During the upcoming holiday season as well as throughout the year, food often plays a central role in our celebrations and in our experiences with others. While it's a good idea to be careful of overindulging during the holidays, it's good to keep in mind that your attitude towards food provides a clear model for your children to understand and build their own relationship with food.

What happened to enjoying food?
Our society has become so obsessed with diets and thinness that creamy sauces, carbohydrates and desserts have become synonymous with evil. How many times have you heard someone talk about the caloric, fat or carbohydrate content of a piece of food – and often when they planned to eat it anyway?!!

Relationships with food have become less about the simple experience of enjoying different tastes and textures and more about an emotional rollercoaster of self-denial and deprivation, overindulgence and guilt. This vicious cycle can play a part in not only life-long weight and health issues but also can contribute to struggles related to self-esteem and self-worth.

Sometimes it's not what you do, it's how you do it…
While it may seem innocent enough, there are subtle but significant messages that your children will take away from how you talk about and interact with food. If you're making healthy choices, that's great – don't change your choices, change your words!

Skip dessert if you really don't want it – but instead of saying "Wow – that carrot cake is probably a million calories; I'm trying to 'be good' - I can't eat that!," simply say, "That carrot cake looks great but I'm going to pass because dinner was absolutely satisfying!" And if you do indulge yourself in a little treat, truly enjoy it and make sure you don't take a guilt trip afterwards. Instead of noting, "Well, I'll be 5 pounds heavier by tomorrow morning!", savor each morsel that you decide to eat and remember to take pleasure in the experience. Your children will come to understand that food can be enjoyed as a healthy and positive part of celebrations and life!