Four Girls Later

I was recently having a conversation with my husband about something in child behavior that seems like common sense, yet we didn’t know it 10 years ago. Isn’t it funny how that can happen? Thank God we are evolving and we’re changing and we’re learning.

I think as a community we have obligations to share our hearts, passions, and understandings with each other. With my background, I want to share just 10 things that I personally think stem from evidence based practice where nutrition meets psychology. Specifically as it relates to parenting children, regarding food and how it affects our bodies.

1. Unless we are talking about food allergens, there are no good and bad foods. Throw that vocabulary out. 
2. Diet culture is toxic to growing minds and bodies.
3. Limiting entire food groups or products can have the opposite effect of what you’re hoping for. What we shame becomes secret, and when we have secrecy in food, it becomes dangerous.
4. The way you talk about your own body in words and nonverbal language will shape how your children view their bodies far more than praise or criticism about theirs. 
5. Do not compare children’s body types, ever. 
6. Can we not comment on other people’s food and can we please teach our children to not comment on other peoples food? I’m going to channel Bambi here and say if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
7. NEVER state that a child needs to “lose weight” or they’re “too skinny”, instead encourage choices for a healthy body, even better if you participate in those healthy choices together. 
8. If something wounds you – a certain thing not fitting, a specific picture taken, your weight at the doctor this morning, someone congratulating you on your pregnancy when you’re not pregnant, you get the deal… process that with a trusting adult, NOT in the presence of a child.
9. There is actually nothing wrong with your children seeing you make healthier choices for yourself. Healthy strong bodies are the emphasis, not a number on the scale or pounds loss. 
10. If you’ve made mistakes, that’s okay! We only know what we know and we are only human. We can all move forward in making healthy choices and conversations surrounding food and our bodies! 

Somehow, I hope you are able to be gentle with yourself, too. The reality is you can’t change the number on the scale, your A1C, or your blood pressure overnight. There are two things that will get you there, consistency and time. Neither are things our culture values either. 

So, be countercultural. Love yourself. Love yourself enough to want to be healthy. Love yourself and the next generation enough to be mindful so that they are healthy in body, mind, and spirit. 

Shine your light. 

Xoxo, 

Sara