Frequently Asked Questions
May 2007
By Althea Zanecosky, MS, RD, LDN
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
Q: I’m always trying to drop a few pounds and am concerned that I may be giving the wrong messages to my children about food and weight. How much influence do mothers really have on their daughter’s food habits?
A: John Mayer's popular song “Daughters” asks that "mothers be good to your daughters." While mothers pass down genetic traits of body shape, hair and eye color to their daughters, they influence their daughters' eating habits, physical activity, dieting behaviors and body image more than they may realize. Mothers model both negative and positive health behaviors, often unintentionally, which in turn are learned by impressionable daughters through the "daughter see, daughter do" phenomenon.
Scientific research has found several strong links between mothers, daughters, dieting and health, including:
- Children's food preferences are more strongly linked with the mother than the father, with the strongest association between mothers and daughters. Studies published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association have found that mothers' own food choices may be more influential than any other attempt to control their daughters' food intake.
- Studies from Appetite, Nutrition Today, and Family Economics and Nutrition Review have established that a mother's decision to drink milk more frequently and eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains is likely to influence her daughter's choices.
- Mothers' beverage choices influence their daughters' choices; if Mom drinks soft drinks instead of more healthful beverages, so will the daughter.
- Research also has found that mothers who are preoccupied with weight and dieting and who try to influence their daughters' eating habits may actually cause the opposite desired effect by placing their daughters at risk for becoming overly concerned with weight and becoming a constant dieter.
While it is clear that mothers play an important role in helping shape a daughter's eating habits, also significant is creating a family environment that encourages physical activity. Research suggests that both mothers and fathers are models for physical activity. The benefits of exercise for developing girls include healthy weight, positive body image and enhanced bone health. However, studies also show a parent's influence on a daughter's physical activity can mean more than leading by example. Some parents may not actually play soccer, but they can still be a positive role model by driving her to athletic practices, cheering for her from the sidelines, or volunteering to coach.
So how can moms help their daughters develop a healthy relationship with food? The researchers all agree that "doing" instead of "telling" is the best strategy. If Mom runs out of the house with a diet soda for breakfast, it is likely that her daughter will do the same. Here are easy ways for moms to "be good to their daughters":
- Refrain from making negative comments about food, your body or your child's body.
- Eat the foods and drink the beverages that you want your children to consume. Mothers who snack on healthy foods like fruit, veggies, whole grains and lowfat dairy are more likely to have daughters who do the same.
- Encourage lowfat or fat-free milk at every meal and limit soft drinks and other sugary beverages, which often displace milk and add significant amounts of empty calories to children's diets.
- Make every effort to have family meals at home in which parents serve as role models; make those meals full of enjoyment and free of criticism.
- Avoid pressure or restrictive feeding practices at mealtime.
- Foster positive body image and high self-esteem in daughters by complimenting qualities other than appearance.
- Exercise together and exercise independently to serve as active role models.