Was your New Year’s resolution to practice more self-care? Start your year off right by eating foods for both a healthy body and mind. After all, you can’t take care of your families unless you take care of yourself.

Healthy eating helps you feel good both physically and mentally. Besides the obvious reason for preventing health problems, it gives you energy for the day and helps to de-stress. Below are some healthy eating tips to help funeral directors in their professional and personal life.

MyPlate Healthy Eating

MyPlate is all about eating balanced and healthy meals. It breaks up your meal into five categories: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. By eating nutritious foods and less sodium, saturated fats, and added sugars, you can have a more healthy body and mind. This lessens your chances of developing health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

It’s one thing to want to eat healthily and another to find time to make healthy meals. The day in the life of a funeral director can be unpredictable; some days you may have very little free time. But eating healthy doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment.

For example, the meal below follows the MyPlate categories and is quick and easy to make.

Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry and Yogurt Fruit Parfait:

Fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

Vegetables: broccoli, celery, kale

Grains: brown rice

Protein: chicken, cashews

Dairy: glass of skim or almond milk, low-fat Greek yogurt

Just be sure to choose a low-sodium option for your stir-fry sauce! If you want some more tips on how to build a healthy meal, check out this MyPlate article.

De-stressing Foods

According to the National Institutes of Health, superfoods not only contain nutrients, but they help with detoxification and reducing stress. So, after a long day of work in the funeral profession, resist the temptation of junk food and try these superfood alternatives:

• Broccoli
• Celery
• Kale
• Nuts
• And more!

For example, the Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry includes all the de-stressing foods mentioned above. It’s as simple as choosing a few de-stressing foods and finding a recipe to make them into a delicious, healthy meal.

Energizing Foods

Many foods contain natural ingredients that provide us energy for our busy day. To stay energized to help your families with funeral planning and grieving, try eating these foods:

• Fresh berries
• Dark chocolate
• Nuts
• And others!

All these ingredients can be toppings on a yogurt fruit parfait. It’s a healthy breakfast to start your day, or a delicious dessert to end it.

Also, don’t forget that healthy eating and exercising go hand-in-hand with keeping both your mind and body healthy. Check out this fitness article for some tips on how to stay active.

What are your favorite healthy recipes? Share some suggestions in the comments below!