How we are raised is as important as our genes! Genes are hereditary, but so are lifestyle choices. We as a child are taught to copy our parents. Copy their mannerisms; movements such as “wave bye-bye”, “patty cake” and “shake hands” as well as reactions to things like storms, spiders and food. Children read people and absorb things more than we will ever know. We now have an understanding and can prove that environment has a huge impact on our development, learning style, choices and fears.
This can be seen in our food choices today. Be honest, are you still buying the same toilet paper that your mother bought when you lived at home? Peanut butter? Pasta sauce? Most of us are creatures of habit and mindlessly reach for what we recognize from our childhood while grocery shopping. The past creates a “snow-ball” effect and just continues to be passed down from generation to generation. We are our parents children!
How do we adjust our sails? How do we take a different path?
I grew up drinking soda for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ate massive amounts of peanut butter sandwiches on white bread. Popsicles were daily in my childhood. I honestly didn’t really know any different. The commercials on the T.V. showed kids doing the same. I loved sugary cereal in the morning and chocolate powder in my milk. I felt normal.
Looking back, I realize how much power those commercials had over our family. From grocery shopping to toys and even our toilet paper. Ads really work, and the marketing department is good at what they do. I feel “duped” as an educated adult now in my 40’s. I have really taken a massive dive into nutrition education. That has propelled me to further my nutrition journey and enroll in school for integrative nutrition. I can’t help but think that education (not from media) is key to changing our environmental inheritance. But, depending on where you look to seek nutritional information, you will discover a plethora of information. How are you suppose to navigate all this information? What does the FDA say about nutrition? Why is it different in other countries? Why are there so many different “diet”plans? Why can’t we get ourselves together?
So many factors influence our food choices. Our past, emotions and physical activity dictate our choices without us even knowing. It is hard to change. I’ll say that again. It is hard to change. I see this every day. I can see two groups of people in the world. One group that thrives off of consistency and the other thrives off of change. I love change. I love changing my hair color, wall color, furniture configuration, vacation destinations…you get the picture. If I feel stagnate, then I don’t feel like I’m living. People who thrive off consistency often try to force things to never change. I find that dangerous and can cause panic and distress later in life. It is hard to keep everything the same, and the more you force it, the more upset you become when it doesn’t work out. Things change. The world changes. Toilet paper changes.
I love the idea of trying something new. I am thrilled when I have new choices to choose from. I love to experiment with life and even my food. I encourage you to reach for something different the next time you are in the grocery. And maybe ask your hairdresser for blue hair.