You can teach your children all types of things about life, and you will do so with words as much as with actions. They learn to walk, talk, and play, but they also learn how you think and how you live. They don't know anything other than what they learn at home. If you scream a lot, they think this is just how everyone talks. If you eat bad food all of the time, they will never know the importance of eating healthy until their habits are so ingrained that they don't know how to change them, and probably won't. Do your kids a favor and teach them about good eating, but lead by example as well.
Your eating habits may be good, but are they what you want your kids to see? You may try to teach them that sugar is not the best thing on the planet, but it is hard to teach them that when they see you sneaking snacks of your own, even if you only do it once in a while. If you have an occasional snack, let them have one too. Explain that having something sweet is a treat, but not for every day. If you ban snacks completely, they will devour them when they are away from home. Let them in on your good habits as much has you can, and they will grow up thinking this is the way to eat.
Along the same lines, you can impart the importance of eating healthy by eating what you expect them to eat. You obviously don't want to sit with them and down a few jars of baby food, but you can show them that you are too eating carrots at dinner time. Show them your carrots and tell them what they are, and then give them a bite of their carrots, repeating the same information. They will figure out that you are eating what they are eating, which makes them feel good – and good about those foods too.
The importance of eating healthy is not just about the types of foods that you eat, but also about how much of those foods you eat. If you are eating a healthy vegetarian lasagna, but you are eating three large portions, they are going to think that is the usual portion they should eat when they are grown up like you. Teaching them to eat slowly is another good idea too, as the faster you eat, the more you eat. The stomach registers fullness in twenty minutes, making it hard to eat small portions when you are eating quickly. Slow it down and enjoy your food with them. They will learn to eat slowly and to enjoy family time together.
Exercise and good body image are two things that go along with learning the importance of eating healthy. This means setting a good example by doing active things together as a family. You don't have to be a health nut that goes to the gym six times a week, but you should make time for riding bikes, going on walks and hikes, and for playing team sports with your family and friends. Not all of your messages are going to sink in and stick for life, but they won't learn anything about staying healthy if you don't care. It can be hard to change, if that is what you need to do, but your kids are counting on you.
