Like mother, like child

Parents have a profound influence on what their children eat.  This being true, how a parent identifies him or herself in food plays a huge role on what the family is eating.  This is normally especially true with mothers, as is the case in the Johnson article, as mothers are usually the food suppliers and providers.  As we've talked about in class, one of the main identifiers when picking food for the family is the mother's pride in being able to feed her kids well.  It is a duty and responsibility that most mothers feel to make sure their kids are filled up at all times.  The "hard workin' mom's breakfast" mentioned in the article portrays how there is a sense of pride and positivity to being able to put three meals on the table for their kids, especially if in a low-income family.  

What goes into that meal and what makes it up is influenced by many other factors.  Culture and tradition is one big aspect that is hard to break out of.  Many times the food the mother ate growing up or that its typical for the heritage is incorporated into the meals of the family, without regard to health.  It is more of a symbol of identity and roots of the mother.  These are often times habits and things that the mother buys without thinking twice about it.  Additionally, influences from experiences with health and weight influence what they feed their children if they don't want them going through the same thing.  Pressures of the mother to set a good example are high and then when kids aren't around they may change their eating habits such as the donuts at work mentioned in the article.  When considering family interventions to promote healthy eating and consumption of fruits and vegetables, it is important to consider these influences that the food identities of mothers have.  Would this make simply nutritional education be an effective intervention? Or would it lack due to the overwhelming influence of identity and habits?