Your Child Will Inherit Your Relationship With Food

Did you know that our relationships with food can be inter-generational?

What seems like harmless self-talk takes on a different significance when you have kids.

Intergenerational means you may have learned from your parents a bit of the harmless self-talk and your parents from theirs, and you are likely going to pass it onto your kids as well - but you can disrupt the cycle.

Working to mend that relationship now and learning to heal on your own can prevent it.

Otherwise, your child (or future child) will pick up on your relationship with food and internalize:

How you care for yourself

• This could be something like constantly being" “too busy” for meals or always feeding your kids but never sitting down to eat yourself

How you cope with your emotions

• Do you use food when you’re sad to make you feel better? Or restrict foods as punishment?

How you talk about your body (or other people’s bodies).

• There are so many awesome things about you and everyone around you, and the least interesting is how we look!

If you have go-to food rules,

• Like which foods are “good” or “bad” (carbs are a popular “bad” food - which is not true)

Any diet talk

• Like calories, or that eating after 7 p.m. makes you gain weight (which I feel like I have to reiterate is not true).

What you are doing vs telling them to do

• For example, you are not eating vegetables (the doing), but you’re telling them to eat vegetables.

What the environment is like during family meals

• Is it stressful, chaotic, rushed, etc? Do you sit down to mindfully eat together?

By taking these points and looking within, do you do any of these? How can you work toward correcting it if you do?

It starts with you! ⠀⠀⠀

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Many of my clients reached out to lose weight in order to have the energy & vitality to keep up with their children. I actually have a lot of badass clients who are putting in WORK right now to give their children (or future children) a better future. It really is never too late!

Before working with me, my clients have tried every diet and spent years hating their bodies but recognize that part of their diet culture & weight loss journey because of their mother's or grandmother's influence. My clients are more interested in leading by example now and do not want to pass along the same unhealthy relationship with food to their children while they embark on another nutrition journey.

If you’re looking for a way to lead by example for your children and set them up for a lifetime of healthy habits, look no further than improving your relationship with food. My clients have seen incredible results by making small changes that add up over time, and I know you can too. Schedule a free clarity call today to get started on the path to sustainable weight loss without fad diets. You’ll be glad you did!

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Letisha Hodges is a registered dietitian nutritionist with 7 years of experience in women’s health, healthy relationships with food, weight management, and PCOS. Follow her on Instagram & Facebook, or join our email list for more helpful tips.