The best possible way to influence your kids is to be a good role model for them. During the years they are with you, they’ll learn many lessons about how to live well and be happy. While most of these lessons will result from what you do right, some of the most important lessons will come from your mistakes.
Daughters, for example, learn a great deal about how to approach food by observing the habits and behaviors of their mothers. In fact, eating in a way that provides a positive role model for her daughter is a good way for a mother to stay on the path herself. It helps to have a few firm guidelines and to be incredibly flexible on everything else.
Growing children need at least six servings of breads and grains, two servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables, three servings of dairy, and at least two servings of protein (meat, poultry, beans, or nuts). These servings can be small, of course, when kids are young.