Health advice from Canadian mothers

Mom's best advice from our friends
My mom taught me the importance of good, balanced nutrition. We had plenty of fresh vegetables and almost no processed or sugary foods. A healthy diet is something I'm now passing on to my daughter.
– Lisa Bendall, Toronto

My mom rarely experienced common ailments such as headaches, colds or muscle stiffness. Whenever her peers succumbed to such things, one of her favourite comments was, "Nerves have a lot to do with it." These days we would call it stress. Her remedy was to stop wallowing in your problems and "get on with it." I agree that we can make ourselves sick by focusing too much on the negative and not tackling our day-to-day work with a good attitude. I've more than once told my own kids to stop whining and get on with it!
– Joanne McGarry, Toronto

My mom always said yogurt was good for your intestines. In Holland, plain yogurt packaged in one-litre jugs is on everyone's table in the morning. For breakfast, my mom ate plain yogurt mixed with a high-fibre cereal or muesli, a tablespoon of flaxseed, and fruit such as strawberries, blueberries or apples. And that's what I do, too. Her other health wisdom: have fun and laugh every day. She liked to tell jokes and was always the life of the party.
– Ylva Van Buuren, Picton, Ont.

My mother would line us all up every day in the winter and administer a teaspoon of cod liver oil down the line. This was back in the days when mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl either weren't on the radar or didn't exist. Turns out she was way ahead of the vitamin D curve (cod liver oil contains a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, plus vitamins D and A) and there's evidence it has a good effect on your bones, brain, heart, hair, nails and skin. Mostly, I remember it tasted really, really awful. I don't take cod liver oil today, but I do take vitamin D and am constantly urging my daughter to do the same.
– Patricia Anderson, Toronto

My mom always said to try not to eat after 8 p.m. That may have been partly a personalized diet trick as well as health advice; I always suffered from indigestion and that was something she passed along to help out.
– Lyndsie Bourgon, Halifax

My mom was a big fan of fighting colds with garlic. Garlic on toast, garlic in the soup... As a teenager I pooh-poohed it as some kind of witchery and rolled my eyes at the thought. Fast-forward to today, and when I have a cold, the first thing I reach for is garlic. I like to imagine it burning the cold germs away. I bet my kids are tired of me talking about it, but I know they'll probably come around, just like I did.
– Andrea Tomkins, Ottawa

"Fish is brain food – eat it and you'll be smart." My kids and I eat fish and seafood at least twice a week. My mom's other words of wisdom:
• Don't add salt to any food that has been processed: it's already got too much salt.
• Trim every speck of fat off meat before you cook it.
• When it comes to leftovers – when in doubt, throw it out.
• Get eight hours of sleep every night (one hour of sleep in the afternoon is worth two hours of sleep at night).
• Stay out of the sun; it makes your skin leathery.
• Pat – never rub – your face dry.
• Apply moisturizer with your fourth finger; it's the weakest finger and therefore the gentlest on your face.
– Jacquelyn Waller-Vintar, Toronto

"Get outside and get some fresh air!" Mom never let us stay inside for more than an hour at a time. I thought it was because she wanted peace and quiet – but even now, she spends every minute she can outside, in the garden, walking the dogs or playing with my kids.
– Julie Beun-Chown, Carp, Ont.

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• Menu: For mom with love
• Getting along with mom
• Becoming mom

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