Written By Hannah Abdulla, BS, RD

As our client base grows and diversifies we have more and more moms joining our program. Within the past year, we have also added two health coaches to our TMN team that are moms. As moms, we all want to do the best and be the best for our children. Doing so means leading by example and recognizing that our kids are always watching us for guidance. Read below for a few simple tips to get started modeling positive food and body relationships.

Nix the Clean Plate Club

This is a tricky one, we get it. Many of us grew up with parents telling us to finish all the food on our plate prior to getting up from the table. Fast forward to adulthood and many of us have trouble listening to our bodies fullness cues. One of the reasons for this may be due to forcing our body to continue eating simply to clear our plate even if we are full. Perhaps at the table you want to say – “my tummy is feeling full, maybe I will save the rest of this for later” and your kids will recognize that it is okay not to finish the entire plate of food. Pro tip: To cut back on food waste due to full tummies, consider smaller portion sizes.

Practice Balanced Meal Patterns

Our kids are watching everything we do, so it is up to us to set good examples. Practicing balanced meal patterns can vary, but we have listed a few options below.

Limit eating on the go
Practice a normal eating pattern with three meals around the same time each day
Eat without distractions (TV, phones, ipads, etc.)
Sit down at a table together while eating

Implementing a few of these tips will help us to slow down and be in tune with our body while eating. Doing so will allow us to better listen to our hunger and fullness cues and truly enjoy our foods.

Positive Talk

Talk about your food and your body in a positive way. Frequently talking poorly about calories negates the fact that our body needs calories to survive. Having conversations about calories around our children may cause confusion and lead them to thinking they should eat as minimal calories as possible. If you talk about your body, remember there are often little ears listening. Avoid making negative comments about your body (or anyone else's) and instead say things like– “wow, look at my strong legs!”

Family Workouts

Research shows us that not only can exercise promote healthy body weight, but can also promote healthy bones, decrease risk of chronic disease and improve our mood.1 Most of us know this, therefore want to raise children who also know it is important to move their body. To do this we recommend leading by example- make sure your kids see you exercising. Seeing their parents exercise on a daily basis will help them to grow up thinking exercise is an important thing to do. If you want to make an even bigger impact, get the kids involved. You can take daily walks as a family and enjoy family bike rides. You can have even more fun with this and have them get on the floor with you to stretch or purchase tiny dumbbells and let them do an at-home workout with you.

1. The secret to better health - exercise. Harvard Health. March 6, 2012. Accessed May 23, 2023. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-secret-to-better-health-exercise.

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