Celebrate International Girls Day
This week we’re celebrating International Girls Day. Our small celebration included my girls, a friend, homemade pizza and watching Home Alone 4 (It seemed logical since we’d just seen Home Alone 1, 2 and 3.)
What is International Girls Day?
“In 2010, Kappa Delta Sorority created International Girls Day on behalf of the Confidence Coalition. With the message, “She Can Do Anything!” the celebration recognizes the spirit of girls and encourages girls to make their dreams a reality. The celebration takes place each year on November 14.”
– The Confidence Coalition
I completely support the idea that girls can do anything. Making it easier for girls to do anything is our deep mission. One way that girls can begin to feel more confident in their own skin is to better understand how their bodies work, and how to take great care of their bodies.
Starting in your own kitchen, here are a few ways that you can teach your girl a bit more about her amazing body, and how to keep it strong, calm, and energized so that she has the strength, endurance, and courage to do anything!
Some foods are really tough on a girl’s growing body. Instead of providing nourishment for her cells, focus for her mind, and energy for her muscles, they can really drag her down. Interestingly these foods are different for each girl because each girl is different. But, here are a few common ones that are more likely to drag your girl down.
Sugar (or any artificial sweeteners)
Wheat (Gluten) (Gluten is often a problem even if she doesn’t have a diagnosed allergy to gluten or celiac disease.)
Dairy
It’s no fun, and not helpful, to just cut foods out of your girl’s nutrition program. When foods are abruptly taken away, we usually react by craving more of them or feeling deprived. Instead, shift to different foods and build up her nutrient stores, which will lessen her cravings.
To shift away from sugar, adjust your girl’s “sweet-o-meter.” Try eating only fruit, or fruit sweetened desserts instead of sugary treats for a week or two, and see how sweet natural fruit can taste. Look for hidden sugars in salad dressings, condiments, and other packaged foods.
Try these homemade salad dressings, and do a family taste test to decide your favorites.
Lemon Dijon Dressing
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dijon Vinaigrette
Instead of wheat flour, try using almond flour.
You can even make pizza crust out of it for your International Girls Day Celebration! If your daughter, or her friends, are allergic to nuts, try gluten free or grain free pizza crust.
Instead of cow’s milk, use coconut milk. Often girls with nut allergies can tolerate coconut (check with her doctor to be sure.)
My girls love my coconut milk and pumpkin winter smoothie.
For a fancy treat… top it with coconut whipped cream.
When your girl learns which foods make her body feel good, strong, calm, and focused, it will be so much easier for her to go out and do anything! Isn’t that what we all want for our girls?
Please share this post with your friends, and encourage them to sign up for my Fierce Toolkit so that they can learn more about getting great energy for themselves and their girls. Let me know in the comments below if your daughter struggles with any food sensitivities, allergies, asthma, skin issues, or digestive problems. I would love to share more ideas for food shifts with you to healthy, easy, and delicious alternatives. And, please share what food shifts have worked for you so that other moms can give your ideas a try!
For more information on International Girls Day, go to .
Muhammad Aqib