From the moment your children are born, your kids will look to you to determine how to live their own lives. That means that it falls to you to teach them everything from effective communication to well-balanced nutrition.
In May, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study revealing that the best way to ensure that your children will eat healthily throughout their lives is to set an example for them from an early age.
The study, which was led by Sharon Hoerr, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Michigan State University, contrasted different methods that mothers used to monitor their kids’ eating habits. These different techniques included sternly ordering children to eat nutrition-rich foods, placing rigid restrictions on others and rewarding children that ate as they were told to.
ScienceDaily reports that the researchers concluded that the most effective way for parents to get children to eat healthily was by doing so themselves and gently encourage their kids to follow suit. This signals to the little ones that a nourishing diet is a regular part of daily life, rather than a novelty or an obligation.
According to Hoerr, parents will see better results by “providing a healthy food environment, adopting balanced eating habits themselves and covertly controlling their children’s diet quality by not bringing less healthy foods into the house.”
While the study was largely focused on how mothers could impact the eating habits of their kids, an article from the Mayo Clinic states that fathers also play a part in the matter. Even if a mother typically handles food preparation, some dads also set an example if they regularly take their kids out for fast food and other convenient but unhealthy options.
So, if you would like your children to take a daily multivitamin to boost their overall health, why not lead by example and take one yourself? Click to learn more about the options we offer for kids and adults.