At Dr. Jill’s Foot Pads, we know that COVID 19 has brought many challenges to families. We hope all of our customers are staying healthy and taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the disease. In an effort to focus on positive outcomes during this time, we want to suggest that this may be a good time to make a move toward healthy eating habits.

Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet with an appropriate number of calories for each member of the family has many health benefits for your feet and the rest of your body, including:

• Losing weight if you are overweight or maintaining a healthy weight
• Helps prevent many disease including: arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure
• Can decrease inflammation, a symptom of many joint disorders
• Increase your ability to stay active and focused

Roadmap to Better Habits

Start by doing some research online about what makes a healthy diet. If you have children who are learning at home, see if you can tie in healthy eating to a science or health class. The USDA website has special sections on healthy eating. Check out https://www.choosemyplate.gov/. Some tips to try:

• Since grocery shopping isn’t as easy as it’s been in the past, this is a doubly good reason to plan menus ahead of time. Get family member input on what makes a healthy meal. Hint: at least half your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with lean protein and one quarter with whole grains or starches.
• Discuss healthy cooking methods like broiling, grilling and roasting. Keep fried food to a once in a while treat or consider air frying which uses less fat to cook foods. Teach your children some basic cooking skills and let them help with age appropriate tasks in the kitchen.
• Explore international cuisines that use different spices and cooking methods that fit the healthy model you’ve developed. Choose a different country to “visit” at the dinner table each week.

Enjoy the time you spend cooking and eating together as a family. Hopefully, this will help create some new family rituals that will continue after the virus is long gone.

If you have foot health care needs, review our online catalog. We’re here for all your foot pad needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us by calling: (866) FOOT-PAD (366-8723).