A new study has shown some interesting connections between our eating habits in childhood and adulthood. According to it, children who were informed about healthy foods tended to keep the healthy habits as adults and eat more fruits and vegetables. When parents teach kids about healthy food, the message has a high chance of staying with them many years later.
Interesting Findings
This is very important as it tells us about one way to prevent childhood obesity. The study was done using food questionnaires on 443 people who answered questions about the meals and snacks they ate as kids.
They were asked if they used to get food as a reward, if they were pressured to eat, if they got healthy guidance about food, or if they were monitored during meals. People who thought about food as a reward or who were pressured into “cleaning the plate” during every meal tended to eat more sweets, snacks, and other unhealthy items as adults.
People who had “healthy eating guidance,” which the researchers find to be the best practice, consume more fruits and vegetables today as adults. Healthy eating guidance includes actively influencing food behaviors, introducing whole foods, and including kids in preparing food. Preventing childhood obesity is the gateway to living a long and healthy life filled with good habits that many people today lack.
