We hope that you’ve been able to learn about some helpful tasks and tips that you can do during your adoption wait in Lifetime Adoption’s blog series “Before You Adopt.”

You remember that a few months back, we blogged about getting in shape before you adopt. In today’s installment of this blog series, we’re offering tips on another healthy activity you can do as you wait to be picked by a birth mother: develop a high-quality, nutritious eating plan. 

A healthy diet and high-quality, nutritious food will go a long way towards keeping you going during the ups and downs of adoption. We understand that the adoption journey can be stressful, and so you’ll want to be in your best health. “Often, women who have faced infertility problems have hormonal issues…I speak from experience here! So, if we don’t eat healthily, we can get, well, cranky to say the least!” shares Lifetime’s Founder and adoptive mother, Mardie Caldwell.

We’ve heard from a few adoptive couples that because they’re trying to save up for the adoption, they just buy cheap packaged foods such as frozen dinners and boxed macaroni and cheese. They feel that purchasing healthier options and fresh produce gets too expensive. The truth is, healthy food is very affordable! But first, you need to cut out all processed foods and junk foods from your life. Then, swap them out for healthy options.

If your eating habits haven’t been very nutritious lately, here’s a quick exercise. The next time you’re at the store, add up the cost of chips, cookies, soda, and the processed foods you usually buy. Then separately, add up the costs for fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and grains. Compare the two figures, and you’ll be able to see how much farther your money goes when you invest in nutritious food. Plus, you’ll feel better and live longer. You’ll come to see a rotten diet as truly unaffordable. As the sayings go, “garbage in, garbage out” and “you reap what you sow.”

Mardie shares, “In my own adoption, my husband and I were overweight. I had one young birth mother tell me that she only wanted to place her baby with a healthy and fit couple. While not all birth mothers are looking for a physically fit couple, they want ones who will be good role models for an active and healthy lifestyle.”

Think about your health as an asset in your adoption journey; one which deserves care and attention. Start now by making the changes we mentioned, so your child will have healthy parents!

Written by Heidi Keefer

Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of blog posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.

Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.