This is such a great post, well-written and incredibly important! Now more than ever, we need to teach our kids what healthy eating really looks like. Unfortunately, at least here in Germany, the school system doesn’t cover this at all. I’m not sure how it is in the U.S. or other countries, but from my perspective, this is a huge gap.
Right now, kids mainly rely on their parents for guidance on food choices. The problem is, many parents don’t eat as healthily as they think they do. So unhealthy habits get passed down to the kids and by the time they hit their 30s or 40s and start dealing with health issues, they finally realize they need to change their nutrition. But why wait until sickness forces a change? We should be teaching kids from the start so they grow up with the right habits instead of having to undo years of unhealthy ones.
As a father, I care deeply about my kids and my family is well-being and I’m happy to say that we already follow most of the principles you mentioned in your article. Like you said, it’s all about small, consistent steps as real change doesn’t happen overnight. That is actually one of the reasons I started my own publication, to help people understand the foundations of nutrition and how to apply them for a healthier, happier life. And in turn, they can pass that knowledge down to their children.
Thanks again for writing this and bringing attention to such an important topic. I loved reading it!❤️
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I couldn't agree more with what you're saying – the gap in education around nutrition, especially in schools, is a real concern. I can confirm the situation is not that different here in Spain, where I live, either. It's great to hear that you're already implementing many of the principles we mentioned in the article with your family. Small, consistent steps really do make a difference, and you're setting a wonderful example for your kids.
You're absolutely right—teaching healthy habits from a young age is key to avoiding the need to undo years of unhealthy patterns later in life (speaking from my own experience here, undoing some of the "damage" to my health from earlier ages). It’s so powerful that you're using your platform to spread the knowledge that you’re sharing in your publication. The more we can support and educate one another, the better off our kids will be!
Thanks again for your kind words and for sharing your perspective. It’s conversations like this that remind me of how important this work truly is.
Fab overview of how to get our kids to eat well, thank you. Timely, too. Did you see The Lancet report on overweight and obesity rates predicted, especially for young boys? A third of children and teenagers are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2050. Truly shocking. I wrote about it this week and will link to this post next week as a follow up :) https://micki839086.substack.com/p/purehealth-news-dc1
I taught a group of young Mums once in a poorer area of the UK, and I went in stupidly assuming a certain level of food and cooking knowledge. I rapidly had to go right back to basics to help them - it was shocking, but really rewarding making a real difference, you know. We forget that what we think is obvious, really isn't. Taught me a good lesson, let alone them ;)
What a wonderful post Beth! Karina, your perspective on nutrition and parenting is truly inspiring. The way you frame healthy eating as a gain rather than a restriction is such a powerful mindset shift. Your commitment to leading by example and fostering a positive relationship with food in your family is admirable. I especially love how you emphasize connection through meals and the importance of educating children about food choices. Thank you for sharing such valuable knowledge, your daughter is lucky to have such a thoughtful guide in you!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Sara! Bringing nutrition into my parenting and laying a strong foundation for my daughter has been one of my biggest whys in the work I do. I’m still learning as I go (as all parents do!), but it’s been so rewarding to see her grow with this approach. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment and am so glad this post resonated with you!
All around great post...I think parents make a mistake with kid-food and trying to slide in the vegetables. It stigmatizes food and deprives them of getting to know good foods by their shape and true textures. My kids ate with the adults and became broad eaters...although now they can rack up a restaurant bill with their adventurous eating.
Thank you, Ellen! I completely agree—when we make certain foods feel like something to ‘trick’ kids into eating, it can create resistance instead of curiosity. I love that your kids ate with the adults and became adventurous eaters! And yes… the downside of raising kids with great taste is those restaurant bills. 😂 But what a gift to give them a love for real food!
I agree and I dislike the concept of "kid foods" and "kid's menus". My own children range in age from 16-28 and they are all adventurous eaters but there is more of a prevalence of junky foods now than when my oldest was 16. The best we can do is offer just real food at home, teach them to cook, and hope that they take those lessons in nourishing their bodies with them when they leave home! It sounds like you did a good job of that, Ellen.
Children will eat when they are hungry. It may not be on your schedule, but they will eventually eat. Children are beautifully attuned to their hunger and satiety cues and it is best to honor when they tell you they aren't hungry. Will your child ask for food at non meal times? If so, offer the same real food meal they weren't hungry for earlier.
That is a fair question, you don't know me but I advocate for real, whole food and minimally processed foods. There are many makers and small brands at Expo West trying to bring real food with minimal ingredients to market. (there is junk food here too) But I take great pride in vetting the products worth looking for. Today I found a small company from Maine making fermented seaweed salad with clean, minimal ingredients. This is a beautiful example of ways people can incorporate more ferments for a healthy gut into their diet. Another small brand makes salad dressings. I understand that not everyone has the time to make their own, so this brand makes theirs the same way you would make them at home- extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper. There are so many small brands and makers trying to make truly metabolically healthy convenience items that I believe can absolutely have a place in a whole food diet. So rest assured that I do not eat junk food and I am not sending people junk food! And yes, dried zucchini chips with sea salt will be included since you asked about vegetables!
Hi Beth and Karina,
This is such a great post, well-written and incredibly important! Now more than ever, we need to teach our kids what healthy eating really looks like. Unfortunately, at least here in Germany, the school system doesn’t cover this at all. I’m not sure how it is in the U.S. or other countries, but from my perspective, this is a huge gap.
Right now, kids mainly rely on their parents for guidance on food choices. The problem is, many parents don’t eat as healthily as they think they do. So unhealthy habits get passed down to the kids and by the time they hit their 30s or 40s and start dealing with health issues, they finally realize they need to change their nutrition. But why wait until sickness forces a change? We should be teaching kids from the start so they grow up with the right habits instead of having to undo years of unhealthy ones.
As a father, I care deeply about my kids and my family is well-being and I’m happy to say that we already follow most of the principles you mentioned in your article. Like you said, it’s all about small, consistent steps as real change doesn’t happen overnight. That is actually one of the reasons I started my own publication, to help people understand the foundations of nutrition and how to apply them for a healthier, happier life. And in turn, they can pass that knowledge down to their children.
Thanks again for writing this and bringing attention to such an important topic. I loved reading it!❤️
Cheers,
Orry
Hi Orry,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I couldn't agree more with what you're saying – the gap in education around nutrition, especially in schools, is a real concern. I can confirm the situation is not that different here in Spain, where I live, either. It's great to hear that you're already implementing many of the principles we mentioned in the article with your family. Small, consistent steps really do make a difference, and you're setting a wonderful example for your kids.
You're absolutely right—teaching healthy habits from a young age is key to avoiding the need to undo years of unhealthy patterns later in life (speaking from my own experience here, undoing some of the "damage" to my health from earlier ages). It’s so powerful that you're using your platform to spread the knowledge that you’re sharing in your publication. The more we can support and educate one another, the better off our kids will be!
Thanks again for your kind words and for sharing your perspective. It’s conversations like this that remind me of how important this work truly is.
Fab overview of how to get our kids to eat well, thank you. Timely, too. Did you see The Lancet report on overweight and obesity rates predicted, especially for young boys? A third of children and teenagers are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2050. Truly shocking. I wrote about it this week and will link to this post next week as a follow up :) https://micki839086.substack.com/p/purehealth-news-dc1
Thank you, Micki! Yes, the statistics are so concerning. We need to do better by our kids and luckily there’s a lot we can do, too!
I taught a group of young Mums once in a poorer area of the UK, and I went in stupidly assuming a certain level of food and cooking knowledge. I rapidly had to go right back to basics to help them - it was shocking, but really rewarding making a real difference, you know. We forget that what we think is obvious, really isn't. Taught me a good lesson, let alone them ;)
What a wonderful post Beth! Karina, your perspective on nutrition and parenting is truly inspiring. The way you frame healthy eating as a gain rather than a restriction is such a powerful mindset shift. Your commitment to leading by example and fostering a positive relationship with food in your family is admirable. I especially love how you emphasize connection through meals and the importance of educating children about food choices. Thank you for sharing such valuable knowledge, your daughter is lucky to have such a thoughtful guide in you!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Sara! Bringing nutrition into my parenting and laying a strong foundation for my daughter has been one of my biggest whys in the work I do. I’m still learning as I go (as all parents do!), but it’s been so rewarding to see her grow with this approach. I really appreciate your thoughtful comment and am so glad this post resonated with you!
All around great post...I think parents make a mistake with kid-food and trying to slide in the vegetables. It stigmatizes food and deprives them of getting to know good foods by their shape and true textures. My kids ate with the adults and became broad eaters...although now they can rack up a restaurant bill with their adventurous eating.
Thank you, Ellen! I completely agree—when we make certain foods feel like something to ‘trick’ kids into eating, it can create resistance instead of curiosity. I love that your kids ate with the adults and became adventurous eaters! And yes… the downside of raising kids with great taste is those restaurant bills. 😂 But what a gift to give them a love for real food!
I agree and I dislike the concept of "kid foods" and "kid's menus". My own children range in age from 16-28 and they are all adventurous eaters but there is more of a prevalence of junky foods now than when my oldest was 16. The best we can do is offer just real food at home, teach them to cook, and hope that they take those lessons in nourishing their bodies with them when they leave home! It sounds like you did a good job of that, Ellen.
Amen! You did well, too!
Wow! That was really good. I love this!
So glad this resonated with you, Dana! This is a topic near and dear to my heart. 💛
I am so glad, Dana🧡
I just love this! I can't get over it really !! it's great work! 😍😍👍
Thank you, Dana! I really appreciate your kind words! 🥰🤗
I offer my kids real food for three meals a day and almost every day, my three year old just doesn’t eat. At all.
Children will eat when they are hungry. It may not be on your schedule, but they will eventually eat. Children are beautifully attuned to their hunger and satiety cues and it is best to honor when they tell you they aren't hungry. Will your child ask for food at non meal times? If so, offer the same real food meal they weren't hungry for earlier.
I am a little confused. You advocate for real food but want to send people sample boxes of what veggies?
That is a fair question, you don't know me but I advocate for real, whole food and minimally processed foods. There are many makers and small brands at Expo West trying to bring real food with minimal ingredients to market. (there is junk food here too) But I take great pride in vetting the products worth looking for. Today I found a small company from Maine making fermented seaweed salad with clean, minimal ingredients. This is a beautiful example of ways people can incorporate more ferments for a healthy gut into their diet. Another small brand makes salad dressings. I understand that not everyone has the time to make their own, so this brand makes theirs the same way you would make them at home- extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper. There are so many small brands and makers trying to make truly metabolically healthy convenience items that I believe can absolutely have a place in a whole food diet. So rest assured that I do not eat junk food and I am not sending people junk food! And yes, dried zucchini chips with sea salt will be included since you asked about vegetables!