Growing Healthy Habits: Raising Children Who Enjoy Sustainable Eating

Our environment shapes the way we interact with food. This is true in adults, but it is especially true in children. Relationships with food begin even before birth; taste buds form by 8 weeks gestation and become fully functional by around 15 weeks. During pregnancy, flavors from the mother’s diet are transported to the baby via amniotic fluid, which later impacts their taste preferences postnatal. That exposure doesn’t end after pregnancy, flavor is also transmitted through breastmilk! In those that choose to breastfeed, the breastmilk produced contains the flavor of whatever the mother ate. Our food preferences begin early on, which is why it is important to help your child develop a healthy and sustainable eating pattern at an early age. Sustainable diets are characterized by lots of plant based foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds), locally sourced foods, and minimal ultra processed foods. A child’s environment influences their behavior and with their food habits are no exception. When children have access to a healthy, sustainable diet rich in local and cultural foods, it supports their health and development. Behavior change can begin at any age- taking small steps towards a healthy diet for your child, regardless of previous habits, establishes a sustainable diet long term.

Developing your child’s healthy food habits begins outside of meal time. Informing children on where their food comes from establishes an early understanding of how their food choices impact the world around them. Having an open discussion

about what food is, why we eat, and where it comes from helps children understand the importance of sustainable nutrition. However, knowledge alone doesn’t produce action, which is especially true in children. Hands-on, real life exposure creates a memorable learning experience. An excellent way to model sustainable eating habits to children is through a home garden. Growing your own food is about as sustainable as it gets! The term “food system” refers to the steps taken for food to travel from the farm to your plate. The shorter a food system is, the more sustainable it is. Short food systems use less water and energy, and reduce carbon emitted from travel. Growing your own food decreases the resources required for that food to exist. Involving children in gardening teaches them where their food comes from and the value of growing your own food. Gardening is a positive developmental activity for any age! Whether your child is old enough to help out, or if they simply want to play in the dirt, any exposure is worthwhile. Young children working in the garden and getting their hands dirty is a sensory learning experience that increases their curiosity surrounding their environment. Even simply existing near a garden increases normalcy to the idea of growing your own food. Any exposure to sustainable diet patterns, no matter how small, is beneficial in developing healthy eating habits. You don’t have to start a large garden to teach your kids about food, starting small is just as valuable. Herbs are a great place to start; they can be grown indoors on your windowsill, and require little effort! Your child can help plant the seeds, help take care of it, and watch it grow over time. Getting children involved in the growth process of their food increases their recognition of that food, which in turn makes them more likely to want to eat it. Children also feel a sense of pride when they are an active participant in the growth of a plant. Through this process they learn about the time and effort required to produce food, practice their patience, and increase their knowledge about food. Whether you have a home garden, berry bushes in your backyard, or herbs on your windowsill, exposing children to where their food comes from fosters curiosity and interest. 

Another way to expand your child’s curiosity towards food is by involving them in the cooking process. Helping in the kitchen is a fun, hands-on way for children to learn! When children help in the kitchen they are more likely to eat the meal being made. Knowledge about food is important, but so are the skills necessary to utilize that knowledge. A sustainable diet pattern focuses on whole foods and limits processed foods, but cooking skills are important to make this diet successful. Whole foods require more preparation, and therefore some skill. Teaching your child cooking skills is important in developing a healthy diet long term. When your child helps with meal preparation, it increases their confidence in the kitchen. The experience of cooking is valuable in many ways. Children helping to measure out ingredients teaches math, mixing and cutting improve fine motor skills, feeling the unique textures of different ingredients and tasting along the way increases their interest in the meal. As soon as your child shows interest, allow them to help out! Cooking with your child is not only an incredible way to develop healthy eating patterns, but it is also a bonding experience. Creating and sharing a meal with someone is a special moment of connection. Food is much more than physical nourishment, it also nourishes your mind, soul, and relationships. Many of us have happy childhood memories of cooking with a loved one, this experience may have even developed a love for cooking in your adult life. The benefits of children helping out in the kitchen are endless, and they extend into the rest of that child’s life. 

Encouraging a diverse palette in children may not be as simple in practice as it is in theory. Many children are picky eaters, which poses challenges towards developing a sustainable eating pattern. It’s important to remember that food preferences are shaped by many different factors, not just flavor. Our preferences are also impacted by texture, smell, appearance, knowledge of the food and where it comes from, among many other things. Picky eating can be a barrier to developing a sustainable eating pattern in children, especially if their habits cause aversions to whole foods, fruits, and vegetables. While this can be a challenge for many caregivers, it is not a life sentence. Children are moldable, they learn and change quickly! Regardless of age, children develop new preferences all the time. Starting with small exposures helps to ease children into new foods. Simply putting a new food on their plate, even if you know they won’t eat it, is helpful in expanding their diet. The initial goal isn’t for the food to be eaten, it is for the food to be seen, explored, and considered. Determining what is causing an aversion to a certain food is helpful in breaking down that barrier. Preparing the food to be a different texture, flavor, or scent, or serving it in a fun way could help decrease an aversion. Making your child’s snack look like their favorite animal makes that new food more exciting and less scary! 

It can be difficult to recognize what changes can be made and how to follow through on those changes. Increasing children’s knowledge on a variety of foods decreases their fear towards new food, and getting them involved in the growing or cooking process expands their perspective. Encouraging a diet with lots of whole, plant-based foods can take time, but with every small exposure progress is made. Starting to develop healthy patterns in childhood reduces the challenge of changing diet habits in adulthood. Sustainability and health are intertwined, feeding your child a sustainable diet means you are feeding them a diet that promotes healthy growth and development. Teaching children about food, sustainability, and nutrition early encourages a healthy mind and body throughout their life!