Teaching Our Girls What Food Is Really For

One of the things I want so badly for our girls is to learn how to see food for what it actually is. Food is fuel. Food is nourishment. Food provides the nutrients our bodies need to grow, think, move, recover, build muscle, support hormones, and function well. But food is also a gift from God that we are meant to enjoy. I think sometimes we have made nutrition so complicated that we've lost sight of the basics, and I want to bring it back to something our girls can actually understand.

Our girls are growing up in a world where they can open their phones and immediately be told that one food is amazing, another food is toxic, one ingredient is dangerous, another diet is the answer, and they should never eat this or that if they want to be healthy. There is so much information coming at them all the time. And honestly, it can be overwhelming. I don't want our daughters growing up afraid of food. I want them to understand it.

I want them to understand that their bodies need protein because protein provides the building blocks for muscles, tissues, enzymes, hormones, and so much more. I want them to understand that carbohydrates are not something to be afraid of. They provide energy, and especially for active, growing bodies, that energy matters. I want them to understand that healthy fats have important roles in the brain, hormones, cells, and the absorption of certain vitamins. I want them to understand why fruits and vegetables matter, why fiber matters, why water matters, and why sleep matters. I want them to understand that food isn't simply about calories. Food provides the building blocks and energy our bodies need to function.

And this is where I think we need to find a really important balance.

Because on one side, we have girls who can become overly focused on food, calories, weight, ingredients, and whether they are eating the “right” things. But on the other side, we have girls who simply aren't being taught much about nutrition at all. They may be growing up eating highly processed foods, sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates, and convenience foods as a regular part of their everyday diet without really understanding what those foods are doing—or aren't doing—for their bodies.

And as parents, I think we need to get serious about that.

Not scared.

Not obsessed.

Serious.

Because the health numbers in our country are hard to ignore. According to the CDC, 40.3% of U.S. adults age 20 and older had obesity during August 2021–August 2023, and 72.4% were classified as overweight, including obesity.

But the number that really stops me when I think about our Strong Girls is the adolescent data. In 2023, an estimated 8.4 million U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 had prediabetes. That's 32.7% of that age group.

Think about that.

We're talking about kids.

Now, I don't want to oversimplify that statistic and say that sugar alone caused it. There are many factors involved in metabolic health, and I think we have to be responsible about how we talk about these things. But that number should absolutely get our attention. We shouldn't wait until our children are adults to start teaching them about nutrition, blood sugar, movement, sleep, and taking care of their bodies.

The CDC also points to excessive added sugar consumption as an important health concern and identifies sugar-sweetened beverages as one of the leading sources of added sugar in the American diet.

And this is where I think we, as parents, have to be willing to say something that isn't always popular: our kids cannot thrive on sugar and processed carbohydrates as the foundation of their diet.

I'm not saying our kids can never have a cookie.

I'm not saying they can never have a cupcake.

I'm not saying ice cream, candy, pizza, or birthday cake are forbidden.

That isn't balance either.

Food is meant to be enjoyed. Scripture gives us beautiful pictures of people sharing meals, celebrating, gathering around tables, and receiving food with gratitude. I don't want to take that joy away from our girls.

But I also don't want to swing so far in the other direction that we stop teaching them that food has consequences in the body.

A cupcake can be enjoyed. It can be part of a birthday celebration. It can be a wonderful memory. But it isn't nutritionally the same as a meal that provides protein, vegetables, fruit, healthy fats, fiber, and quality carbohydrates. Our girls can learn that without being afraid of the cupcake.

That's what balance looks like to me.

I want my daughters to understand macros. Not because I want them obsessively tracking every gram of food they eat, but because I think understanding the basics of nutrition gives a girl confidence. I want her to know what protein does. I want her to understand why carbohydrates provide energy. I want her to know why healthy fats matter. I want her to understand that her body needs vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, and adequate nourishment.

I want her to eventually be able to look at a meal and think, What is this giving my body? Not in a fearful or obsessive way, but in an educated way.

Because knowledge is empowering.

And I also want to make sure that we aren't teaching our daughters that they have to eat perfectly.

Nobody eats perfectly.

I certainly don't.

There will be days when we eat too much. There will be days when we eat something simply because it tastes amazing. There will be holidays and vacations and birthday parties and late-night pizza. There will be times when we choose foods that don't really serve our bodies very well.

That's life.

And I don't want our girls to think one meal means they failed. I don't want them thinking, Well, I already messed up, so I might as well keep going. I don't want them to punish themselves the next day or exercise because they believe they have to earn back the food they ate.

Instead, I want them to learn how to simply get back up.

I want them to be able to say, “Lord, give me wisdom. Give me strength. Help me make a better choice next time.”

Because we are human.

We are sinners.

We are going to make choices we wish we hadn't made. And I believe there is something incredibly freeing about teaching our girls that they can bring those choices to God, ask for forgiveness, receive His grace, learn from them, and move forward.

That's a completely different mindset than punishment.

And while we're talking about balance, I think there is another area where we need to be careful: the health and wellness world itself.

I've watched something that begins as wisdom slowly turn into obsession. We start wanting to make better choices, which is a good thing, and before we know it, there is a “perfect” way to eat. The perfect ingredients. The perfect water. The perfect supplements. The perfect organic products. The perfect grocery cart.

And suddenly, something that was supposed to help us care for our bodies has become something that controls us. An idol.

I don't want that for our girls either.

Yes, I believe choosing more whole foods is a wise goal. I believe minimizing unnecessary additives and chemicals when reasonably possible can be a good choice. I believe there is value in paying attention to where our food comes from and what we're putting into our bodies.

But there is no perfect food on earth.

There is no perfect grocery list.

There is no perfect diet.

And there is no perfect person.

We have to be careful that choosing higher-quality food doesn't turn into believing we're better than someone else because of what's in our grocery cart.

Maybe someone can't afford the organic version.

Maybe they don't have access to the same foods.

Maybe they're in a completely different season of life.

Maybe they're simply doing the best they can with the knowledge they have.

We can make better choices for ourselves without becoming judgmental toward other people.

Health should never become a reason to look down on someone else.

I want our girls to learn the difference between conviction and condemnation. I want them to be able to say, “This is a better choice for me,” without automatically believing, “Therefore, everyone who doesn't make this choice is doing something wrong.”

I want them to pursue health without worshiping health.

Because even something as good as taking care of the body God gave us can become unhealthy when it becomes the thing we put our identity in.

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is stewardship.

It's learning to ask, “God, how can I take care of what You've given me?”

Sometimes that will mean sitting down to a nourishing meal with protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and quality carbohydrates. Sometimes it will mean having a piece of birthday cake with people we love. Sometimes it will mean recognizing that we've gotten off track and simply returning to the basics. Sometimes it will mean eating a meal without analyzing it at all and just being grateful.

Because food is a gift.

I love that Scripture brings us back to this simple truth: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” — 1 Corinthians 10:31

That verse changes the entire conversation for me.

It's not about perfection.

It's not about obsession.

It's not about punishment.

It's about God.

What if our girls could look at food and think, This is a gift. This gives my body what it needs. This helps fuel me for the things God has called me to do. I can enjoy it. I can be grateful for it. I can make wise choices without becoming obsessed. And when I don't make the choice I wish I had, I can get back up and try again.

That's the kind of relationship with food I want for our girls.

I don't want them counting every bite because they're afraid of getting bigger. But I also don't want them growing up believing nutrition doesn't matter.

I don't want them obsessing over ingredients because they've been taught that one imperfect food will somehow ruin their health. But I also don't want them believing that a steady diet of sugar and highly processed foods is harmless simply because we don't want to label anything “bad.”

We can reject diet culture without rejecting nutrition. We can reject food fear without rejecting wisdom. We can teach our girls about whole, nutrient-dense foods without teaching them that they have to eat perfectly.

And maybe most importantly, we can teach them that health is a blessing worth stewarding—but it is never something worth worshiping.

So let's teach our girls.

Let's teach them what protein does. Let's teach them what carbohydrates do. Let's teach them why healthy fats matter. Let's teach them about vitamins, minerals, fiber, hydration, and whole foods. Let's teach them how to recognize foods that nourish their bodies and foods that are better enjoyed occasionally.

But let's also teach them to enjoy a meal.

Let's teach them gratitude.

Let's teach them grace.

Let's teach them that nobody eats perfectly.

Let's teach them that making a less-than-ideal choice doesn't mean they've failed.

And let's teach them to ask God for wisdom and strength instead of expecting themselves to have perfect discipline.

Because ultimately, I don't want to raise girls who are obsessed with eating perfectly.

And I don't want to raise girls who don't care what they put into their bodies.

I want to raise girls who understand how to care for the bodies God gave them while keeping their hearts focused on Him.

Girls who know that food is fuel.

Girls who understand nourishment.

Girls who can enjoy a piece of cake without guilt and also understand why it shouldn't become the foundation of their diet.

Girls who know how to make wise choices without becoming judgmental.

Girls who understand that health is a blessing worth stewarding, but never something worth worshiping.

That, to me, is what being a Strong Girl is all about.

Sources & Further Reading

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). FastStats: Obesity and Overweight. Adult obesity and overweight prevalence data for August 2021–August 2023.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Diabetes Statistics Report. Data on prediabetes among U.S. adolescents ages 12–17 in 2023.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Added Sugars. Information about added sugar consumption and associated health concerns.

National Institutes of Health (NIH). Breaking Down Food: A Closer Look at What You Eat. Overview of macronutrients and micronutrients and their roles in the body.