While checking out at my favorite grocery store (hint starts with Trader ends with oes) my son said to me, “Mom, why are you buying all that junk food?” As an obsessed health nut, this really made me pause and look at my purchase. Carrots – check. Snap peas -check. Raisins – check. Cashews – check. Yogurt – check? ice cream, granola cookies, gluten free cookies, chips, on sale leftover Easter peanut butter chocolate eggs… Yikes!
Not only is this a reality check for me to always practice what I preach, but more amazing was that my 6-year-old noticed. He said something. My mom always says, “Those kids know how to be healthy, you have taught them well.”
These are the same kids that a few days after Halloween started throwing away their candy (on their own) because they knew it wasn’t healthy and they didn’t want to eat it anymore. We actually have video footage of it! (I’ll post it when I find it.)
Kids do want to be healthy. They enjoy being healthy. It is all about mindframe for them. They know that they feel good when they eat good. They know this, yet sadly we as adults fill them with junk food. So many adults use candy as a reward or as the highlight of the meal, “eat this and you can have dessert.” Reprogramming kids ideas about food happens at such an early age.
I just read an article the other day that said we are hardwired for sweets. My holistic friend always says, “mothers milk was sweet.” Yet we are also hardwired for health. Listen to your body. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies. Actually, kids do listen to their bodies, until they have had enough sweets and junk food that their taste buds have changed.
When my boys were little the first fast food french fries they ate were when we moved and were on the road with a u-haul behind us. At 2 1/2 they would not touch the french fries or the chicken nuggets we ordered-even after hours of travelling in the car without supper. I knew I was strict on food, but I still didn’t think any kid would reject french fries.
This happened time and time again that the boys didn’t like sweets or junk food. When we first moved people would make gluten-free desserts for my kids. Since they had never had any cake, cookies etc. up until that point they didn’t even like them at first. They would take 1 bite and leave it. After weeks and months of offerings though, unfortunately they developed a taste. This is key – developing a taste.
If you can develop a taste for something sweet, then you can develop a taste for something sour, something green, something raw (like a pepper) etc. Our taste buds are not set in stone. Change your mindframe and your taste buds will follow. If you know why it important to eat healthy, if you want to feel your best, then you will incorporate new foods into your diet. Ditto for your kids.
I just ran across this fabulous blog – http://www.100daysofrealfood.com Check it out and perhaps you will be starting your own 10 day pledge!
In health,
Summer Joy
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