Cathy Meehan: Let’s be honest, many of us know that we need to start eating healthier. But with all the information out there, we just don’t know where to start. On today’s episode of the Meehan Mission podcast, our special guest is Macy Hamilton. She’s a nutritional therapy practitioner, and her job is to help individuals and families and guide them through the world of nutrition. Now there’s a lot of information out there and she’s gonna help us break it down into what’s important, how we can take little steps in transforming the way we prepare meals, and what do we do with those picky eaters? Well, Macy’s got some great ideas and great information. So let’s welcome Macy to the show.
Cathy Meehan: Well, hello everyone and welcome to today’s episode of the Meehan Mission podcast. And I have a special guest, Miss Macy Hamilton. Macy, thank you for joining us today.
Macy Hamilton: So happy to be here.
Cathy Meehan: Well, first of all, we know how important nutrition is for health of ourselves, health of our family. And because you are a nutritional therapy practitioner, I thought who better to come introduce to our community so that you can help give us tips, hints, you know, what do we need to do to help raise healthy families and healthy kids?
Macy Hamilton: Yeah, perfect. Well, I’m so happy to be here, first of all. I just want to really simplify it for everyone because I know that parents, I’m a parent myself, I have two little boys, they’re three and four, and I know that it can be just so overwhelming. We don’t know where to start. We’re not trying to feed our kids poorly. We want what’s best for them. Like I said, it’s just so overwhelming. We’re being told from so many sides, something’s bad, good, vice versa. It’s so hard. So I’m here to really just simplify it and give parents the tools that can help them nourish their families, take it into their own hands and create healthier lifestyles for themselves and for their kids.
Cathy Meehan: That’s a great place because the other thing I want to bring about is, you know, what got you into wanting to learn about nutrition? And did it have anything to do with how you were raised?
Macy Hamilton: That’s a great question. So it did have a lot to do with how I was raised. I grew up with four other siblings. I’m one of five. My dad was a medical doctor and he, you know, we grew up in a very conventional household. It was really the standard American diet. It was, you know, Kraft Mac and Cheese with like cut up very overly processed sausage, stuff like that. Fruity Pebbles were like a staple in our breakfast, hot pockets. Just think standard American diet. That’s how I was raised. My dad was addicted to Mountain Dew for like years of his life until finally he made the change one day that he was an eye surgeon. And then he saw that, okay, instead of treating the latest stages of disease, let’s get to preventative medicine. And so… his journey really took our whole family through this journey of, you know, a more holistic way of living. And if that story sounds familiar to you, I, my dad is Dr. Jim Meehan and this is my mom. So, it was really, you know, just an amazing journey, witnessing it from a child to now where I am today. have that experience, can relate to so many people. It’s like, yeah, I grew up on the standard American diet and I’m fine for the most part. For the most part. You know, it’s kind of like no better, do better. And so I’m just so thankful to be here and the legacy that my dad built and the mission that my mom continues and me as well. And so I’m happy to be here.
Cathy Meehan: That is great. Well, you know, that really makes, well, number one, you forgot Toaster Strudels. my, Toaster Strudels. was a staple in. my children’s diet. Sorry about that, everybody. Know better, do better, right? But really, I just want to point out that trickle effect of dad realizing, or Jim, Dr. Meehan, realizing that we need to start focusing on nutrition and getting out the bad and bringing in the good, substituting where we can. And we really just kind of took gradual steps in doing that. But look what that decision carried out into the rest of the family. And now you make a career out of it and you’re making sure that your children are, you know, eating healthier and your husband’s eating healthier. And so what’s so important and again, why I wanted you to bring on to the show is that you can help educate parents on ways to incorporate healthier nutrition. So where do we start? That’s the big question.
Macy Hamilton: That’s the thing. And it starts with us as parents realizing that what more is caught than what is taught. And that’s really how I saw my parents transition. And at first I was like, uh, what is this? Like, no, I want to keep buying this stuff. But it’s also like they, they stopped buying these things like the Toaster Strudels, the Fruity Pebbles, the Kraft Mac and Cheese. And so we didn’t have access to that. And so it’s really taking it into your own hands as a parent, starting with yourself. And that, like my mom said, trickles down to your kids. And so it’s really about being intentional with how you are nourishing your family, starting with small steps like that.
Cathy Meehan: That’s good. So is there any sort of like a beginning step? What’s the main framework that a mom or dad or somebody wants to start with if they’re going to create a healthier nutritional plan for their family?
Macy Hamilton: Yeah, so I say start with simplicity. I like to recommend let’s add some things before we start subtracting everything. So that looks like let’s start with protein. OK, so the framework that I really suggest is focusing on protein first, some fiber and also just education. I think we really don’t realize how much children can understand. Like I said, I have a three and a four year old and I will just make little comments every single day about our nutrition because they can really absorb so much more than what we think. And so just being intentional with providing that education as we go along.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, and just an example, I know my granddaughter ate cupcakes at school. She wouldn’t eat the ones with the red dye in them because she didn’t know if the red dye was poisonous or not. So, and that’s where that education comes in. You start making them aware not to fearmonger the children, but let them know that, you know, we don’t eat things with artificial dyes, red dyes, blue dyes, and those kinds of things in there. yeah, education is key.
Macy Hamilton: Yes, education. And like I said, going back to that protein and the fiber, and so just structuring each meal around a protein. And so I, Let’s start with breakfast, for example. I believe that it’s a cliche, but it’s true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because that really sets the trajectory of your entire day, especially younger kids, feeding them a nourishing breakfast so that fuels them throughout their entire school day. We have to think of protein as really the building block that fuels so many things. So it’s gonna support your hunger, obviously, satiety, eating like a filling breakfast. is going to fuel them for their day so they’re not having those crashes. It’s going to support the blood sugar balance that also aids in minimizing those crashes, those mood swings, those tantrums throughout the day. so prioritizing that at breakfast that could look like eggs with some bacon and fresh fruit on the side. It could be as simple as making pre-hard boiled eggs, cutting that up with some pre-made like chicken sausage, throwing that in the air fryer. That could be protein pancakes. There are some great cleaner quality protein pancakes out there on the market. Or if you wanted to save a little money, pre-make those in a batch, you can do that. So starting with protein at breakfast, fueling their day, adding a little bit of fiber. So that’s gonna look like some avocados, some fresh berries, stuff like that. that sounds easy, right?
Cathy Meehan: It does sound easy, but you know, it really takes practice and it takes planning. Yes. And I loved your idea of pre making the pancakes because you can do that and you can make, you know, a couple of days worth of pancakes where all you have to do is pull them out of the refrigerator or freezer. I freeze mine because that lasts a lot longer. And so if I make a huge batch, I can just throw them in the freezer, pop them in the air fryer, oven, microwave, whatever it is. And kids love pancakes. love them. So let’s talk about why do we need so much fiber? What’s that good for?
Macy Hamilton: Yeah, fiber is a I like to think of it as another building block along with that protein because that’s what fuels the good gut, the good bacteria in our gut. Again, think of the body as a holistic machine. Everything works together. And so that gut, that microbiome, all of that is also gonna play a part in hormone regulation, satiety, mood stability, all of these things that we want for our… ourselves and for our children, especially those school-aged children, you have to think what we put in their bodies fuels their entire day. And so that’s really going to help with all of that support that they need.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah. It’s so important just to get that balanced diet, I think, in there for kids. Let’s talk about making it simple and how, what do you do to make things simple for your kids? Do you have like a go-to menu? or do you have like favorite meals? What are some hints for making it so
Macy Hamilton: I tell parents all the time, if we really simplify it to the basic aspect of let’s try to consume whole real foods for the majority of our diets, that really fills in so many of the gaps. instead of having to think about how much protein, how much fiber, how much carbohydrates and fats. If we’re consuming whole real food, that’s gonna fill a lot of the gaps and give you pretty much everything that you need without really having to think of it versus the standard American diet, crackers, deli meats, highly processed, ultra processed foods. That’s gonna be trickier. You’re gonna have to think about it. making sure that you’re filling every single box of the macro and micronutrients. And so if that feels overwhelming, just consume meats, fruits, vegetables, less processed carbohydrates for the most part. that really, that’s easier to prepare. Just cut up some strawberries, cut up some cucumbers, throw in some chopped up chicken, just throw that in their lunch. And that really fills in the gaps and it simplifies that for parents.
Cathy Meehan: Well, I find for myself now, I’m only cooking for one person now, but even my grocery shopping is a lot easier now because I just really go, you know, kind of the outside of the supermarket and I get fruits and vegetables and my meats and eggs. And that’s really my diet. That’s really it. so it made my grocery shopping a lot easier and even my meal prep, because I just grabbed some whole foods and that’s. That’s my meal.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah, exactly. I don’t know if this brings up the conversation of the cost of eating primarily whole foods, because I know that is a concern for the majority of people today. And it is actually very cost effective if we are still eating these nutrient dense whole foods, like my mom said, shopping the perimeter of the store. Also eating, you know, some canned beans, some rice, some potatoes. those more filling carbohydrates that are still very cost effective, buying in bulk, shopping at your local farmer’s market. There are strategies that we can make that will not break the bank. And I also like to go back to the point of every single decision, you are going to have to sacrifice something. And so ask yourself, what are you willing to sacrifice? And so for me, I am willing to sacrifice a little bit more money and a little bit more time if that means I am providing my family with nutrient dense food that is going to fuel every aspect of their life. so I also like to think of, you know, the food that they’re eating also fuels the immune function. So great point. I’m giving them food that I know is going to create an environment in their body. where they have more resilience, when they do come in contact with, you know, colds, flus, viruses, whatever it may be, that their system is functioning more optimally because of the fuel that we have added to the system. And so I am personally willing to make the sacrifice of a little bit more money. But again, that comes back to you as a parent, making those informed decisions for your family.
Cathy Meehan: Yes, I love that you brought up the fact that if you are feeding your body healthy fuels, that is going to just boost your immune system, help you get over sickness faster, limit chronic disease. mean, how many chronic diseases have we heard of that were literally eliminated just by better nutritional choices? So that’s going to save you there health cost wise. I love that idea. The other thing that I’ve always wanted to do is go into a like big chain grocery supermarket type place. And I know this is crazy, but I want to go up to somebody’s grocery cart and look at all the stuff that’s in there, like the little Debbie cakes and the Mountain Dews and the, you know, white bread and you know, all of these things that are really do not have a lot of nutrition to them. and add that grocery bill up and let’s say it’s $150. Well, what would that $150 buy you in Whole Foods? I just, really, that one day, I’m gonna do that. I’ve said that for years, but I really think I wanna do that. If you’re not spending your dollars wasting them on food that’s not nutritious, let’s convert those dollars over to something that’s a little bit healthier.
Macy Hamilton: And yeah, and like I said, there are strategies to it. There is a way to really offset the cost of it and make it more affordable and also just more nourishing. And so I think that is worth every penny. I believe it is one of the, if not the most important jobs as a parent is fueling your family because it impacts so much of their life. And I also want to talk about, you know, when I say these the whole foods and talking about, chopped up chicken, like I said, stuff like this, it can bring up the topic of picky eaters. And I think that’s a valid concern. but also as parents, whatever we buy, whatever is in the house, that’s what our children are going to have access to. And so if they do gravitate towards, you know, the little Debbie cakes or the Froot Loops, whatever it may be, these snack foods, If you just stop buying it and it’s not in the house, then your children can’t over consume them. You can’t over consume them. And so it’s like, let’s prioritize buying the stuff and putting the stuff in our refrigerators that is going to fuel our family and limit the overly processed stuff because that is what our children are going to naturally gravitate. gravitate towards is, the snack food, the sugary items. So let’s just not buy it. And also whatever we put on their plate, that is their choice. We will give them the choice. If they choose to eat it or not, that is up to them. but what we put on their plate, that is what they’re having. I don’t make a separate breakfast, lunch, or dinner for my children. They get what I prepare for the family.
Cathy Meehan: No, yeah, that’s, and that is a slippery slope because as soon as you start substituting or, you know, and believe me, I had five kids, so I couldn’t make, you know, five different meals. It was like, this is what you get and you’re going to eat it or not, or if you’re not hungry right now, we’ll save it for later. But you you can’t, you are the parent, you are the one, you know, let’s start teaching them that they eat what they’re served and do that.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah. I like to say you provide, they decide.
Cathy Meehan: I like that. Did not learn that from me, but I learned that from you. That was a good one. I like that. I like that.
Macy Hamilton: Also going back to the snacks and things that you have in your household. I think this is where people get this really, idea that, okay, but going healthy is so expensive. So in that note, so let’s say you have Fruity Pebbles in your house, which is a cheap cereal filled with dyes and they haven’t gotten all the dyes out yet. Delicious but not nutritious. do have substitutes for Fruity Pebbles and yes those are much more expensive. So that’s where this idea of yeah but if I go healthy it’s so expensive. Okay I agree with you there that is very expensive but the goal is to really only eat those Fruity Pebbles or the healthy ones on special occasions. I wouldn’t make that your breakfast every morning. That’s where you substitute with like eggs, which are very inexpensive and much better. fresh fruit. Eggs take less than five minutes to prepare. It’s whole foods, very nutrient dense. Again, it’s filling in a lot of those gaps. If you’re eating two eggs and a cup of raspberries, that fills the fats, the carbohydrates from the raspberries, the fiber from the raspberries, the protein from the eggs. All of that, really fills in all of those gaps.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, those are good. You know, I also want to talk about snacking because I know a lot of kids, they’ll just want to snack all day. I think, you know, adults do that too. Yes. They snack all day. So is that a good idea to do just a bunch of snacks all day or is it better to have, I don’t know, three big meals? What’s the general consensus on that?
Macy Hamilton: I think that we need to provide more structure for ourselves and for our children. So what that might look like is, okay, we’re gonna eat a consistent breakfast, lunch and dinner, three meals a day, and then maybe one or two snacks here and there, but really prioritizing those three meals, protein focused at each meal, and then snacks in between. So, and making sure that those snacks, going back to making sure that that carbohydrate is paired with a fat or a protein. I think that structure will really fill in a lot of the questions and leave children satisfied to where they’re not having to go back and eat a million snacks. And it’s also going back to kind of that picky eating. It’s, okay, we’re gonna provide this food. If you don’t wanna eat this for breakfast, okay, you can have it as a snack or for lunch later, but you’re not going to get a second option. I’m not going to make you another breakfast. You can have the breakfast that I’m serving or you can wait till lunchtime. And I think some options for healthy snacks being paired with say a protein or a carbohydrate for my boys, they really love just yogurt as a snack. Any fresh fruit with say peanut butter or some cheese on the side. So they love bananas with peanut butter. They also love apples with raw cheese slices. I make some sourdough crackers with tuna salad. They love tuna salad as a snack, which I thought was so funny. That’s another thing is just put the, you might think your child would never touch something, but they are obsessed. I don’t like tuna. I don’t like tuna, but my boys are obsessed with it. So I’m like, okay. And another example is I put chopped up cucumbers on their plate and I was like, they will never touch it. No, they guzzled it down. And so I was like, okay, I need to give them a little bit more credit because maybe how I was raised, I wouldn’t have touched that. But let’s give our children more credit. Let’s provide the food and they can decide if they want to eat it or not. And so, yes, going back to that structure, children thrive off of structure. And also they are very, children are very good at regulating their hunger. And so don’t stress if your child doesn’t take a bite of something.
Cathy Meehan: They might not be hungry. I worry about that sometimes. They’ll go like four hours without eating. And I keep asking them, are you hungry? Are you hungry? Are you hungry?
Macy Hamilton: No, they will let you know when they’re hungry. But it’s our job to provide that structure, provide the nourishing food, and then they can decide what they want to do with it.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, I think that’s good. Yeah, because sometimes the kids, they just literally are not hungry.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah. They are not. And I do not believe in force feeding. You know, I don’t, I’m… I’m not a clean plate supporter. It’s like children will eat when they’re hungry. Now, I’m not gonna make you a different meal 10 minutes later. You can go back to the meal that you didn’t eat and eat then. But again, I like that. We provide and they decide. I like that. Let’s talk about the dirty word sugar. Sugar and kids. What is your take on how kids love sugar?
Cathy Meehan: They love, love, love sugar. To me, my thought is if you eliminate some of that sugar, then they kind of, I don’t know, they lose that desire for sugar or it’s not as strong. face it, sugar is addictive. So maybe do we supply them less sugar or within boundaries? What’s your thought on sugar in kids?
Macy Hamilton: Yes, so I mean, have to go back, think about ancestrally. we didn’t have access to sugar like we do now. And so of course our body’s first response when it’s hungry or needs some energy is those fast carbohydrates. And that’s going to be sugar. That’s going to give you that immediate boost of blood sugar for that energy, for that boost of carbohydrates. So of course for children and for adults, our first gravitation is towards that sugar. What we can do about that is let’s eliminate processed sugar as much as possible. Now, fruit, the sugar that’s in fruit have as much as you would like because when we are eating a single ingredient whole foods, say an apple or banana or berries, that is going to be paired with that fiber, which is going to blunt the blood sugar response that we would get from just consuming a tablespoon of sugar or a little Debbie cake or any processed. carbohydrate or sugar snack. That’s going to give you that huge boost of blood sugar versus it’s going to be more stable when it’s paired with fiber, protein or fat. And so that’s all about that blood sugar regulation, which goes back to satiety, the hormone signaling, the mood stability, eliminating some of those tantrums from those maybe blood sugar spikes. And so it’s all about, sugar is not good nor bad, but we just have to be aware of its actions in the body depending on how it is consumed. And so that it’s not something to be afraid of. It’s something to just be intentional about. I think if you know how it works, then you can better feed your children less, less carb spiking foods.
Cathy Meehan: That makes sense. I just think about when the kids come to visit me and sometimes sometimes G-ma gives them a little sugar.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah. Yes. And you see the effects. You really do. I mean, those kids are bouncing all over the place.
Cathy Meehan: So anyway, so just I’ll try not to feed them sugar right before you come pick them up or anything like that.
Macy Hamilton: no, they’re fine. Everything in moderation.
Cathy Meehan: Everything in moderation. Everything in moderation. that’s my right as a grandmother to do whatever I want. So, okay. Let’s talk about dyes and additives and all the stuff that they put in the standard American food supply that they should not be putting in our food supply. What do we want to watch for?
Macy Hamilton: Yeah. So that goes back to if you are feeding your family intentionally and you are aware of what you’re buying and the principle, okay, let’s consume mostly whole real foods. I don’t think it’s something to worry about as much, say your child is going to a birthday party and they’re eating cupcakes with dye in it. Hopefully we have built their systems to combat that with resilience. that goes back to, let’s nourish them so that they have that resilience so that when they go to the birthday party and they consume this dye, it’s not going to throw off everything that you have worked towards. Now, if you’re consuming it every single day, Okay, let’s evaluate that. Where are those coming from? And that kind of goes back to the choices that we’re making as parents in buying those sorts of foods. yes, those can have real effects. And that’s something that we need to be aware of and avoid it for the most part. But also let’s eliminate the fear around it. Cause I know it has been, I have even fallen for the fear traps where it’s like, my gosh, my child’s at this birthday party and they had a dyed cupcake. I’m having a freakout now. No, they are resilient. They are going to be fine. They are going to be fine. Let’s just be aware and intentional about it.
Cathy Meehan: Yes, I like that. Yes. In moderation and special occasions. Yes. You know, I think there’s nothing wrong with celebrating special occasions with birthday cake and cupcakes and that type of thing. And you’re right. We have to make sure that there is no fear associated with that because that’s the last thing we want to do is associate food with fear. I think that’s where we get into different problems. So let’s talk about, a lot of parents have questions and need ideas on school lunches, right? I remember school lunches. I’d pack five school lunches and I put them on the counter and it had everybody’s name on it. And you guys picked them up as you went out the door and, hello, maybe healthier than the school lunch. And I remember James, his favorite was peanut butter and jelly. And I had to put pretzels in there so he could put pretzels on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Macy Hamilton: Well, and I, I did not, I hated peanut butter growing up. And so I wouldn’t make my mom make me just jelly sandwiches. And now I think about that and I’m like, my gosh, those blood sugar spikes I must have been facing because. My lunch would be a jelly sandwich, probably a clementine, maybe some chips, and maybe that was it. But think about that. There’s really no protein. Sorry mom, throwing you under the bus. There’s no protein in that. Pretty processed. I mean, she was probably buying maybe healthier chips. Oh, it was like chips. It’s SunChips. It was a healthier chip. yeah. so I just think, wow. Healthy was blood sugar spikes. No wonder I was.
Cathy Meehan: You turned out great.
Macy Hamilton: turned out fine.
Cathy Meehan: exactly. So let’s eliminate the fear. But yes, no better, do better.
Macy Hamilton: And so for my boys, again, just like any meal, let’s simplify it. Let’s start with protein. So I start with usually a beef jerky. They love salmon jerky. EPIC Foods. They make a maple salmon jerky steak, which they are obsessed with. Another food that I am shocked that they enjoy, but they Cannot get enough of those. So a beef jerky, I’ll do turkey and cheese sandwiches. I will do chopped up chicken with a side of barbecue sauce that they can dip it in. I will do some turkey and cheese roll ups. So starting with the protein and then I’ll always do a fresh fruit with that. So some strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples. sometimes some peanut butter on the side, and then usually a less processed chip on the side. they make some great, they’re called like space balls. They make great alternatives. I’ll throw that in sometimes as like a treat for them. And then usually a yogurt pouch or a cup of yogurt. And with that, you’re also getting some protein, fat, good fat in there for you. And so just making sure that overall they’re lunches are more balanced. And so that goes back to just supporting them throughout their day, making sure they have the fuel that they need so that they can perform optimally.
Cathy Meehan: And if I would have known then start with a protein. Yeah. think that’s what, yeah, but today in my world, we start with a protein.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah. Start with a protein.
Cathy Meehan: In fact, I think I eat more protein now than I did in all my years combined.
Macy Hamilton: So another snack that I forget. that my boys love is those seaweed packs. So the dry seaweed. Another shocking one that I think. but they love that. And that’s another good way to, they’re getting something green in. I know it’s kind of a joke how children today, they eat just beige diets. And so if you are aware, if you look at it, it’s like, okay, they’re eating some chicken nuggets, some french fries, and maybe a banana. Those are all beige foods.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, no color.
Macy Hamilton: We need that color and variety because in nature that means different components and micronutrients that our bodies need to be fueled. And so making sure that we’re getting that variety in whenever we can.
Cathy Meehan: yeah, that’s so important. Just look at the, rainbow. Don’t they sometimes call it like a rainbow?
Macy Hamilton: Skittles says, taste the rainbow.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, Skittles. They make a healthy Skittles. They have a better alternative.
Macy Hamilton: They do have a better alternative.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah. It’s insane. I I think it’s really great though, that parents, and the other thing is like, we talked about dyes and additives and things like that. Just read the label.
Macy Hamilton: Yes. Yes. Just turn it over and read the label.
Cathy Meehan: And it’s crazy. Even like the foods that I grew up on will take like Gatorade, for example. Gatorade back then is not the same Gatorade that they make today. Same thing, McDonald’s French fries. When I grew up, was tallow, potatoes, and salt. And if you look at the ingredients on French fries, yeah, it’s just absolutely ridiculous. it’s, you might say, well, I was fine. I grew up on those foods. Well, the thing that we are missing is the fact that those foods have been transformed into processed, cheap, know, massed foods that you don’t even want your dog eating. A lot of those things you really don’t. you know, what we, what I grew up on is not the same thing that’s available now.
Macy Hamilton: So that goes back to reading labels and focusing on whole foods because if we, cannot rely on the government or, you know, these food processors, industry, can’t rely on them for our health. It’s going to take us, our education.
Cathy Meehan: our, you know, doing podcasts and bringing on guests and just really helping with the education because it’s not that hard, but it is a lifestyle change. mean, it’s a, and, you know, I suggest you take baby steps. know when we, our whole family had to go through that transformation. tell people like my favorite meal was to get all the kids in the minivan and drive through Wendy’s for the dollar meal because you got a burger. fries and a small frosty for $3 times five kids was $15 plus some tax. And you know, that was easy. And I don’t think that was really that healthy, but it got us to where we are today. So I am thankful for that. But what we did was instead of eating out five times a week, we cut it down to like, let’s just go out two times a week.
Macy Hamilton: And then we started like converting some of the foods that we had in the pantry. example, now Fruity Pebbles was the last thing to go because everybody loved Fruity Pebbles, but we would substitute with healthier alternatives. And it was just really that baby steps and getting used to it. And I think, you know, that’s where you have to go.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah. it’s in baby steps. It’s not about controlling.
Macy Hamilton: It’s about raising our children so that when they grow up, they can make these own decisions for themselves. Because now I’m so thankful that they made that decision while I was still under their roof because now it’s, I don’t ever crave those sort of, I could not tell you the last time I had a Wendy’s or anything like that. And it’s because we transitioned away from that. And I saw, you know, how nourishing real food made me feel. And so, I was empowered by those decisions that they made to then make these decisions for myself and my family. So it’s all about, again, going back to that education, starting young, empowering them to make better decisions for their own health when they grow up.
Cathy Meehan: Yeah, I love it. I love it. Macy, this has been so fun. Do you have any final advice or things that you want parents to know as they are you know, transforming their nutritional plan for their families.
Macy Hamilton: Yeah, I mean, it just goes back. Don’t feel overwhelmed. I know it can feel like that with, you know, so many different voices, but just simplify it. Take it into your own hands. Just start with baby steps, simple steps that you can make to nourish yourself and your family. Don’t. Don’t feel overwhelmed. Just start with one thing at a time. Start with protein tomorrow morning for breakfast. Let that be your first step and just make gradual changes along the way. This took years for us to get to the point where we are now. And so just go at your own pace. Always continue to educate yourself, your family. This is a great resource. So yeah, I’m just happy that you have me on. Thank you so much.
Cathy Meehan: And for our audience, thank you for joining us today. and please subscribe to our channel and pass this information on to other families that you know can benefit when it comes to learning things about their nutrition. So until next time, y’all have a blessed day. Thanks for coming on.
