30 Signs You Were Raised by Healthy Parents
Were you a locavore before you even knew what the term meant? Were you raised by health-conscious parents who were plugged into organic, cage-free, non-GMO, nutritious eating before it was cool? Are you raising your kids the same way? If so, embrace your history and health! Here are 30 signs you were raised by health-conscious parents. (See also: 30 Signs You Were Raised by Frugal Parents)
1. In your house, soda was reserved for only the rarest special occasions. You had entire friendships based on accessing bootleg bottles of soda.
2. For the first 18 years of your life, dessert was synonymous with fresh fruit.
3. Your parents diluted chocolate milk with regular milk based on a 40:60 ratio.
4. At school, you were known for bringing the freshest, healthiest, least trade-worthy sack lunches.
5. In your mind, sugary cereal will always be a Schedule II controlled substance.
6. You know the sweet delight of eating a ripe tomato plucked straight from the vine.
7. As a kid, odd behavior was always met with the question, "What have you been eating?"
8. Your Halloween candy haul was immediately confiscated and dispensed gradually throughout the year.
9. A beautiful summer day meant the TV was off and the kids were outside.
10. From planting to harvest, you had a working knowledge of gardening by age 9.
11. You had the kind of peanut butter that needed to be stirred before use.
12. You still think Wonder Bread tastes a little bit like cake.
13. As a kid, you had a difficult time distinguishing candy bars from actual currency.
14. You campaigned for class president by promising to install a salad bar in the school cafeteria.
15. Your trips to the dentist were largely uneventful.
16. You waited in vain for yoga and Pilates to be added to your school's Physical Education curriculum.
17. You used to sneak your own healthy snacks into movie theaters. Raisins, almonds, apple slices, and homemade popcorn were standard fare.
18. You could identify every green in a mixed green salad by age 5.
19. You learned to read by studying nutrition labels on packaged food.
20. As a youngster, it was difficult for you to fully grasp the difference between a farmer's market and a county fair.
21. Your mom or dad made their own baby food using only organic ingredients.
22. Your taste buds can't distinguish carob from chocolate.
23. In your house, "fast food" meant leftover sliced turkey (free-range, of course) on millet bread.
24. Your parents cooked and baked with brown eggs instead of white.
25. You went through a profound junk-food binge phase the moment you moved out of your parents' house (but came out the other side).
26. You probably ate at least one meal each day at the table with your family — no TV and no distractions.
27. You tend to sweeten things with honey instead of sugar.
28. You know that recipes with fewer ingredients are often the best.
29. You have a long history with Echinacea.
30. There's a small pot of wheat grass setting on your windowsill right now.
As much as we may have failed to realize or fought it in our youth, our health-conscious parents were trying to set us up for a lifetime of healthier choices. And if you were a kid in the 1960's and 70's, that kind of thinking has proven to be ahead of its time. As the U.S. fights its fast-food culture, ballooning waistlines, and skyrocketing rates of diabetes and other chronic conditions, any advantage we have in defending our health is a big advantage indeed. Take a moment to thank mom and dad today. Are you passing those same healthy habits done to the next generation?
Were you raised by health-conscious parents or are you one yourself? What funny stories or fond memories do you have to share?
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