Establishing healthy food boundaries as a family
Recently I was approached by my middle school-aged daughter about food about what she packs in her lunch. Since first grade, she has been packing her own lunch for school. We have set basic guidelines for our girls to follow when they build their lunch. In our family, we talk a lot about food and how it works in our bodies with the goal to raise healthy kids who are fueled well enough to perform at their very best in school, on the court, and in life. We talk about how food makes our bodies feel and function, such has how eating too many treats can leave us feeling ill or sick, how to identify all hunger cues, what sustenance means, and what a ‘balanced’ meal looks like.
What would it look like if we could show our kids what a healthy relationship with food looked like in real life? My daughter came home from school and was telling me that her friends asked her why she only had 2 chocolates in her lunch. She told them it was because that is the serving size and what she was allowed to bring. Her friends laughed and said that was silly and that ‘they would never listen to that.’ These comments spurred on a conversation about how if we can teach our kids what a serving size of a food (treat, protein, or otherwise) looks like now when they are young, how well that will serve us into all of our later years in life. If we make protein a priority and fill our lunch box with veggies and fruit, that leaves enough space for a small treat. If we chose to fill our lunch with soda, chips, and candy, it will leave very little space for anything that will fuel their body to perform at its best.
When we teach our children to recognize that hunger can be more than a rumble in our belly, such as a headache, grumpy mood, or irritable/irrational behaviors, our kids can start to self regulate their own actions to feel better.
We prioritize teaching our children to eat nutrient dense foods that will leave us feeling full for a long period of time, while the calorie-dense foods won’t sustain us and often leave us feeling ‘blah.’ Helping guide our kids in their choices early will help them feel energized for their whole life.
As parents, we strive to hold ourselves to 85% whole nutrient-dense foods and keep 15% as that special treat. When we do this often enough as a family, it becomes a habit for all of us. On occasion when we don't follow this routine while on vacation or a holiday, our kids are able to identify how they feel ‘off,’ and even sick (yes, I am talking barf). We use these moments as a solid teaching point as to 'why' we eat so many veggies and fruits and whole foods, so that when the opportunity arises to overindulge, they can use their own self-moderation and govern their own choices allowing them to feel confident and feeling their best.
When we look at our big picture and if we ‘practice what we preach’ as parents, our children will learn to create their own relationship with food that will serve them with a lifetime of confidence and health. -Coach Heather
