Creating Healthy Attitudes Towards Food

Creating A Healthy Attitude Towards Food

In today’s society that is seemingly becoming more and more obsessed with appearance, never has it been so important to help ourselves, and others, achieve a healthy attitude towards food.

For Ourselves

Education is key here, and learning about the different food groups and the function food plays in our lives will help us to amend our existing eating habits and attitude to ones that are beneficial and enjoyable.

For many people, especially women, attitudes towards food and nutrition have always been very tumultuous ground. Learning how to cook healthily making meals that are tasty and nutritious will be extremely useful in helping to create a healthy attitude. This will also benefit the rest of the family as children will learn how to cook these meals and how to produce home cooked foods that are not full of calories, chemicals and hidden salts and sugars.

There are many meals that can be cooked in multiple portions that can be frozen and cooked in a microwave at a later date, perfect for those of us who are busy working and running a home.

It may help to keep a food diary for a few weeks which can be examined at a later date showing the areas of the diet that could be improved. This can be done with the help of informative books or a dietician and/or nutritional expert.

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For Our Children

Nothing teaches children better than by following a healthy example and looking up to a positive role model. Mealtimes should be stress free and an enjoyable part of the family day. All members should look forward to these shared times, so if they can enjoy meals cooked at home, perhaps taking turns or sharing the duties, eating healthy food, a positive relationship with food and mealtimes should follow.

Allowing children the joy of tasting many different food items from a young age will help them to develop a palate that will enjoy a wide variety of foods. Provide a few new tastes every week, in small portions so they don’t feel over whelmed and they’ll soon be enjoying a wide mix of meals and taste combinations. Use fresh herbs and spices to add delicate flavours, do not over power meals with these items, just add a very little at a time, introducing stronger flavours as the child gets older.

Frozen ready meals and those containing reformed meats, preservatives, sugars and colours should be kept to a very minimum and only relied on in an emergency, if at all. Once children are used to home cooked meals they will almost definitely prefer these to ready meals anyway.

Communication

Successful relationships depend heavily on communication. The same is true with your children. Always let them know they can talk about body image and food with you, without you being judgmental and dictatorial. These subjects can be discussed calmly and reasonably and by establishing a good relationship in which communication is encouraged, they will be more likely to share their fears and anxieties about body image with you. Do not laugh, criticise or talk over them when they are confiding in you, let them talk and just be a good listener, asking questions when needed.

Creating a healthy attitude towards food is often achieved most successfully by acting as a good role model to your children. Educate them about the function of food and allow them to try lots of tastes and foods introduced gradually throughout their young lives. Encourage them to join in the cooking or to cook for themselves if they are older.