On a mailing list for moms that I subscribe to, the discussion is currently focused on protectiveness. It’s as if biologically, once you become a mother, your brain gets hard-wired to be protective — not just about your own child, but about children everywhere. One woman even suggested that just watching the news has become too much for her to handle because it saddens her to think about all the kids out there who are going hungry, being mistreated, you name it.

What does this have to do with healthy eating, you say? Well … I find this really interesting. Enough women jumped in and acknowledged this phenomenon of a mental rewiring that I have to believe it must have some sort of helpful function, and it’s likely a physical change brought on by all those hormones from pregnancy/childbirth. (This isn’t something I’ve researched, though, so don’t quote me on this!) Or maybe it’s just something that happens because you realize how precious and fragile human life is when you hold a tiny baby in your arms. Who knows?

But what every mom on this list also talks about a lot is struggling to find a balance between their kids’ and spouse’s needs and their own needs. I know that when I know my son is unhappy (and by that, I don’t mean just upset because I won’t replay an Elmo video on YouTube for him) :) it is nearly impossible for me to concentrate on anything else. He is currently teething and really quite miserable as a molar makes its way into his mouth, and he’s been feeling lousy; I have to admit it’s hard to get anything done when he’s suffering, which is why I do much, if not most of my work once he’s sleeping.

But we moms have to take care of ourselves, feed ourselves right.

I come back to an analogy over and over that I came across shortly before Alex was born. (If I’m repeating myself here, it’s because this has made such an impression on me, and I’ll repeat it again and again if need be.) And that is that there’s a reason why when you’re on an airplane, they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before putting one on your child.

The reason is simple: If mama isn’t taking care of herself, how can she take proper care of her child? Gasping for breath all the time leads to collapse over time. (Not as quickly as in the airplane low-oxygen situation, of course!)

We mamas have to look out for ourselves.

And a big part of that — no, a HUGE part of it — is making sure we feel our best, which just so happens to be related in very, very large part to what we eat. Which in turn is strongly related to how we feel and how we look.

The moment I eat junk food, I feel lousier. Well, maybe there’s a half-hour in which I don’t. But my body actually lets me know I’ve done it a disservice on the rare occasions when I eat something that isn’t good for me.

Even if your body isn’t as sensitive as mine about such things, I know that other problems arise in the longer term when you don’t eat well, don’t stay physically active, don’t use that oxygen mask to make sure you’re getting what your body needs to thrive so that you can take better care of your kids.

And likewise, though of course I focus a lot on healthy eating as the best thing to do for oneself in terms of self-care, there’s more to it than that. Sometimes you just need to take a long, hot shower. Some women like manicures or to get their hair done. Some of us would just be happy to have time to read a book of our choosing once in a while in peace.

Whatever your needs (and I don’t mean a huge, frivilous amount of self-care, just the basics you need to feel sane and as if you’re able to take care of yourself), I strongly encourage you to eat well as a PRIORITY.

It will give you:

• better health
• better sleep
• more energy
• less fatigue
• less hormone … um … erraticism (hormones level out optimally when you eat the way I recommend)
• less moodiness and irritability (i.e., less crankiness around the kids!)
• and there’s more, but I think you get the picture :)

All of these things lead to a happier life in your household. So why would you put it off?