One person provided by local doctors is to provide a way to encourage children to eat healthy, as food rules can lead to overeating, food anxiety, or eating disorders.
For generations, well-meaning parents have resorted to arsenals of food regulations, such as “clean plates before leaving the table,” in an attempt to feed their children a balanced diet.
“My parents told me the same thing.” Dr. Michelle ArthurA family medicine doctor with Kaiser Permanente in Temple Hills, Maryland. “When I see the overall relationship with food, I want to rethink that.”
Having children finish their food can be taught to ignore natural hunger and filling signals built into humans.
“Over time, this can contribute to overeating, food anxiety and sometimes eating disorders,” Arthurs said. “It’s important to learn how to stop eating when kids feel satisfied, not when they’re too satisfied.”
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Nutrition, March National Nutrition Month.
Making healthy food available at the dinner table is a starting point.
“It’s important that our children be exposed to all food groups, including different vegetables, different fruits, different whole grains, different sources of protein,” Arthurs said.
“Trying a little on the plate can be helpful. Invite it,” she suggested. “You don’t need to be accepted by your child all the time. You may need to try 30 times before a new food.
What is the problem with the rules of food?
When parents insist that their children eat their food, “it can create a relationship with food that feels hostile,” Arthur said. “The child has no control over that particular situation.”
Instead, she said the goal was to empower young eaters.
“When it comes to their own choices for food, it means they control it. They understand the purpose of the food, and it’s not just about it tastes.
The effect can last long. Children who are forced to eat vegetables are more likely to become adults who don’t want to eat vegetables, and “it’s a difficult habit to reverse,” Arthurs said.
Empowering children at the grocery store
Rather than imposing a decree on the dinner table, Arthurs said there is an easy way to help children develop healthy relationships with food.
“If they’re coming to the grocery store with us, we can play ‘Where’s Waldo’ with food,” she suggests. As an example: “I’m looking for red food, it has sweet, tiny little seeds on the sides, and is high in all these great vitamins and nutrients we need – what is that?”
(By the way, the answer is “strawberry.”
Another idea is to look for ways to remind children about the benefits of healthy eating.
“Many kids say, ‘I want to grow up to be bigger and stronger.’ And you can answer, “What food on your plate is trying to support it?”,” Arthur said.
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