This month at Lotus of Life Chiropractic, we’ve been talking about how to feed a picky eater. We want to take a special moment here to consider the importance of your own diet regarding the answer to this tricky question. For many of us, the picky eater we’re trying to nourish is a child, but sometimes it’s a partner or a friend, even. In any of these scenarios, the example you set is paramount to the outcome you’d like to see.
Years ago a study came out showing that children who fared the best in school were the ones who grew up in homes with a lot of books. Not necessarily just the ones who’d been read to, or made to turn off the TV in favor of reading time, they were just…around a lot of books. In the parlance of our times, those families normalized reading for their kids, and reading leads to success in a lot of measurable ways. Suppose you normalize eating habits that involve fresh, local, seasonal foods, preparing a lot of meals at home, and avoiding sugar and processed foods? What if the people you love witness you consistently making diet choices based on your desire to be healthy?
When it comes to our own behavior, Rockwell was right, someone is always watching you, even if they’re not doing it on purpose. Even you are watching you. If you begin to make more conscious decisions about how to feed your own human meat sack (as they say), you will begin to feel and look better in many ways. As you feel and look better, you will show up in your life in ways that are brighter, more engaged, and present. Your entire community witnesses that, even if it’s subconsciously. And who doesn’t want to feel, and look, and be better? If you’ve been fighting with someone you love about eating habits, because you love them, might we gently suggest that you simply stop entirely and focus on the example you can set?