Healthy habits worth teaching

Home & Living

BY TYSAN LERNER

N

EW YORK—Thinking Shen Yun Performing Arts would be entertaining for my daughters, I took them to the recent show at Lincoln Center in New York City. What I experienced was not only entertaining—it was enlightening. One historical story after another taught me about grace, kindness, and strength. That evening, I understood more about how to be a good mother than ever before. Shen Yun is a New York-based performing arts company whose mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture. In honour of Mother’s Day, the Shen Yun website recounted stories of great mothers from Chinese history. The story of philosopher Mencius and the role his mother played stood out for me. Mencius’s father died when Mencius was very young, and his mother raised him on her own. They lived near a cemetery, and Mencius started imitating funeral processions. Noticing this, his mother moved them closer to the marketplace. But soon Mencius started speaking in the haggling way merchants spoke. His mother decided to move again. They moved next to a school, and Mencius started imitating scholars’ study habits. Pleased,

his mother did not move again, and Mencius grew up to become one of the greatest philosophers in Chinese history. Just as Mencius’s mother gave him an environment to thrive in as a scholar, we can create the same kind of influence on our children when it comes to health habits. I’ve noticed that my children imitate me a lot. This is how they learned to speak, use body language, and react to things. I had many issues around my body image and my relationship to food, and I have relatives who suffer from eating disorders. I did not want the same for my daughters. It became more important to me that I eat with ease, enjoyment, and respect for my health, because that’s what I wanted to teach my daughters. Just as Mencius’s mother saw Mencius copying those around him, I saw my daughters copying me. And I saw the daughters of my clients and friends copying their mothers. I wanted my daughters to learn confidence, healthy habits, and respect.

Take advantage of children’s curiosity by teaching them about food and health. The more you educate your children about what they are eating, the more they will choose healthy foods. I got my kids off the ice cream habit by letting them whip up really thick smoothies in the blender. They nicknamed these “smoothie ice cream.” Children are conscious eaters. Because most children approach things very simply, they have a lot of focus. I remember when my daughter had just learned how to tie her own shoelaces. She would breathe heavily as she carefully tied them. It took some serious focus. Children pay a lot of attention to all their experiences. Have you ever seen a child get lost in a game? Children aren’t just pretending, they are experiencing. With a little guidance, it is easy to teach them how to pay closer attention to what they are eating. What does the texture of this food feel like? Is it smooth or rough in your mouth? Do the flavours change as you chew? How long can you chew before you swallow your food?

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Notice how schools are often decorated with lots of colours, textures, and shapes. It keeps the children stimulated, interested, and engaged. Do the same with food. Build meals with a variety of colours, flavours, textures, and shapes.

Children love learning. Children are incredibly curious. They love to learn. Remember the endless “whys?” Take advantage of this curiosity by teaching them about food and health. The more you educate your children about what they are eating, the more they will choose healthy foods. Get them excited about growing organic vegetables, and explain what happens to the earth’s soil when we use pesticides. Teach them about where dairy foods come from, and how too much sugar will affect them. Keep it simple. If you get too technical, you risk your children getting bored, misunderstanding you, or getting scared of eating certain food for fear of illness or death. Keep it simple and light. They will make it fun. Children love variety. Notice how schools are often decorated with lots of colours, textures, and shapes. It keeps the

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Children love fun. Kids are fun-making machines. They love to explore with their hands and their mouths, so give them foods they can interact with. For example, let them add their own sour cream and parsley to their black bean soup, or place their own raisins on a celery stick with nut butter for an “ants on a log” treat.

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children stimulated, interested, and engaged. Do the same with food. The more variety, the better, so build meals with a variety of colours, flavours, textures, and shapes. When you follow these tips, your children will naturally learn to have a healthier relationship with food. It will become part of the way they live. Give them enough guidance and boundaries with food to feel safe, yet enough freedom to explore, get interested, and be brave. Mothers, we have a great role to play. Let’s be responsible to our children for better health and more confidence. Tysan Lerner is a certified health coach and personal trainer. She helps women attain their body and beauty goals without starving themselves or spending hours at the gym. Her website is www. lavendermamas.com.

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Healthy habits worth teaching As mothers, we can fight the obesity epidemic by raising our kids to have a better, wiser relationship with food

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