do you think how we ate as kids set the tone for adulthood?

My mom always forced us to finish our plates growing up.
Guess who now struggles with knowing when to stop eating.

 

true this. this topic however, could/should populate an entirely different thread...geesh...early 20's were mayhem for me, with respect to drinking. wish I had a Time Machine to send young-self a note.

 

Same.

Parents never cooked, I was microwaving my own meals by age 8. Grandparents did cook, but did not want leftovers. Not only was I told to finish my plate, but I had to finish other plates as well.

 

Air fryer - toss em with some EVOO and air fry em till crispy!
Add some lemon pepper and lemon juice - yummy

I also pan fry veggies in a bit of bacon grease - not 'healthy' per say but not bad for you in moderation and tastes great

 

Oh this is so true!!

 

Canned vegetables are for bomb shelters and desperation.

 

I think it more depends on when we grew up and that somewhat determined what we ate and our eating habits. I was a teen in the late 60’s. We ate candy, chips and junk but pretty much in moderation. My family for the most part never went out for fast food. My parents both worked but my mother prepared breakfasts, bag lunches and meat, potatoe and veggie dinners. Balanced and healthy. Seeing a fat kid was rare, they really stood out. Look at pictures of groups of kids from the 50’s and 60’s and then compare to groups of kids in the 90’s and 2000’s. The later pics will show an epidemic of obesity in the youth. The youth now a days eat a lot more junk crap food than we ever ate. I also think parents prepare a lot more unhealthy food these days because they often both work , they are involved in so much they just don’t have time to plan and prepare healthy meals. A lot of food is what is fast and easy.
Add to all that the lack of exercise of many kids today. When I was a kid we rode our bike everywhere, we played football, baseball, basketball several days a week in the streets and fields around where we lived . We walked everywhere including to school (for me it was a 2 mile walk). Now a days a lot of kids exercise consists of shuffling along while staring at their cell phone or scooting along on an electric scooter or e-bike. Drive by a school in the morning. The number of kids driven or bused to school is huge. When I was in high school a hand full of kids were driven to school. There were no school buses in our city. If you wanted to take a bus to school you got on a city bus.
So bottom line yes I think what and how we ate as kids set the tone for our adulthood. But I think recent eating trends have had a far more negative effect on younger adults and set them up for health problems due to diet. And adding to it is the lack of exercise of much of the youth today as compared to a couple generations ago.

 

We ate like crap in the 70’s.
Breakfast:
Sugar cereals, or if “healthy” eggo waffles with high fructose corn syrup and fake butter made from hydrogenated oil.

Mid-morning snack: Pudding cup and pop tart.

Lunch: “Peanut butter” sandwiches. Hydrogenated oil, High fructose corn syrup and sugar spiking white bread. Chocolate milk. Then, something sweet for dessert.

Latch key kid coming home from school. Nestle’s quick chocolate milk. More pop tarts and sugary junk until dinner.

We are now learning that this is not a good diet for a growing brain.

As adults, we eat well.

Pushing 60 at 14% body fat and can still do all day mountain bike grinds and feel fresh.