Thinking back to when I started out as a Registered Dietitian, I strongly believed that telling people what to eat would help change their lives forever. Reality soon hit and in fact, I found that most people already had some sense of what they should be eating. I learned through experience and also through a little bit of trial and error, that education alone is not the only way to get people to eat healthier.
In my 18 years of working with the public I learned that people feel there is no middle ground with food. It's either we eat unhealthy or healthy. I truly believe certain foods have a place and if we balance what we eat it will make for better food choices.
When I began working with children I learned how important it is to grow up with food as an enjoyable experience. No one ever wants to be forced to eat foods or participate in physical activity that they don't enjoy. There has to be a want or it has to be learned behavior. It also has to be something that the whole family is involved in.
That’s why when I became a parent, I wanted to make sure my child was able to make choices and know the importance of balanced eating. It brings me great joy to see my child at a birthday party having a piece of cake but also choosing to have some fruit or vegetables from a crudite platter. So I ask you today to try to see the world of nutrition through the eyes of a child, with curiosity, no healthy versus unhealthy and just balance. Believe me it will make a world of difference!