My childhood diet consisted of sugary food from breakfast all the way through dinner.  Doughnuts were typical in the morning and dessert wasn’t an occasional treat but an expected part of dinner and oftentimes, lunch.  My mother was a fabulous baker and I have fond memories of eating her Suzy-Q cake and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

With this groundwork laid for me early on, I had to fight my childhood eating habits all the way through my thirties.  Now, I can finally call myself a recovering “sweet-aholic.”  It took my bout with gestational diabetes to finally break me free of my sugar addiction.  Three years later, I have maintained my sugar reduction, curbing my sweet intake to smaller amounts and special treats.

Now through the eyes of a parent, I see how harmful my childhood diet really was and I want to pass along better habits to my son.  Busting out of my sugar haze is a good start as I am modeling good eating habits.  Erin Palinski, a nutrition expert, author and speaker said, “Your children are watching what you eat, how you eat… If you take the bag of chips to the couch and eat in front of the TV, you can’t expect your child to not do the same thing.  Work on having your whole family model good eating behaviors.”  I know I can be a good role model, but what else can I do to start my son down a healthy eating path?

Palinski offered her top tips:

Stomach signals:  Teach your kids how to listen to what their bodies are saying by only eating when they are hungry and stop when they feel satisfied.

Power of nutrition:  Talk to your kids about how they feel after they eat healthy foods vs. unhealthy ones.  “Discuss how eating well affects our energy levels, how well we think (brain function), our mental and physical performance, and even growth and development.”

Mind over mouth:  Discuss with your kids the importance of paying attention while eating so they can hear their bodies’ signals. “Encourage your children (and show them by example) to eat slowly and involve all of our senses when eating: taste, smell, texture, visual appeal, etc.  Talk about how mindless eating leads to eating more than our body needs and ways to avoid this: limit distractions when eating, eating too fast, skipping meals, eating in front of the TV/computer.”

No “bad” foods:  Watch how you label foods.  Palinski suggests discussing how there are everyday healthy foods and then the “occasional treats” that are for special holidays or parties.  “Labeling foods as ‘bad’ or off-limits can lead to guilt when eating, sneaking of foods, binging.”

Dawn Jackson Blatner, a Fitness Magazine advisory board member and USA Today food and nutrition blogger, also emphasized how treats are not snacks, which should be “filling and nutritious.”  Her snack suggestions include edamame, veggies with low-fat ranch, whole wheat pita triangles and hummus, celery or apples and peanut butter, popcorn, whole grain crackers and string cheese or whole grain tortilla chips and salsa.

By working to keep healthy eating fun, children are more likely to get the nutritious message.   Palinski says children’s participation and getting creative can beat the healthy eating doldrums. “Look at recipes together as a family and pick out healthy meal options.  Bring your children shopping and let them pick out new healthy foods that they are willing to try.  Involve your children in cooking.  Make smoothies with new fruits to introduce them to your children.  Draw ‘faces’ on familiar foods such as adding eyes and a mouth made out of blueberries and bananas on top of whole grain pancakes.”

Now when I hear that cookie calling my name, I fight hard not to listen.  It’s not just for my own health but for my son’s as well.  I know I have the awesome responsibility of teaching him what a healthy diet looks like and that is consistently louder than any cookie.