Mom’s Wisdom with Nestlé® Pure Life®

This post is sponsored by Nestlé® Pure Life® and supporting documentation was supplied by Linqia.

When I was a kid, my mother went through this phase where she stopped buying us sodas and sugary cereals and she joined a food co-op where she ordered all kinds of healthy and organic foods. It was horrible. I thought she was the meanest Mom in the world because she was making us eat stuff like granola and real fruit juices. Oh, the horror. It was definitely one of those things that I couldn’t understand as a child. It was also one of those things that all of a sudden came into focus when I had my own children. Of course you want your kids to eat healthy. As a kid, it’s hard to understand that sometimes.

My grandmother was always overweight and I know my mother didn’t want to follow in her footsteps. We never really talked about food and diet growing up, but it was always implied that if we ate too many sweets and sugary sodas, we might end up overweight like my grandmother. I was never a thin kid growing up and weight was a huge issue for me. My mother never mentioned it, but the few times I complained about gaining weight, she would gently suggest some things I could do to help. That was what my mother did… she never lectured or told me I couldn’t do something. She just made it known that if I wanted help, she would do what she could.

With three daughters of my own, food and weight issues come up all the time. Almost every day. It’s not something we obsess over. It’s something we try and work on together. I don’t lecture. I don’t push. I just let my kids know I am there if they need help. I let them know I am there to support them. Hmmm… that sounds familiar.

I think we don’t realize the influence our parents had on us until we have our own kids. When situations arise, we find ourselves doing and saying the same things we experienced as a child. I often think about what I am imparting on my kids… and what they will take with them when they become mothers.

I’m so glad that Nestlé® understands this and has created the Mom’s Pure Wisdom campaign. After all, isn’t a woman’s wisdom best shared with others? In our house, one of the things we are constantly working on is drinking more water. We have cut out all sodas in the house and I’ve been trying hard to get the kids to avoid sodas when we are outside of the house as well. It isn’t easy and habits are hard to break, but water is such an amazing substance.

- Did you know that 60% of an adult body is water? Source: USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

- Water constitutes 90% of most fruits and vegetables and about 50% of meats. Source: USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

- Regular soda, energy or sports drinks, and other sweet drinks usually contain added sugar. Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

Teaching my own kids about health and nutrition while not trying to focus so much on their body image and weight issues has been a challenge. I feel fortunate that my mother didn’t make such a big deal about it either. Baby steps and simple lifestyle changes are the way to go.

What pearls of wisdom did your mother share with you that you are sharing with your own children (or plan to share)?

Visit the Nestlé® Pure Life® Facebook page to become a fan to receive more words of wisdom and tips to stay hydrated. Share your own stories with other women and let’s all learn from each other.