein. Many people are now putting whey protein into their pancakes to fill them up so they don't feast on carbs. Adding eggs to everything isn't just a great way to get protein; it's full of choline and B vitamins. When in doubt, get some eggs! They're also very diverse. You can make little egg cups in the oven to eat while you are on the go.

Teens and sleep go together like chalk and cheese. In fact, by the time your kids reach 14+, they may well start to sleep for ten or more hours a night. There’s nothing unusual about that, and it’s mostly to do with hormonal swings, circadian rhythms, and all that growing. What many parents fail to realize is that there can be such a thing as too much sleep, even where grumpy teens are concerned. 

Sadly, sleep can be as much a sign of something wrong as it is a healthy indicator of a growing child. Of course, reasons for excessive snooze times vary depending on a teen’s personality, weekly workload, and more. But, some of the more worrying reasons they might be keeping those curtains closed include - 

Believe it or not, a seeming excess of laziness can be a warning sign that your teen is taking on too much, especially if it centers around weekends. Remember that those teen years involve significant educational pressure and stress. Your teen may have taken on too many after-school clubs, or be up all hours with essays and assignments. This could lead them to levels of exhaustion you can only imagine. Luckily, this is an easy enough issue to diagnose, as you’ll likely see your teen working themselves to the bone first-hand. In this instance, encouraging them to drop unnecessary additional credits or even going over their timetable with their teachers could be best. 

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We all want our kids to be better people. This means that we have to become the blueprint for our children. And when there are so many modern comforts we can realize that we are setting our children up for bad habits. The most obvious example in the modern day is using a smartphone. We think nothing of it when we are walking around the house checking social media. And when our children are at those crucial ages of development, they will see us on our phones and think that they need one. And we can either give in and provide them with a smartphone, which can have negative consequences, or we can dig our heels in. But there are many pros and cons to getting our children a smartphone? What are the main ones we should take note of?

The diet industry is massive. And for most moms, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Practically everyone wants to lose weight, tone up, and make themselves look great.

For years, nutritionists have known that the best way to get a great body is to choose the right foods. When you eat right, you provoke biological changes that make you lean and fit.

“Diets” - as in radical changes to your regular eating pattern - promise that short-term modifications will help you get the body you want. How many women have told you that they’re “on a diet?”

Most diets, however, aren’t based on traditional foods proven to help reduce weight and keep people healthy - like the old Mediterranean diet of beans, whole grains, and vegetables. No - the majority of modern fat diets ask people to restrict entire food groups and sometimes, eat foods from categories that most should avoid.

Take the keto diet, for instance. The idea here is to shift the way your body burns fuel, away from regular glucose from carbs to ketones from burning fat. Practitioners, therefore, eliminate practically all starches and replace them with oils and meat - two food groups associated with adverse health outcomes.

Infographic by University of Southern California

Back pain is an extremely common health problem. Most people experience lower back pain, although it can occur in other parts of the back too. When you're experiencing back pain, it can be a nightmare. Finding the cause is often very difficult, which makes it hard to tackle. There are many different causes and various treatments, and you often need to try a few different things before finding something that works. It can take some time to find something that works for you, but you can explore the options available to try and find a solution. You can work with your doctor and other medical professions to discover what is best for you.

Exercise

When your back hurts, you might feel like resting is the best thing to do. However, lying still is actually one of the worst things that you can do for an aching back. In fact, you should try to be on the move if your back is hurting. Walking is excellent for your back, and you might benefit from swimming too. Resting for a day or two can be helpful, but it's important not to rest for too long. As well as walking and swimming, yoga and another stretching can be helpful. Some people also benefit from physical therapy, which helps them to improve their back pain with the help of a therapist.

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Be Kinder to Your Back

Back pain can be a result of your lifestyle. Things like sleeping in a bad position or having bad posture while sitting or standing can cause your back to ache. By improving these things, you can also improve your back pain. A quality mattress is important for a good night's sleep, giving your back the support that it needs. If you can't afford a new mattress, a new mattress topper could help. A good pillow is also useful, helping you to sleep in the right position. Lying on your side is best for your back, as well as your neck, especially if you place a pillow between your knees. Good posture is also important, so ensure you're sitting well in your desk chair and not slouching.