Your Kids Are What You Eat

As parents we are responsible of the well-being and health of our children. Healthy habits should be part of our life, since “we are what we eat”.

 Human beings, as mammals that we are, need learned skills to be able to survive, so usually our best way to learn is to “copy” what we see. This in the Behavioral Psychology  is called “modeling”.  Understanding this concept can help us think about our own eating habits in order to improve our lives and our children’s.

Eating Habits Before, During, and After Pregnancy

Eating balanced and regular exercise (prescribed since we all have different health conditions) should be part of our lives at all times. Before getting pregnant, women should be in a right weight and corporal mass. They should have a rich diet in B complex vitamins, folic acid, iron, and calcium that are found in most green vegetables, beans, nuts, and eggs. If you smoke or do any drug (alcohol included) and want to be a mommy, try to leave behind bad habits at least a year before. Cleansing your system is the right way to start the beautiful journey of bringing life into this world. In fact, it will help you get pregnant a little bit easier (if you or your partner have no conceiving problems).  

When pregnant, women need to listen to their bodies. Try always to eat as healthy as you can, but always paying attention to your body’s need. Your body is taking nutrients from your metabolism which will make you feel more tire and hungry. Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty. Again vitamin B and folic acid are two important elements in a pregnant women’s diet. In this stage, your baby takes the food directly from the blood torrent, which makes him vulnerable to anything you put into your body.

After baby is born, good eating habits don’t stop. Breastfeeding will not only help you lose all the “healthy” baby weight, but it will help you be conscious of what you put into that mouth of yours. Your baby is a constant reminder of how good you should eat. Knowing that your child eats directly from you makes you responsible for giving him high quality nutrition.

How to be a Healthy Model

Families can spend time together outdoors. Exercise can be difficult for the timing it involves, but to going out with your kids, running, and playing are types of exercise. Keep yourself active and kids will get active too.

Have fun making meals. Think how you as a child would like your meals to be presented to you. Veggie monsters, happy face fruits, crazy egg heads, and many other great ideas you can find online can make a meal into a fun eat for your kid. Make sure your child’s plate is full of color. Make sure your entire family’s plates (including yours) have bright colors.

It’s never too late to start a positive change in your lifestyle. Make sure to be a “healthy model” for your family to follow.