What your parents never taught you about food…
(Me at age 3)
If I knew then what I know now, my life would have been totally different. It has taken me years of trial and error; of bad diets and weight gain to finally get in the groove of being healthy and maintaining my weight. Now, don’t get me wrong I am glad that I went through my trials they made me better but looking back I wonder what lessons about food I wish I knew. I often think about what values I will instill in my future children about diet and exercise, so they can avoid the pitfalls that I encountered.
Growing up I did not eat horribly, we actually ate pretty healthy. We were never allowed to have sugar, we did not eat red meats or pork, and we ate tons of brown rice and fiber; so where did I go wrong? Despite my parent’s good intentions I feel as though I didn’t understand why I was eating so healthy. I ate what we had at the house and really didn’t learn why these foods were optimal for my health. I was in college when I had my first hamburger and from there it was all downhill. Here are a few lessons I hope to pass on one day:
Don’t eat late. Eating late was a staple growing up; sometimes we would eat dinner at 9:30 PM. I didn’t see anything wrong with it then, however as I aged I noticed I would wake up feeling horrible. I felt weighed down and my digestion was thrown off track. The more I learned, I realized that eating late and going right to bed is a sure fire way to pack on the pounds.
Eat color. While I developed a love of green vegetables as a child I still ate an abundance of meat. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized the importance of eating a variety of vegetables and fruits to have an optimal diet. Eating color is now the source of my vitality.
Don’t’ have seconds. I always had seconds as a child. Thank God the food was very healthy. However, when I was in college (and my diet disintegrated) I continued that bad habit of over eating. I really didn’t know what a healthy portion looked like. Instilling portion control in children at an early age helps to build a healthy relationship with food.
Eat Breakfast. Breakfast was never a huge deal growing up. Especially when I got to high school I always remember skipping breakfast. Breakfast is so essential. It kick starts my day and it sets the tone for the healthy eating.
What types of eating habits do you wish you had learned? What lessons have helped you stay fit? What will you teach your children? Share your thoughts and comments.
Paparoxi | tagged Life, eating tips, healthy eating, healthy living 
Reader Comments (3)
The lesson that I have learned (am still learning) that I would pass along to my children is don't eat your feelings. While food should be fun, it should not be a reward or a band aid. If you are sad or angry or whatever, deal with your feelings by doing something that doesn't require food like running or journaling or drawing or reading the Bible.
My grandparents are THE BEST, but I definitely didn't learn about nutrition from them at all. Even as I get ready to head home for a visit this weekend I'm thinking about the lack of healthy options I know I'm about to run into. We generally only had veggies with Sunday dinner, other than that it was generally a meat and a starch. They're awesome though, nutrition was the last thing on the minds of their generation with so much else going on. I'm happy that I've come into a better understanding of food and eating healthy that I can pass on to my future children.
That is great advice @Anbaskin ! To many food is a comforter in times of happiness and sadness. @Laneshe that is great that you recognize the importance of passing on healthy habits. I believe that the way to combat childhood obesity is through the parents, parents have to set the example for the children.