MAKE HEALTHY EATING A Family Affair
Food can be a source of great joy for children, but it can also be a source of stress for their caregivers. Our brains and bodies aren’t equipped to deal with the vast array of food options we have available to us today. Consider, for a moment, the limited options our ancestors had when deciding what to eat each day. Physiologically, their bodies would delight in what was sweet and rich, seeing those items as generous sources of food, since they were rarer in nature. This tendency is still alive and well in humans today as we encounter different decisions about what and how we eat each day.
Even for adults with decades of practice feeding themselves, the nutrition landscape can be difficult to navigate. Advice flip-flops; availability changes; habits, patterns, and trends shift; and mass confusion about what to eat abounds. Many adults find themselves struggling with food-related choices, including changing long-established patterns, implementing new things, and navigating social pressures. Given how much we struggle as adults with food and nutrition, how are we supposed to guide the next generation?
The good news is that children are naturally curious, and nutritious food can be delicious and wonderful. Maybe your children aren’t willing to eat something new yet, but they might be willing to learn
