Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But Words Will Never Hurt Me?
I remember hearing this expression so many times growing up. You? I know my mom meant well and many years later, I think that parents mostly know this isn’t true for our kids. Words DO hurt. Language DOES matter.
As a dietitian, I address the language around food and bodies A LOT. Contrary to what you’ve likely been told - teaching kids about “healthy” and “unhealthy” eating does not foster better health or nutrition. Though unintentioned, labeling foods can actually hurt. Labeling foods as “unhealthy” “healthy” “good” or “bad” etc. can lead to fear, restriction, bingeing, and other harmful behaviors around food - all of the things we are actually trying to prevent!
From their earliest days, kids eat based on their internal hunger cues and what tastes good to THEM. As they grow and are told when, what and how much to eat, they gradually disconnect from those internal cues and start eating by food rules. They learn that if they eat within the “rules”, they are good and if they break the food rules, they are “bad.”
We all eat differently and have different lifestyles, cultures, budgets and preferences. But...no matter your family’s eating style, please remember that your children are learning about self-love, body acceptance and healthy food relationships from you!
Our goal should not be to raise super duper healthy eaters who are judgemental about food and bodies (others and their own). The goal is to raise eaters who respect their bodies and know how to regulate their intake to satisfy their body’s needs. . . this is intuitive eating. . . an eating style which influences positive psychological and physical well-being.
Following some basic guidelines around feeding will help your your child more than restricting sugar and forcing them to eat vegetables ever will:
Stay neutral when serving food, rather than pushy. If you’re invested in what or how much your child eats, your child will react to you instead of their inner signals
Eat a variety of foods yourself and enjoy and appreciate food together as a family
Do not bribe, reward, or comfort with food. Food is for hunger, satisfaction, and nourishment.
Of course kids have nutritional requirements and there are recommendations for what foods and how much to SERVE your family for meals and snacks. If you feel like you’re ready for the next step or even want to learn more about what I’ve talked about here, please join me for a live, interactive webinar this Thursday, March 4th. We’ll discuss all of the above with additional strategies for promoting balanced eating in your kids. If you aren’t able to attend live, simply register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you.
Thanks for reading!