Mothers serve as role models to their daughters so, to help you out, we're sharing some simple dos and don'ts on building and encouraging healthy eating habits at home.

DO...

1. Appreciate your body
If you appreciate your body, your daughter will learn to appreciate hers as well. Focus on your favorite features instead of complaining about what's less desirable.

2. Consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, lowfat milk and whole grains daily
Studies show that mothers who model healthy eating habits such as drinking milk are more likely to have daughters who do the same. If you want your daughter to fill her glass with milk instead of soda, you need to do the same.

3. Serve milk at every meal
Studies indicate that teens who drink milk instead of sugary sodas tend to weigh less and have less body fat. Drinking 3 glasses of lowfat milk a day is a healthy habit to promote strong bones and a lean, healthy body.

4. Be physically active and enjoy it
Mothers who value the importance of exercise positively influence an active lifestyle in their daughters. Studies show that inactive mothers tend to have inactive daughters.

5. Eat family meals at home
Sharing meals together at home provides multiple opportunities for you to model healthy behaviors. Your own food and beverage choices may be more influential than any other attempt you make to control what your daughter eats and drinks.

DON'T...

1. Criticize your daughter's body
Compliment her positive attributes and teach by example. Research suggests that girls whose mothers criticize their eating habits or weight may develop lasting problems with body image and self-esteem.

2. Be self-critical
Studies have found a mother's concern about her own weight, dieting practices and overeating are transmitted to her daughter. Mothers may unknowingly pass on poor body image and weight worries to their daughters.

3. Let sugary beverages dominate
Soft drinks and sugary fruit drinks are the number one source of calories in a teen's diet. Plus, they're void of the vital nutrients your daughter needs. If you limit your intake, your daughter will likely do the same.

4. Talk about your dieting
Instead of talking about dieting around your daughter, educate her on foods that provide important nutrients she need for building strong bones and a healthy body.

5. Use pressure
Pressuring your daughter to eat certain foods will likely backfire. Research suggests that modeling the desired behavior is a more effective approach for encouraging healthy choices.

Click here for more information on the Studies from the Role Modeling Tips.