I have some major fears about passing along my food issues to my daughter. I don't want her to grow up believing that you eat to celebrate, that you eat to medicate or that you eat for entertainment. I truly believe that the most effective way to do this is to model appropriate eating habits for her. Above all else, this is the reason I want to change my lifestyle. And I think I am doing a good job thus far.
She is not forced to "clean her plate". Food is not used as a reward. Meals are laidback, but taken as a family. We offer her a variety of different foods and she chooses how much and what she eats from those choices. From what I can see, children are hard wired to make healthy choices, when those choices are available to them. Her favorite foods: grapes, yogurt, and bread. Bread?, you say. Yes, the right breads are healthy and positive choices. We DO NOT give her white bread. She started on whole wheat and this week is eating Flax bread. She loves it. Which brings me to my next point.
Children are much more adventurous with food than we are led to believe. DD will try pretty much anything we offer her. She definitely has her preferences and there have been foods that she took one bite of and said no more. But she is always willing to try and I am always willing to let her.
Don't get me wrong. She has "treats". Wendy's frosties are a favorite with her. She love crackers and ice cream. But these are treats. We don't use them as rewards for eating her veggies. She eats her veggies because she is hungry and they taste good to her. Treats are for no reason other than we feel like offering. Sometimes she gobbles them up. Other times she takes a bite and then returns to her grapes. What could be healthier than listening to your body?
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