We are so easily influenced when we are children and we believe that our parents have flawless knowledge about everything. Even though we grow up and learn that are parents are only human—imperfect, sometimes confused, and often missing the mark—we can’t let go of the things they taught us as kids. As adults, we question the things our parents do and say all of the time, but we hold onto the nuggets of wisdom and rules they planted in our brains when we were little—as if they are universal law. Some of that blind following includes the way we view food. Hey, our parents did the best they could with the information they had. And it’s never easy to get kids to eat a healthy diet—they aren’t huge fans of vegetables. But some of the less-than-great habits our parents instilled in us as kids can be hard to shake in adulthood. Like these.
Having a beverage with your meal
You always had a beverage with dinner. Maybe a cup of juice, soda, or a glass of milk. Now, it’s just a reflex that you grab a drink with dinner. But drinking fluids at the same time that you eat food can actually interfere with proper digestion. And, if you are still grabbing soda or juice, those just contain too much sugar.
Cleaning your plate
Your parents wouldn’t let you leave the table until you cleaned your plate. We now know this isn’t a great habit, but it can still be hard to unlearn it. Just remember that most “serving sizes” provided on any food are based on a roughly 2,000 calorie a day diet, which is not how many calories most Americans need. If you fall in the 1,500 to 1,700 calorie range, you could be overeating a lot by cleaning your plate.
There was always a basket of bread rolls or loaf of bread at the table. You had a roll with your salad, and maybe another with your entrée. Now you always put out bread on your table, but that’s just empty calories. If you must have your rolls, grab dense, whole-grain, high-fiber ones.
Maybe you hardly cook. Perhaps your mom always sent you out of the kitchen because you distracted her, or she was worried about you hurting yourself. Until you were 18, food came out of the mysterious kitchen—a place you didn’t go in—and then in college it came from the cafeteria. Now it comes from the delivery guy. It’s time to grow up and learn to cook. It will save you so much money, and calories.
Making vegetables punishment
Vegetables were these nasty things you had to struggle through. Your mom just made steamed broccoli or boiled peas with a little salt. They were unenticing. Now, you have negative associations around vegetables. That’s okay—there are ways to make these foods better. You just have to learn some tricks and recipes.
Making dessert a reward
Your parents dangled dessert in front of you, like some precious metal you only received after eating your entrée. Now, you eat dessert after every meal because you grew up feeling you earn dessert by eating every meal. Whoops. At the very least, switch from ice cream and brownies to fruit salad and non-fat frozen yogurt.
Yo-yo dieting
You saw your mom do it. She wouldn’t touch the meatloaf and mashed potatoes because she was having her diet shakes that week. So, you grew up (and perhaps you started this as a teen) yo-yo dieting. If you can develop a mindset of eating healthy as a lifestyle rather than for brief, intense periods, you will do your health and waistline a world of good.
Frequent snacks
Your mom always put out snacks. If you came home from school, finished your homework, or came home from soccer practice, she asked if you wanted snacks. Now, you always have snacks around. It feels like a normal part of homemaking. It doesn’t have to be. Cutting snacks between meals can be a great start to shedding excess pounds.
Empty breakfasts
Your mom gave you points for just eating something in the mornings. So you devoured sugary cereals and donuts. Now, you still think you get points for having empty calories in the morning, but not so! It may be time to graduate to adult breakfasts full of lean protein, low-fat dairy, and fiber. These are the nutrients that will prevent mid-morning cravings and blood sugar slumps.
Allure around junk food
Junk food was locked away, high up in cabinets little kids couldn’t reach. Junk food was only for birthday parties and Halloween. As a kid, you’d sneak away and eat it at friends’ houses, and as an adult, you may indulge in the stuff too much because you feel you finally can. But there are more exciting things in life than junk food, like socializing, learning, traveling, reading, dating…find excitement outside of salt and sugar.
Limiting your diet
Maybe your parents allowed you to be a picky eater. The only way they’d get you to consume any calories was by allowing you to eat nothing but grilled cheese sandwiches and spaghetti and meatballs. Today, your diet is still rather stunted. There are some easily accessible cuisines (perhaps Ethiopian, Thai, or French) that you’ve never touched. I bet it drives your friends and partners crazy, because those restaurants are off limits. Do them a favor—try new foods.
Eating fast so you can watch TV
When you were little, the sooner you finished your food, the sooner you got to watch TV. You may still, as an adult, scarf down your meal so you can watch Netflix. Try talking to your partner while you eat—you could probably use some time to catch up.
Weekends are for cheating
Maybe on the weekends, your parents took you to get fast food and ice cream. You grew up feeling that weekends were for cheating on your diet. But dieting and cheating is bad for your body, and usually leads to no weight loss progress. Healthy eating is about balance.
Separate plates for every dish
You got a little plate for your salad, one for your bread roll, and maybe even one for your mashed potatoes, along with the main one for your entrée. But try, today, to put all of your food on one plate. It gives you a better look at how much you’re actually consuming.
Listening to anyone but yourself
Ultimately, you grew up with the idea that somebody else would tell you the right way to eat. It could have put you out of touch with your own body. Learn to understand your rhythms—when you’re full, when you need more protein or less carbs, and when you need to cut back on sugar. Your body will usually speak to you. Listen to that, more than anybody else.
Source: Gettyimages.com/mapodile / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Hermansyah Hermansyah / EyeEm / Getty
Source: Getty.com/R.Tsubin / Getty
Source: Getty.com/skynesher / Getty
Source: Getty.com/RuslanDashinsky / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Westend61 / Getty
Source: Gettyimages.com/LaylaBird / Getty
Source: Getty.com/PeopleImages / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Kiko Jimenez / EyeEm / Getty
Source: Getty.com/RgStudio / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury / Getty
Source: Getty.com/wundervisuals / Getty
Source: Getty.com/Pinghung Chen / EyeEm / Getty
Source: Getty.com/electravk / Getty