The one thing I wish I had learned about health eating as a child is to eat everything in moderation. Just because my plate is full of food, doesn't mean I have to eat it all. I'm trying to teach this lesson to my children now and hopefully they will always remember that.

If I had eaten healthy overall by staying away from fried food and sugary snacks when I was younger, I most likely would not be in a constant struggle with my weight as an adult.

The absolute one thing that I wish I had learned as a child is intuitive eating. When I was growing up we had to eat everything on our plates...regardless of how full we may or may not have been. I call it the "Clean Your Plate Club" and because of that mentality I struggle with eating past satiety and weight issues. So I definitely wish I had learned to eat intuitively as a child...

The absolute one thing that I wish I had learned as a child was portion control. I had no idea that pouring cereal & milk into a bowl until it was full was about 3 or 4 servings of cereal. I had no idea that a row of oreos was 4 or 5 servings, I had no idea a serving of chips was like 11 pieces as opposed to 60 pieces. It has made being an adult and trying to control my portions really hard because I feel like I am starving all the time. However, if I knew portion control as a kid, I would be much more healthier and used to it.

As a child I wish that I had learned/been encouraged to eat a variety of foods. I grew up eating mostly the same few meals every week and now I find it hard to try new foods. Also our weekly options were not that healthy and carb loaded. I am trying to eat a wider variety of foods that includes more fresh fruits and veggies.

I wish I had been given a bigger variety of foods to try. I had no idea how picky of an eater I was until I met my husband. I have explored so many new foods since then! I love foods, and am much bolder about trying different foods. Now I make my children try new foods occasionally, and repeat them even when they don't care for them. Sometimes it takes a few tries to like something!

I wish that had learned the importance of mindful eating. As a child, I ate my dinner on a TV tray in front of the TV. I thought it was great, but I know there was a lot of mindless eating going on. As a parent, I now make sure we eat all of our at home meals at the kitchen table.

Picking just one thing that I wish that I had learned as a child is hard as I can think of a few. I think the most important thing would have to be portion control because if you know how much to food to eat everything else should just fall into place.. like eating fruits and veggies and staying at a healthy weight just to name a few benefits! I hope to pass that down to my kids!

Over the last few months I have been doing a lot of research on healthier eating. I wish I would have know how truly bad refined sugar, white flour and junk food is for you. How good it can make you fell and how much energy you have just by eating the right kind of foods. My son didn't eat a lot of veggies as a child but if we would have eaten more he would have had no choice but to eat what we where eating. He is 24 now and has done a 180 along with us. Thank goodness for the internet and sites like yourslef that help us learn about healthy and low fat eating. As we always say, everything in moderation. Have been a faithfull subscriber to your magazine for years!

The most important thing I wished I learned was how to cook healthy and in proportions. We were raised in a time of "eat everything on your Plate" and dessert after every meal. We ate everything from fried, fast, cooked and baked goods. If I knew then what I know now, I would have raised my children on how to cook much healthier foods. If anything at all, I will be able to teach my grandchildren to eat healthier and that the combination of right foods and exercise is the best choice of all.

I wish my mom would have purchased more fresh items and prepared meals from scratch, like I try to do most nights for my family. I think it is very important to know where your food comes from (preferably not a jar or box) and know about what you put in your mouth. My son asks me "is this healthy mom?". I am so glad that he is aware of what he eats and feel it's important that he develop a good relationship with food.

I wish that I had known that just because you don't like a food prepared one way, you may love it when it's prepared differently. I didn't like boiled brussel sprouts growing up, but I love them broiled with a little olive oil. Sometimes children need to try different veggies prepared different ways to see what most appeals to them:)

I wished I had learned to eat in moderation. I was told to clean my plate because there were starving children in the world. Even if I offered to send them my leftovers, I still had to clean my plate. Also, I wished I had learned to snack on fruits and vegetables instead of high fat, high sugar snacks. We ate canned veggies instead of fresh and I think that would have changed my opinion of eating vegetables at a younger age.

I wish that I had been able to experience different foods and taught that food is a great experience, not that food was bad and had to be boring and plain. I let my kids try different foods and spices to see what they like.

Portion control! I grew up in a family where everybody ate 2-3 plates and they were all clean plates by the time they were done. I was seriously obese by the time I was in high school. Today, my daughter eats 6 small meals a day and loves fruits and veggies!

I wish I had learned to prepare and eat fresh foods. Everything came from a package. My dad's specialties were: meat noodles & sauce; meat sauce & noodles; noodles sauce & meat, noodles meat & sauce, sauce noodles & meat, and lastly sauce meat and noodles.

I wish I had learned how to eat a balanced diet! As a kid my dad cheered me on when I finished my first 16 oz soda, bought "goodie" bags for me from our country store almost daily, and fried foods were a staple in our house. When I married I remember thinking "I am going to cook some of the best things!" Unfortunately, "the best" was defined as fried and buttered. Now, in my 30s I'm learning what it means to eat healthy and cook healthy, and I'm trying to pass that down to my son.

As a child, I viewed most fruits and vegetables as potentially poisonous. I wanted nothing to do with them. And God forbid a vegetable touched one of the other things on my plate!

As I've grown older, I've come to realize that there is a vast difference in flavor between what comes out of a can and what is fresh off of a plant. I wish as a child I had been exposed to FRESH fruits and vegetables. I think I would have been less repulsed if I had.

I wish I had been taught more about how our body processes the food we put into it. As an adult woman raising two young and active kids, I am finally trying to educate myself about what our bodies need and why. I want to give my children a healthy foundation for their eating habits for life - something I wish I had received as a child. How does our body use and need things like protein, carbs and fat? I wish I had learned sooner, but better late then never!

I wish I had been encouraged to eat fresh vegetables. I never ate a vegetable that didn't come from a can until I was an adult!!

Portion control! I always ate at least 8 pieces of toast in one sitting and everyone thought this was cute for a little girl. I've still struggle not to eat the entire loaf of bread.

I wish I'd learned portion control. That a whole package of cold hot dogs is not a real afternoon snack. Neither is a whole loaf of Wonder bread! My mom wasn't around after school and we'd eat the house down. I also wish that somewhere along the way I'd realized that dinner wasn't a competition with my teenage brother. Whoever ate the most was most definitely NOT the winner!

I wish I would have learned to take my time eating so I can not only enjoy the food and savor all of the flavors I am eating but to also learn to listen to the cues my body is telling me about how much I need.

Meals should not be built around a meat. Growing up, our plates were 3 items: meat, starch and veggie. The first decision made when it came to 'whats for dinner' was which meat are we having. I try to build my meals without meat several times a week and on the nights we have a meat item, its one of the smaller portions. Let the kids fill up on healthy veggies & grains.

I wish that as a kid I knew that I should and can eat everything in moderation. That way I wouldn't have to sneakily eat some of the stuff that I loved but was forbidden to eat. Also presentation of food is very important. Sometimes a great presentation could change the perception on how awful a food seemingly tastes.