We’ve worked really hard (and very intentionally) in our home to train our children to not only enjoy healthy food, but choose healthy food. (We define “healthy food” as whole, fresh God-created food and foods that are minimally processed with no additives or preservatives.) Our diets have a foundation of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, and eggs – all of which provide fiber, protein, and healthy fats.  We don’t eat pasta dishes more than once a week; we eat whole grain whole wheat bread; we eat turkey, chicken, fish, and lean red meat; and, we love to “treat” ourselves to a serving of potato chips at lunchtime or cheese and crackers for an after-school snack.  We rarely drink anything other than milk or water (0r a tiny glass of juice in the morning with breakfast) – and we rarely eat out (other than pizza) or make meals from boxes.

Last night we sat down to “evaluate” her diet and we were told to use the USDA food pyramid (the older horizontal one, not the new vertical one).  I can honestly say I haven’t referenced this chart – EVER… and, boy did I realize I haven’t been missing anything.  I couldn’t believe the food choices it was encouraging by the visual!!  Before giving my opinion I thought I’d ask my girl to evaluate it herself.

“Do you see anything odd on here?”, I asked.

After a minute she said, “Yeah, like why are they saying I shouldn’t eat eggs, fish or beans as often as I should eat bread and bagels?”  Good question, honey!

“Anything else,” I said?

“Why do they have fruits and vegetables above the bread… and why are beans at almost the top of the chart?  Isn’t that telling me I shouldn’t eat beans as often as bread?”  Another great question!

Turns out our diet  (that she used the chart to evaluate) was pretty right on with the small print serving suggestions listed on the chart. But it still didn’t make me feel any better about the visual the food pyramid was enforcing: base your diet in processed grain products and then throw in good stuff in smaller portions here and there.

We pulled out the new food pyramid as a comparison and I found it even more confusing. Then new still encourages eating mostly processed grain foods (crackers, breads, bagels, chips, pretzels), fairly similar amounts of fruits and vegetables and dairy products, a little meat, eggs and beans, and not too much oil. (Oil is now a foodgroup???)

Here’s the deal folks: if we are to raise children to live a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, we CANNOT depend on food companies or the government to define proper eating habits for us.  I don’t know the history of this food chart, nor do I really care.  All I know is that it goes against the habits of healthy eating I’m working with my children on… and, since I am the authority in MY home, this chart will never hold any weight here. Of course we used it for her project as we were instructed to. BUT, I used the time to help my child determine for herself whether or not the layout was truly reflective of “healthy food” and “good choices” we constantly talk about in our home. (Sheesh – if the chart was an indication of good choice my kids would be eating potato chips more often than apples. Give me a break!)

So, here’s something to think about this week: do you have a food philosophy in your home and clear definitions of “healthy food” and “good food” that your children can articulate? Or, are those terms obscure ideas that are often defined by the box of cereal they are reading, the food pyramid they are studying, or even the commercials they are seeing? Wherever you’re at in your home, don’t relinquish the influence over your tribe for one more day!  Start NOW by putting a clear, definable label on things so you can empower them with a food foundation they can take into the world with them and use to determine good from bad on their own.  No one else can love them like we do…. no one else can nourish them as we can.

Rebel On,

-e.

The secret? I buy them, prepare them, and voila!  Well, kinda….

Model the Eating Behavior You Want to Develop

My children have grown up in a home where vegetables are part of every day.  From the moment each of them were weaned from milk to solids, I incorporated fresh veggies into their diets.  I would buy fresh organic produce, steam it, puree it, and add it to their whole grain cereals (which I also prepared).  Veggies never came out of a jar – and veggies were never offered to them without them seeing us also enjoy them.  Furthermore, it isn’t uncommon for us to have an afternoon snack that is a plate of steamed broccoli with a dash of lemon juice or maybe some roasted bell peppers fresh out of the oven.  Yum!  The point is this: our authentic love helped nurture their love of vegetables.

Train Them on the Benefits of Eating Vegetables

As my children have grown they’ve occasionally required a little more information and “encouragement” before trying vegetables prepared in a new way.  For example, when my middle girl wouldn’t eat asparagus we started telling her if she ate it she would run fast. We turned it into a “secret” for her, whispering it in her ear as she ate. (Among other benefits asparagus does contain folate, which is essential for a healthy cardio-vascular system… so, generally it is the truth.) What child doesn’t want to run faster than fast, right? Well, it worked for her – and she even started running around the living room after dinner included asparagus just to show us it worked! And my older daughter: sometimes we need to explain I’m serving particular vegetables to ward off colds or help increase brain power. The lesson learned: spark their imagination and intellect and spark their appetites for healthier choices.

Use Fresh Vegetables More Often than Commercially Prepared Veggies

When kids are used to eating veggies first out of jars (of baby food) and then out of cans (such as in premade soups), the texture and taste they become accustomed has nothing to do with fresh vegetables. (This is why the kids used to eating commercially processed vegetables often shun fresh veggies as they become more independent eaters.)  The only way to train young tastes to enjoy vegetables is to provide them in their most authentic state as much as possible. (Frozen veggies (provided they aren’t seasoned or coated with sauce or flavoring) fall into this category, too.)  Get them started early so they learn the various textures, tastes, and smells of real vegetables – and, surprisingly, it will be the commercially processed vegetables they will shun as they get older due to their unreal taste.

“Great,” you say. “My kids are older and we’re beyond training them in these ways.”  Oh, but I disagree!  It may take a little more effort, but you can do it!  Here’s a couple of ideas:

1) Get the conversation going about WHY your family needs to eat more vegetables. (Obviously this will require you arm yourself with basic nutritional information (just takes a minute to google) about the vegetables you will be offering.

2) Have a nightly, bi-weekly, or weekly taste test where you prepare the vegetable in variety of ways (such as steamed, roasted, raw, blanched) and have your child(ren) vote on their favorite. You can even get your kids involved in this process if you think participation will aide in the encouragement. NOTE: Be sure to use this time to actually TASTE the vegetables for what they are, which means don’t prepare them covered with salt, slathered in heavy sauces, or heavy laden with other ingredients.  Just a touch of anything you may choose to add to enhance the flavor.

3) Incorporate the vegetables into recipes and serve up! If your children choose not to eat the food because it has vegetables, don’t replace the meal with something they will eat.  Let them know they have a choice: to eat the healthy, delicious meal you’ve put in front of them that will give them what they need to grow healthy and strong OR they can forgo any food until the next meal is provided (which will likely be breakfast the next morning).

On the other hand, DON’T:

1) Spend time making vegetables cute. When your kids go out into the real world they will be devastated to learn no one will be cutting up their carrot into flowers just to make them happy. And who has time to do this anyway??

2) Hide vegetables in their food. Making things deceptively delicious and being a sneaky chef are not instilling healthy habits into your kids. Sure, incorporate vegetables wherever you can, but don’t forgo the teachable moments!  We want to train them to be in the world… which means if they don’t know they are eating vegetables, they will not grow up to make fresh, healthy choices when they are on their own. Deception is not a foundation good habits are built upon.

3) Expect your kids to eat every vegetable. My kids are wonderful eaters, but each of them also have their own taste preferences. One loves asparagus, another tolerates it.  One can’t get enough bell peppers, another begs for brussels sprouts.  One loves steamed broccoli, another wants it fresh out of the fridge.  The key is for them to be open to tasting every vegetable and recipe I prepare; and, because I see they are willing to try everything, I cut them some slack and allow their preferences to develop within our family framework of a healthy lifestyle.

Now, REBEL ON to the produce section…

I can just hear the gasps now – but, before you feel appalled, let me state a couple of facts that are a little out of the ordinary for my life: (1) my dad is a bodybuilder, which means fitness is foundational to life; and (2) my dad and I have been having this conversation for as long as I can remember.

I am thankful to have grown up in a home where physical fitness was an open discussion. I learned from a very young age that my physique is directly correlated to my eating habits and my level of physical activity.  I was trained to eat right, work out properly, and take responsibility for the body I was nourishing on a daily basis. The conversations were never meant to break me down or humiliate me (and never made me feel that way) nor were they ever at inappropriate times that might have embarrassed me. They were conversations between a dad and a daughter (a coach and a protege, if you will) meant to train, encourage, and prepare me to appreciate and care for myself.

My girls and I have these same conversations these days: why we eat what we eat, how we need to monitor our water intake, making right choices if we want to grow strong, be smart, run fast.  But here is the deal: the same way my dad lived what he preached, I do my best to live what I preach. If I’m telling my girls to carry water with them, you can bet I’m carrying water with me. If I’m telling my girls they need to eat a healthy breakfast, you better believe I’m eating the same healthy breakfast I’m serving them.  And if I’m telling my girls they have to be active, you gotta know that I’m being active myself.

So, here is some encouragement for those of you wondering how to instill healthier habits in their kids this year: instill healthier habits for yourself and then get them involved in your journey.  Have open conversation with them about the changes you want to make and how those changes will improve your lives. Forget “deceptively delicious” meals – make nutritious meals and educate them on all the wonderful things such nutrition will do for their health, their minds, and their strength. You know the quote “Be the change you want to see in the world”? Well, be the change you want to see in your family!

If we don’t have these conversations at home where it is safe, and warm, and loving, we’re just leaving our girls at the mercy of the world that can’t wait to force it’s opinions on them.  If we don’t train them to navigate food choices, body issues, or self-care, the culture will kindly do it for us.  Thankfully my dad wasn’t willing to pass up that responsibility – and neither am I.

I’ve been dying to get out, get a break, and hit the sale at Anthropologie. My guy has been gone since yesterday morning hanging out on the mountain skiing with one of his best friends and I’ve been here holding down the fort.  So, when the weather didn’t cooperate and started dumping snow on us I had two options: (1) be miserable, stay in my sweats, and feel sorry for myself since I would now have to endure another night at home cooking, cleaning, and tending or (2) I could put on my cute jeans, light the candles, put on some music, brew some coffee, and dash on a bit of lipgloss to welcome my man home. Hmmmm…. what to do?

I can tell you that my house is now filled with the scent of sugar cookies, my lips are glistening, and I’m looking forward to the night caring for those that fill my heart with joy. While the selfish side of me would have loved “my time” away, I will still find “my time” in the midst of this evening: I will cherish quiet thoughts as I make hot cocoa for the girls, I may steal a hot bath and read a few pages of a good book after the kids go down, I may even stick my hands up the back of my man’s shirt, nuzzle his neck, and whisper how much I love him in his ear…

Go on, Mr. Snow… bring it.  I have David Grey singing to me as the giggles float through the air and heavy boots walk across the floor in my direction. I’m ready – willing – and submitted.