10.4 Food Habits Begin in Childhood
Elizabeth B. Pearce and Amy Huskey
Hearing the phrase “you are what you eat” might conjure a distinct image in a person’s mind. This phrase is often associated with encouraging a healthy diet to promote an individual’s overall well-being. Yet, food is not only a form of sustenance, but it is also used to communicate culture as well as a way of forming social ties and communicating love.
It is important to recognize the multidimensional influence food has on family life, and therefore how it can impact families in various ways. In particular, children are influenced by their primary caregivers’ habits, eating routines, and access to healthy food options.
Children and Nutrition
Children deserve a special mention when it comes to food, and especially to hunger, as they are heavily impacted by poverty and hunger in the United States. In 2017, 17.5% of all children in the United States lived in poverty; Latino/a/x and Black children were more often in poverty than were White children. This contributes to diet deficiency. A high-quality diet is a major contributing factor to children’s health and well-being and to their health outcomes as adults. Poor eating patterns in childhood are associated with obesity during childhood and adolescence; obese children are more likely to become obese adults. Obesity in children has been increasing dramatically since 1980 and is likely related to diet, physical activity, family environment, and other factors. Obesity leads to increased risks for a wide variety of chronic diseases, including diabetes, stroke, heart disease, arthritis, and some cancers (Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2019).
Hunger and a poor diet can have other effects on children. Hungry children cannot learn as efficiently as well-nourished children. According to the American Psychological Association, they are more likely to develop anxiety and depression along with other health problems. Brain development, learning, and information processing can all be affected by lacking an adequate diet. Children experience stigma around being food insecure and accessing free and reduced meals, part of the federal response to poverty. If you want to know more about this federally regulated and funded program, access the USDA website here. Many children receive USDA-subsidized meals and snacks in childcare and at school (figure 10.9). Children may feel isolated and ashamed about being poor or about being food insecure, although many children share this experience in the United States (American Psychological Association, n.d.).
Early Food Experiences
The way our family approaches food when we are children affects us for the rest of our lives. What we eat matters, as do the social aspects of meals. People who were not exposed to a variety of foods as children or who were forced to swallow every last bite of overcooked vegetables may make limited food choices as adults. Children who do not practice soci