Think Healthy When Trying to Adopt!

In my work as an adoption professional, I get emails from people sharing with me that they are trying to cut back and save money during their adoption. While this is good, there are some areas that are just too valuable to skimp on. Your nutrition is one of those areas. 

Good nutritious food and a healthy diet can keep you going during the ups and downs of adoption. The process of adoption can be stressful and you need to be in top shape to perform and respond well. Often women who have experienced infertility have hormonal problems (I speak from experience here), and if we don’t eat properly we can get cranky to say the least.

Many birth mothers call in a panic and state that their lives feel out of control. I often ask them if they have eaten and 99 percent of the time they have not eaten or they have only eaten junk food. Healthy food is good fuel and is a must have when you are stressed. I am not speaking of chocolate—though quality chocolate can help after having a healthy meal. (Smile.)

Some couples share that they can only “afford” cheap foods like boxed macaroni and cheese and on sale hot dogs. They feel that buying fresh nutritious produce and healthier foods are too expensive. Yet healthy food is affordable when you cut out or cut down the junk food in your life and then add or replace it with healthy food.

Next time you are at the grocery store, just add up what it costs for chips, cookies, and sodas. Now compare to nutritious foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and grains. You will see just how much farther your dollars go when you invest in real and nutritious food. You will also feel better and live longer. What’s really unaffordable is a rotten diet. Garbage in, garbage out and you’ll reap what you sow. Consider your health as an asset in your adoption that deserves care and attention.

In my adoption, I was very healthy and active, but my husband and I were overweight. I had one young prospective birth mother tell me that she wanted to place her unborn baby with a healthy and thin couple only. While not all birth mothers share this view, they do want someone who will be around long enough to parent their child and be a good role model in a healthy environment.