Can vegetables make you taller? Has Mom been right all along? Read on to find out!
Image source: Sarah Remmer
It’s mealtime and Mom is eyeing you and your plate of food. You can tell she’s bursting to say something – and you know it’s going to be advice. You sigh, because you’ve heard it all before – and it may have worked when you were a kid, but you’re an adult now. And you don’t buy it.
Image source: Yummy Mummy Club
But what if Mom’s advice (dare I say nagging) has been true all along? Here are some things that Mom might have told you growing up – that science now says is true!
“Eating your vegetables will make you grow taller”
Image source: Mother Jones
Of course, we know that a person’s height has a lot to do with genetics. But science also has shown that nutrient intake, especially of protein, calcium, and Vitamin K, can also influence growth during childhood and adolescence.
Vegetables do contain some protein (not a whole lot), but they also contain lots of calcium and Vitamin K (especially the dark green leafy veggies). This calcium and Vitamin K are essential for the growth of your bones..and growing bones = more height!
Image source: ABC
“Don’t eat in front of the TV”
Okay, so if you’re over 18 years old it may be too late to grow any more. Not vertically, anyway – our waistlines are easily expandable! That’s when this next piece of advice may come in handy.
Image source: Foodbeast
In this generation of short attention spans, most of us use mealtimes to multitask by watching TV, using our phones, or reading a book while shoveling food in absent-mindedly. However, research has shown that eating with distractions causes us to consume more than we mean to, during that meal AND later in the day. This happens because your mind is simply not processing what you are eating. And unconsciously eating more = unwanted weight gain.
So listen to Mom and focus on your food while eating!
“Don’t snack too close to dinner – you’ll ruin your appetite!”
Image source: Scary Mommy
We’ve all snuck into the kitchen to steal a snack, only to be scolded with a “You’ll ruin your appetite for dinner!” And we probably snacked anyway, because how can a snack ruin your appetite? Turns out, it can!
You may still be able to eat your main meal, but it’s likely that you’ll consume less than you normally would minus the snack. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re going into a meal you know is going to be unhealthy (an overindulgent birthday party, for example) then planning a healthy snack right before can limit the damage.
Image source: bicycling.com
However, regularly snacking before your healthy home cooked meals can mean more calories going to ‘junk’ food, instead of to the nutritious food that makes up your meal. If you find yourself excessively hungry before your main meals, try planning a snack about 2-3 hours beforehand, instead of letting yourself go hungry and reaching for anything on hand too close to your mealtime.
“If you don’t finish all your food, you’ll have acne when you’re older”
Image source: Mirror
Okay, so maybe not everything Mom told you when you were younger was true. But it was all done from a heart of concern for your wellbeing. Our moms put so much of themselves into feeding us well when we were younger – and it’s about time we repay them in any way we can.
This Mother’s Day, we’ve decided that it’s our turn to feed Mom! We’re #feedingmom our Limited Edition Lavender Honey Granola, infused with real lavender flowers and lightly sweetened with honey. We’ve also thrown in crunchy pistachios, sunflower seeds, wild blueberries and sweet mulberries so you’ll be #feedingmom the BEST that nature has to offer!
For all the nagging advice, care, and mostly love that our Moms have given us over the years, let’s take the time to care for them too!
