Healthy Parents, Healthy Kids

Learning by making mistakes is part of life. But can we learn to be healthy before we ruin our bodies or those of our children? Just like learning to love, mastering a language, or using spice even in soup, the habits that children observe in their parents are reflected back at them. In the same way, a child who sees their parents eating vegetables from a young age will sooner or later make that routine a law. Food is, in every way, a blessing. When misused, it becomes poison. Its mission is to care for every part of the body and ensure its proper functioning. Still, it’s hard not to obsess over the sound of fried food cooking in oil, hard not to crave a cake in the oven, hard not to complain about being healthy when it’s not a habit. But here’s the good news: being a healthy parent isn’t hard when it’s done out of self-love and love for your children. Plus, seen from the indulgent side, eating healthily gives us a wildcard to be used guilt-free any day of the week. That’s a good balance. Shall we indulge in that banana cake or those snacks on Sunday? Like many of you, I also belong to that generation that grew up watching unregulated children's commercials on TV. You know, the wizards, clowns, and panthers that told us sweets gave us superpowers. I remember whenever I went to my friends' houses –certainly with more colorful and tempting pantries– I envied their desserts and, above all, their parents. Mine were quirky. They were healthy. Today I sincerely thank them for it. It’s no coincidence that Mexico ranks first in childhood obesity and second in obesity among adults. And no, the children are not to blame. In the eighties and nineties, additives, preservatives, and artificial coloring were all the rage. The faster something could be prepared, the better. Some real foods were even publicly demonized until, over the years, we learned that eggs were not the cholesterol-producing machines we thought they were and that carbs and fats weren’t entirely bad. On the contrary, according to Clinical Nutritionist specializing in diabetes, Jennifer Asencio, we need carbohydrates to function and think. Of course, she’s talking about complex carbs, not those found in tamale cake –which, if we love it, will be the reason we should take care of ourselves beforehand–. Balance, remember? Dr. Asencio states that “glucose provides energy to the body, it’s the ‘fuel’. The brain, liver, and our muscles function thanks to it. Glucose is the only energy source for the nervous system and blood cells, which is why a healthy person should consume complex carbohydrates, such as grains, rice, whole grain breads, and cereals every day but in a conscious way, on a balanced plate.” This does not apply the same to people with diabetes.According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, habits are formed in our children before the age of two, so especially during this time, smart nutritional decisions must be made. A healthy parent would avoid simple sugars for themselves and their children, such as candies, sweets, gummies, or pastries, and would only consume them on special occasions, on a Saturday morning or one day during the week, without binge eating. They would choose better products, with cleaner labels –those where they can pronounce most of the ingredients–. They would learn to read nutritional information to distinguish the other names for sugar (sweetener, sorbitol, dextrose, etc.). They would practice responsible consumption.Only with better food decisions can we have children with better life prospects. We must stop seeing “healthy” as a stigma and instead see it for what it is: our best inheritance, the only way to live longer and live better. Will you join me? We can do it together.Nopal Salad with BeansGrilled Salmon with Avocado SauceSalmon al Pibil