Nutrition Gatekeepers

Source

I read something recently and thought I'd share it with you all.  Being a mom is the best of the best, but of course not always easy!  This is just another reason why being a mom is challenging, but rewarding...

{Excerpt from nutritionunplugged.com}

Mothers contribute so much to the world.  We have a lot to thank them for.  One contribution that is especially meaningful to me is the impact moms have as nutrition role models.

Research shows that a mother’s own food and beverage choices are the single greatest influence on what her child eats and drinks — more influential than any other attempt she tries to make.   So the idea of “do what I say, not what I do” won’t work when it comes to food.

Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, talks about moms as nutrition gatekeepers. His research shows that nutrition gatekeepers influence over 70 percent of the foods we eat.  They impact the decisions of their children and spouse, both inside and outside the home. They’re the ones who purchase and prepare food, pack children’s lunches, select the snacks and choose the restaurants. That’s a huge amount of influence and a big responsibility!

A gatekeeper who struggles with unhealthy habits and eating choices will typically pass those problems on to family members. By the same token, gatekeepers who improve their habits can improve the health of the whole family.

What do you think?  Do you agree?  Do you think many of your eating habits came from your mom??  My mom loves peanut butter, and I'd say that's a food love she's passed down to me.  Now, whenever Jude eats peanut butter, it's almost like a sense of pride that he also loves it so.  Strange?

In any case, I think this reading tidbit is motivating.  I find myself constantly thinking about what to feed Jude--foods that are healthy and balanced and (hopefully) delicious.  It takes up a lot of my daily thoughts.  But, someday all of it will pay off (or come back to bite me in the butt!  Hello, Sweet Tooth).  Ha.