5 Effective Tips To Improve Your Diet Right Now

Whether you’re trying to lose weight, improve fitness or battle an illness, most people have a reason to fine-tune their diet. The problem is, it feels like we’re constantly being fed conflicting information. 5 Effective Tips To Improve Your Diet Right Now

What was once a recommendation to eat three portions of greens every day has grown to five, eight and is now even stated as a 10-a-day guideline by some health authorities? Good eating has become stuffed with buzzwords and well-meaning as the goalposts of a healthy diet have shifted before us. But while everybody agrees that a balanced diet is something we should all aim for, balanced against what? How is equilibrium gained?

Below we look at five simple steps that are universally agreed to improve your diet for the better.

Make Time For breakfast

It’s the most important meal of the day so we’re told, yet many people choose to skip over it. There is much debate over what makes the ideal breakfast but what is not in doubt is that any breakfast is better than none.

A morning meal will kick-start your metabolism, provide you with a vital injection of energy and aid your concentration and endurance throughout the day.

Consume More Fluids

Another basic thing which the majority of the population under-consume is water. As something which accounts for 60% of our body weight, water is an essential part of our diet.

There are various recommendations regarding how much fluid we should take on every day but it’s agreed that between 50-75% of people in the Western world suffer from dehydration. By using a daily drinking bottle, you can ensure you always consume a measured amount as a minimum and increase the amount you currently drink.

Get Back Into The Kitchen

Life in the modern world has become easier in many different ways. There is a danger that this increased ease will lull us into a less healthy lifestyle. Convenience food and ready-meals have become a regular staple in many diets. But while they have improved in quality over recent years, they still contain high levels of salt, sugar and saturated fats.

Swapping processed food with home-cooked food is more involving, however, it provides a better source of nutrition and can save you money. Most importantly, it puts you back in control of what you’re eating.

Get Juicing

Not all things designed for convenience are detrimental to healthy living. Juicing has become an increasingly modern trend which provides a great source of nutrition in a quick and easy form.

Because there’s a wide range of food types that can be juiced, there are recipes that cater to all dietary needs from allergies to illnesses such as diabetes. While juicing should not form a basis for a healthy diet, it can greatly embellish a healthy lifestyle in many different ways.

Don’t Fly Solo

The biggest problem with almost all dietary changes is that they are too extreme in their ambition. Minor tweaks and habit-forming additions to your routine offer more viable long-term results than attempting to overhaul your lifestyle.

What can be even more beneficial is having someone take the journey with you. Not only does this give you a support network, but it can also improve the lives of the people around you too.
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How To Budget For a Baby: A Guide For New Parents

Once you bring your baby home from the hospital, you’ll quickly find that a child is expensive. From clothes to diapers to food to childcare, it’s not cheap to raise a child these days. In fact, estimates show that the cost of raising a child tops out at over $233,000. With that in mind, it’s important when to budget before your baby is even born. Here’s how to do it.How-to-budget-for-a-new-baby

Budgeting Basics Still Apply

You may have heard that Europe’s childcare costs are higher, but it’s pricey to raise a child anywhere. That’s why you need to break out your basic budgeting skills and get to work. It’s important to anticipate child-related expenditures and budget them into your monthly spending. A simple spreadsheet is the easiest way to stay on track. A simple log of income and buying will help you balance your child’s needs with your paycheck. budgeting when preparing for a baby seems non-existent but it can be done. By following these steps in articles prepared by
Financial Priorities: Retirement vs. College Savings

Most financial experts will tell you that it’s more important to save for your own retirement than your child’s college. That might not be a comfortable thing to consider, but most college students have access to loans and grants to get them through. The same cannot be said for retirement and you must be prepared for your later years by putting money away now, even if that means you can’t fund your child’s college education.

Practice Living on Less

One of the best ways to save on anything, including child-related expenses, is to live below your means. That means not moving to a bigger and newer house every time you get a raise and not buying your child the latest pair of pricey basketball shoes. Living on less enables you to save money for the future and teaches your child a valuable lesson about financial responsibility.

Anticipate Ongoing Changes to Expenses

While you can expect to spend some amount of money on your child each month, those expenses change. For example, your teen child is going to cost a lot more money in groceries than your toddler. However, you won’t need diapers once your child hits preschool and is potty trained. You’ll also need to take into account school fees for your kids as they get older. Anticipating these changes makes it easier to budget accordingly so that you aren’t coming up short at the end of the month.

When There Just Isn’t Enough

It’s no secret that raising kids is expensive, but there’s help out there if you find there isn’t enough. Public assistance programs can help you find affordable housing and provide you with enough food to feed your family. Other ways to make ends meet include finding a part-time job to supplement your income, cutting unnecessary costs, such as cable television or your morning Starbucks run. You might also consider shopping for clothes and other items at second-hand stores where you can save a lot of cash on stuff your kids need.

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Related Parenting:
5 Tips for Your Best Possible Pregnancy
Getting Ready for Baby-Nursery Set-Up 101

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Clever me MemoVase – 8″ Ceramic Flower Vase with Detachable Bamboo Whiteboard

I had the opportunity to review a Clever MemoVase. It is a fun kind of vase that has a whiteboard on the front for changing messages throughout the year, birthdays, anniversaries, or just to share a nice message,  “Have a Good Day!”  Would even be fun for kids taking turns writing their names for a week. What a clever idea!!

Clever MemoVase

  • Heart-shaped 8-inch white ceramic flower vase with detachable whiteboard made from sustainable bamboo
  • Designed, engineered and assembled in the USA (made from US and global materials)
  • Whiteboard securely snaps into place; whiteboard can be used with any standard whiteboard marker (one black marker included) and erased with a dry paper towel
  • US and international patents pending
  • Perfect present for birthdays, weddings, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day
  • Perhaps the most unique flower vase on the market today. Our US-based development team spend over 3 years getting it just right: the design of the perfect heart-shape, the most suitable ceramic mix, the right feel and the most sustainable materials.

MemoVase makes a great Birthday Gift MemoVase makes a great Birthday Gift

Measuring a little over 8 inches in height and 9 inches in width, the Clever me® MemoVase is very transportable, easily fits on any tabletop and will hold most small/standard flower bouquets (long stems will need to be cut and large bouquets will not fit).

The whiteboard can be used over and over again. We have included one black marker, but feel free to add some color using any standard whiteboard marker. When the occasion is over, simply wipe the board clean with a dry paper towel and you are good to go for the next birthday, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or any “no-reason-just-because” surprise.

MemoVase is available on Splash Brands
You can find them on Facebook
You can also find them on Amazon

What to Do with Those Gift Cards and Vouchers Your Kids Will Never Use

Gift cards and gift vouchers in India are a popular way to give gifts, especially when it comes to kids. What’s cool one minute isn’t cool the next, so by purchasing gift cards, you enable the child to buy what they like.

That is, if they like that store. If they don’t, that gift card is going to sit in a drawer until it expires.

Don’t let those gift cards go to waste! Even if your child doesn’t want to go shopping at that particular store, there are still plenty of things you can do with those gift cards and vouchers.  What to Do with Those Gift Cards and Vouchers Your Kids Will Never Use

    1. Sell Them

Many parents would argue that the best way to get rid of those gift cards and vouchers is to sell them. After all, if you get the cash for the card, your kid can go shopping wherever he wants!

Unfortunately, selling those cards can be a bit tricky. You can always ask people on social media if they would be willing to purchase the card from you, but your best bet is to use a gift card exchange site. Instead of getting cash for the card, you can give your card to someone who will use it and they will provide you with a card that your kid will use.

    1. Donate Them

It’s important to teach your child about charity at an early age. Not only is it a great way to help others in need, they’ll learn that it makes them feel good too. One way your kid can help is to donate the gift cards they won’t use.

A few organizations that would love those gift cards and vouches include:

  • Schools
  • Churches
  • Children’s clubs
  • National charities
  • Nonprofits

Not only can the organization spend the money directly, they can also auction or raffle off the cards to raise money.

    1. Regift Them

Just because your child doesn’t want to use the gift card doesn’t mean someone else wouldn’t appreciate it! Consider regifting those cards to friends and family who will actually be excited about receiving them. They can be put in a greeting card or they can be added to a goody basket.

Just make sure you remember who gifted you the card in the first place so you don’t accidentally give them the card back!

    1. Use the Cards to Buy Gifts

Men complain about giving gifts to women, and vice versa, but kids are hard to buy for too! Don’t spend your own money buying gifts when you can use those gift cards to buy gifts instead.

The next time a birthday rolls around, head to the store with your child and see if you can find something to purchase that the birthday boy or girl would like.

Don’t let those gift cards and vouchers collect dust in your drawer until they’re obsolete! With the tips on this list, you can put those gift cards to good work, even if your child isn’t excited about the card itself.

Related:
Benefits of Using Gift Cards While Traveling Overseas
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A Guide to Setting a Budget and Saving for a Rainy Day

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