HEALTHY EATING STARTS WITH PARENT ROLE MODELS
Parents are role models and the most important influence in children's lives. Children watch and imitate adults, and look to them to learn proper behavior for everything from saying please and thank you to learning about fitness and nutrition.
Children can also pick up on their parents’ attitudes about food. As role models, parents need to monitor their own behavior so that their children acquire healthy attitudes toward eating.
Teaching Healthy Habits at Mealtime
What you do will make more of an impact than what you say. Modeling healthy eating supports the development of healthy behaviors in children.
For example, research shows that young girls are more likely to drink milk if their moms drink milk — milk contains calcium, an important nutrient for bone growth and development.
Benefits of Family Meals
Eating meals as a family plays a key role in raising high-achieving, healthy and well-adjusted children. Family meals lead to improved academic achievement, better nutrition and higher self-esteem for your children.
While it is unrealistic to expect any parent to be a perfect role model, trying your best to demonstrate good eating habits will positively impact your child.
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