The language we use and the words we say in relation to our bodies and food are important. They have the power to influence how we feel and the relationships we hold with our bodies and food across our lives. They can also impact those around us especially little people learning about the world they live in.

I recently received a drawing and letter from my BFF who is on the other side of the world, she is 3 years old. She wants to hang out and make cookies with me when she gets home. This had me thinking about how damaging it is when people label food such as cookies as “bad”. How does a three-year-old interpret this? Especially if a food is labeled “bad” in relation to some dumb idea about body or weight. I should mention that her mum is fab and is building really great language surrounding food.

There is NO such thing as “bad” or “good” food or “bad” or “good” bodies.

All food has a place in a healthy eating pattern and all bodies are fabulous!

We’re going to make cookies because they’re delicious and can be a part of a healthy eating pattern. Cookies are a food that you eat because they are yummy or because you need a quick energy hit or have a craving for something sweet. We learn that if we eat too many cookies we might get a tummy ache or have lots of fast energy and then we get tired and are hungry again. We learn that cookies probably aren’t a great choice as a meal because the energy they provide doesn’t sustain us for very long. We learn to listen to our body and be curious about what we eat and how our body feels after eating certain foods. We learn that other foods might be a better choice if we need sustained energy. We learn that our body needs different vitamins and minerals to function well so we cannot live on cookies. Cookies aren’t good or bad they are cookies and they are yum.

For me, the memories of sitting on the kitchen bench with my mum making cakes as a 3 or 4-year-old are some of the strongest memories I have from that age. What wonderful memories to have of mixing ingredients, making a mess, sitting on the bench and getting to lick the spoon, having to wait for it to cool, and then learning how to ice a cake. Not only are they great memories, but they also help to build life skills. How to follow a recipe, measure ingredients, ?patience, what each ingredient tastes like by itself, and the chemistry of how single ingredients can be mixed and baked and turn into a cake.