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July 20, 2005
How do we help our children connect with their own bodies?
"Imposing a lot of (parental) control is really counterproductive," says Leann Birch, a psychologist at Penn State who specializes in kids' eating habits. "If you focus on external factors — like how much food is left on the plate, or what time it is — then children get out of touch with their internal cues for when they are hungry and when they are full."
If, as Birch recommends, we shouldn't become food wardens at home — forbidding junk food or candy, or depriving our kids of a burger and fries when that's what all their friends are eating — we certainly can fill their plates with basic skills about nutrition and food that, with any luck, will follow them into adulthood.
There are four tools parents can give their kids to help them develop healthier eating habits:
• The motivation to understand how nutrition works for their bodies (such as telling them that the milk they're drinking is going to make their bones grow and, therefore, help them climb that tree or score that goal or grow into those roller blades they've been asking about).
• The power to stay connected to their bodies' signals of hunger and fullness and to eat accordingly. "You are the expert on your own body," I tell parents to tell their kids, "so it's your job to listen to what it's telling you and to take care of it."
• The ability to separate hunger from other feelings, such as boredom, sadness or anxiety, which often result in eating. Time and again, I have seen how a well-placed hug can be just as satisfying to kids as reflexive snacking.
• The skill to make smart decisions around food — which means not sacrificing those treats that "make the tongue happy," but instead to manage those cravings rationally and realistically.
(Full Text: Worried about your child's diet? You should be. By Donna Fish. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-07-19-kids-diet_x.htm)
Posted by Lisa at July 20, 2005 10:39 AM
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