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The Harmful Happy Plate

The Harmful Happy Plate

by Julie Dillon, MS, RD, NCC, LDN, CEDRD

My everyday mealtime chaos includes my six-year-old daughter singing at the top of her lungs while my two-year-old son eats one bite then jets from the table. I think that it would be much easier if he still used his high chair, yet he rejected that contraption as soon as he could walk. This makes mealtime a bit messier and acrobatic in nature. In the blink of an eye, he goes from noshing on dinner to dancing in the living room. “We sit to eat” crosses my lips throughout the meal, and I lead him back to the table. Toddlers are distracted by nature, so we try to keep distractions to a minimum (no TV) and give him a high five when he sits safely at the table. We are clear about when meal time is over so he can get his fill, and he will sign “All done!” when his body communicates fullness. Sometimes this happens with a bite or three helpings.

Recently I received a text from a dear friend. She is raising her children to be intuitive eaters and modeling healthy ways of relating to food. With intention, this family neutrally represents food and teaches kids to eat when their tummies have the amount they need.

Luckily, our children are born intuitive eaters—yet our world is not. My friend and I often lament about how hard we need to work in order to shield our children from learning body distrust and body hate.

So imagine her surprise when my friend’s daughter finished dinner and announced that it was now a “happy plate.” I felt sadness when she texted the details. After getting clarification, my friend learned the Happy Plate practice exists at her daughter’s childcare center.

What is the Happy Plate? Often at daycare and family dinner tables, “Make it a happy plate!” can be heard when a child wants to leave the meal with food remaining. I have been told that it is done to encourage children to eat enough and be sure they won’t ask for more food shortly thereafter.

As a pediatric dietitian and eating disorder specialist, I strongly discourage this Happy Plate nonsense. My top three reasons include:

  1. The Happy Plate mantra encourages children to discount hunger and fullness cues. When we plate a child’s food or pack his/her lunch, we are not in his/her body nor are we able to predict with 100 percent accuracy the exact amount of energy he/she will need at that meal. If a child is full, do we really need to encourage him/her to eat more? What’s more, teaching a child to ignore hunger and fullness cues lays a foundation of negative body image and body distrust.
  2. “Make It a Happy Plate” cajoling teaches a child to eat to please rather than fueling his/her body. Eating to make another person happy normalizes disordered eating while omitting innate hunger and fullness wisdom.
  3. Happiness feels good and easy, so of course we prefer it. On the other hand, the human experience includes sadness, frustration, boredom, loneliness, anger, and a myriad of other emotions. Some feel comfortable while others do not. Discounting the fullness experience in favor of a Happy Plate transforms the eating relationship—and not in a good way. It spells out that eating past fullness can make us feel happy. It also makes our loved ones happy. Do we want to teach children to eat in order to make happiness?

What’s the alternative to the ease of the Happy Plate? Here are things to consider:

  1. Be sure to structure consistent meal and snack times. This helps a child respect hunger and fullness while tolerating hunger if he/she is hungry a bit before an eating time. When a child says he/she is all done, kindly remind her when the next eating time will occur. Do not provide between-meal handouts besides planned snacks.
  2. Children make mistakes when plating their own food. In order for a child to become a competent eater, you will have food waste. Save the starving children comments and acknowledge when a child listens to his/her body. An example: “You served yourself, and you decided you didn’t need all of it.” Keep it neutral because food decisions are not good or bad.
  3. If a child eats little at a meal and requests food outside of mealtime, kindly remind him/her of the next meal or snack time. If the child says he/she is hungry, teach him/her what to do. Say “Your tummy is hungry, so remind it that food will be available soon. It is just not time to eat.” NOTE: Need to consider child’s age and time until next meal. 
  4. Hold back the praise when a child eats everything on her plate. A child who ate all of her food and another child who ate half of the food served did an equally good job at that meal. This may feel unnatural, but it is the way to promote healthy ways of relating to food and positive body image.
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Self Care For Your Teen and Tween

6 Strategies To Prevent Eating Disorders and Substance Abuse in Youth
By Laura Cipullo RD CDE CEDRD CDN and Mom

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Start the New Year, with self care! Moms and Dads, here are 6 tips to help your tweens and teens create a healthy self-care regimen that will decrease the likelihood of developing eating disorders and substance abuse.

  • Focus on overall self care, not weight.
    • Ask your children: “How does your food choice make your body feel? Energized or tired? stable or shaky?”
  • De-emphasize dieting.
    • Health is achieving mental and physical wellness through lifestyle changes.
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  • Encourage expressing negative feelings via words, art, and music.
    • Gift journals or crafts for your teen to use to express their feelings when upset.
  • Help your child expect and accept body changes during adolescence.
    • Educate them on hormones, body changes and social changes in a neutral tone. Honor each individual’s body shape and help buy clothes to suit their individual shape.
  • Educate your children on feelings and coping skills during puberty.
    • Encourage your children to sit with feelings even if they are uncomfortable doing so – this helps to teach resilience.
  • Involve the family.
    • Allow family members to lend a listening ear or give a hug when needed. Parents do not need to have all of the answers.
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Finicky with Fruit?

Finicky with Fruit?
By Christie Caggiani, RDN, LD/N, CEDRD

Photo Credit: Tetra Pak via Compfight cc

When I was expecting our first child, I had visions of the utopian eating relationship he would have.  After all, I’m a nutritionist and I know the values of a balanced diet, the do’s and don’ts of introducing kids to new and exciting food, and the importance of family meals.  All I needed to do was be patient and continue exposing my little one to different items and he will eventually grow to like them.  I would make sure he fell in love with all things colorful and have a wide array of nutrients in his life.  End dream sequence.

 

While I was blessed with a fairly easy eater, the normal development of his personality led him to have…opinions.  Preferences.  Dislikes.  And his primary dislike around food was – horror of horrors – fruit! Really?  How could my child who loved berries and melon decide at about three years old that he was done with the sweet stuff?  And so we worked with it, and can now fast forward to the healthful existence of my 15 year old.

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How do you ensure that your child still includes a wide array of foods and is able to be a curious eater, if he tends to shun categories of food, such as fruit?  First, be careful to avoid labeling your child a “picky-eater”.  They are simply eaters making choices, and it’s our job as parents to keep presenting foods in ways that they can explore and gradually develop their own conclusions.  I have also found that approaching food from an adventurous angle, rather than a mission, not only engages kids, but also empowers them.

 

By noting your child’s preferences, you can begin to expand some of their choices.  While these ideas zero in on fruits, you may use the concepts to explore other food groups as well:

  • If your child has consistency or texture preferences, work with them.  It might be that a crunchy apple goes over much better than a soft banana.  A smoothie or 100% juice works beautifully if your little one doesn’t have “time” or a desire to chew their fruit.  Dried or dehydrated fruits are great for kids who may not enjoy the juiciness of the fresh version.
  • While we know that sweet is our first developed taste, some people may still have other taste preferences, finding certain flavors too strong.  Consider a juice that has veggie value, since they tend to be less intensely sweet.  A slightly green banana is a whole different experience from a fully ripened one.  You may also introduce ‘combo flavors’, such as some chocolate with those raisins, flavor-infused cranberries or Trader Joe’s chile dried mango for a kick.
  • Sometimes the temperature of our food makes all the difference.   While I love a good melon in any form, it’s particularly amazing when it’s cold.  Maybe your child likes grapes better at room temperature or completely frozen.  Keep some apples on the counter and some in the fridge, giving your child the opportunity to choose.
  • Toning down the intensity of the food exposure takes the pressure off. Don’t make it all about the fruit.  Try a handful of chopped apricot added to your couscous or my favorite: bananas &/or berries in the pancake batter.  Mixed in your blender, the kids will notice the sweet, but not be distracted by the pieces of fruit.

 

So while my son is still not a lover-of-fruit, I am convinced that the regular, non-pushy exposure to it will give him the willingness to eventually enjoy a little more of it some day.   As we enter fall, here are a couple of my favorite ways to add some fruit into our lives:

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Easy Applesauce

  • 4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I like to leave some of the peel on for more texture and nutrient value)
  • ¾ c water or 100% apple juice
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.  If you prefer a smoother consistency, use blender or food processor.

Photo Credit: [RAWRZ!] via Compfight ccApple Spice Mini Muffins

  • 2 cups peeled, cored and finely diced sweet-tart apples, such as Cortland
  • ½ c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • ¾ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup toasted, chopped unsalted pistachios nuts

Preheat oven to 325° F.  Coat two 12-cup mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl, toss apples and sugar.  In a small bowl, whisk egg, oil and vanilla.  In another medium bowl, whisk flours, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt.  Add egg mixture to apple mixture; stir to coat.  Mix in flour mixture, then fold in pistachios.  Divide batter among muffin cups, filling ¾ full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean, 10-13 minutes.  Let cool on wire rack.  Run a knife around edges to release.  Makes 24.

Recipes by Liza Schoenfein, EveryDay with Rachael Ray, October 2014

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Children as Intuitive Eaters: How Parents Unintentionally Sabotage This Innate Cueing System

Children as Intuitive Eaters: How Parents Unintentionally Sabotage This Innate Cueing System
By: Maria Sorbara Mora, MS, CEDRD, PRYT, RYT

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As a nutritionist who specializes in the care and treatment of individuals with eating disorders, the concept of intuitive eating comes up often. Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more internally attuned to the body’s signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight and relationship to food, rather than using external cues to control how much one eats.

I often remind my clients that intuitive eating is the most organic process we have…and the earliest one that we develop. And although I pride myself on an Ivy League education and over fifteen years of experience in the field, my two children have served as better teachers of intuitive eating than both.

We are born intuitive eaters. Newborns instinctively crawl up to their mother’s breast and latch on moments after birth. Children innately self-regulate their food intake, knowing what they want, when they are hungry, and when they have had enough.

Leann L. Birch, a professor of Human Development at Pennsylvania State University, found that children instinctively self-regulate their food when:

a) Given a variety of foods to choose from

b) Given access to foods when they first become hungry  

c) Allowed to eat to satisfaction 

Although these three tenets may seem basic, many parents unintentionally sabotage intuitive eating cues in their children by asserting or inserting assumptions about feeding.  Let’s consider how this happens:

 

Offering Children a Variety of Foods vs. Only “Healthy Foods”

I once had a mom proudly announce to me that she had never given her child juice…“only water.” I almost fell off my chair at the thought of a child going several years without being offered a cup of juice. I shared, “I give my children what they want.” She looked like she was going to fall off her chair.

 

The message is as parents, we may unintentionally restrict our children’s intake.  In 2000, Carper, Fischer and Birch found that when five-year-old girls were pressured to eat “healthy” foods, they began to restrict certain foods, eat emotionally, and eat with abandon. This is certainly not what a parent is intending to do when he/she innocently says that fruit is more healthy than chips. However, children get the message that their cues and choices are wrong if they want chips.

 

Within this premise is the practice of seeing all foods as equal.  I often remind my clients that foods are inherently neutral.  As parents we reflect our own judgments about food onto our children, which ultimately misinforms their intuitive nature.  In other words, it’s great to feel proud of our kids when they choose fruit, but is it possible for us to stay neutral when the choice is chips?

 

Access To Foods When Hungry vs Rigid Meal Times:

I remember feeling inadequate as a new mother when I got into discussions with other moms who put their newborns on rigid feeding schedules. I fed my children on demand and wondered why it was so hard for me to conform to a schedule.  I realize now however that it was difficult for me to put them on a feeding schedule because I practice and counsel intuitive eating. I trusted that my children knew better than I when their bodies need nourishment…then and now.

 

How many parents have at least once hollered at your kids for snacking too close to meal time? I’d be lying to say I haven’t done it myself! It’s an easy pattern to fall into. In our minds, we believe we know when our children need to eat. But, I’m here to tell you that this is a faulty premise to live by!

 

About a year ago I observed that when my children asked for food it was way earlier than my own meal or snack times. Many nights when I was cooking dinner they were already looking for something to eat. So I began doing something novel…I responded to what I observed. Instead of deciding that their meal times had to coincide with my meal times, I honored what their bodies were telling me about what they needed.

 

Now, I keep the snack drawer within reach of my 3 and 5 year old so that they can explore what they want WHEN they want. Sometimes my daughter says to me, ‘Mommy, I want a snack’. Other times, I’ll offer and they will check in with themselves. My son has a one liner he always says when he’s not hungry, ‘no thank you, I’m OK’. And you know what? He is!

 

The other thing I’ve learned from my children is the most fundamental rule of parenting…NOTHING STAYS THE SAME! My daughter was the most enthusiastic early morning eater. Just recently, she has decided that breakfast is not her thing. No matter what I put in front of her she doesn’t feel hungry first in the morning. By late morning however she’s ready to eat.

 

For those parents who believe in a more strict meal time schedule for your children, I ask you to consider this important fact… Children and teens have higher rates of metabolism than adults due to the massive growth they are undergoing. Bottom line is that our children will get hungry more often than we do and may need less or more in amounts than we think.   How can we adjust our understanding of meal and snack times as our children’s bodies grow without letting them feel as though they’ve done something wrong?

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Eating until Satisfaction vs. Portions or Full Plate

Finally, the most impressive characteristic of children as it pertains to their eating habits is their keen sense of self-regulation. We notice our newborns pulling away from the breast or bottle when they’re full. Infants wolf down all their sweet potatoes one day while on other days seal their mouths shut after just a few spoonfuls. Later on in childhood we notice our children losing interest in foods as they near satiation.  This skill does NOT go away over time…unless we train our children to do something else.

 

The typical culprits of this is when parents either 1) impose an allotted amount of a food (pre-portion meals and snacks), 2) unilaterally determine when they’ve had enough (“You can’t be hungry for another yogurt, you just had one”), or 3) demand that they eat all of what was put in front of them (“Eat everything on your plate”). When we impose these rules on our children, we teach them to distrust their hunger and satiety and rely on external cues instead. We know that when individuals use external cues to assess hunger and satiety levels they are at higher risk for eating disorders.

Children come equipped with all the skills necessary to eat intuitively. As parents we can support this innate gift by observing our children’s natural eating habits rather than imposing our own agendas about what is healthy or enough. If we let go of our assumptions, we may just realize how much our kids DO know about how to feed themselves. They may also teach us a thing or two about what unadulterated listening to one’s body really looks like: eating what you want, when you want and eating the amount that your body needs.

 

Sources:

1)   Carper, J. L., J. Orlet Fischer, and L. L. Birch, “Young Girls’ Emerging Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition Are Related to Parental Control in Child Feeding.” Appetite 2, no. 35 (October 2000): 121–29.

2)   Birch, Leann L., et al., “Clean Up Your Plate: The Effects of Child Feeding Practices on the Conditioning f Meal Sizes.” Learning & Motivation no. 18 (1987): 301–7.

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News Flash: The AND Recommendations Feature Ellyn Satter's Model

News Flash: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Reports Their Latest Recommendations and Ellyn Satter’s Model Is Part of It.

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We are all inundated with nutrition messages. Messages range from our pediatricians to our mom friends, and of course from the media. Just last month, AND released their position paper on nutrition guidance for healthy children ages two through eleven. Well in 1999, I was introduced to the works of Ellyn Satter called Feeding with Love and Good Sense and Treating the Dieting Casualty.  I was stumped on how to be a RD if diets didn’t work. Well, a more seasoned RD recommended this three-day workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, taught by Ellyn Satter who was both a RD and a LCSW.  So of course I attended the three-day intensive led by Satter called “Treating the Dieting Casualty”. It changed my life and that of my clients. I was hooked and then went on to study her approach on feeding children. The most amazing thing is that upon reading the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ position paper for “Nutrition Guidance for Healthy Children Ages 2 to 11 Years,” I see that Satter’s recommendations are being officially incorporated. This is a great achievement for all.

 

Now, fifteen years later, many RDs know her work but not all parents do. I have cut and pasted some of the important highlights from the position paper that is associated with her approach. Most of the contributors on Mom Dishes It Out follow a similar approach, but if you want the original real deal, buy one of Satter’s books.

 

Encourage Internal Regulationi:

When parents assume control of food portions or coerce children to eat rather than allow them to focus on their internal cues of hunger, their ability to regulate meal size is diminished. In general, parental control, especially restrictive feeding practices, tends to be associated with overeating and poorer self-regulation of energy in-take in preschool-aged children and was predictive of overweight. This may be problematic among girls with a high BMI and may contribute to the chronic dieting and dietary restraint that has become common among American girls and young women.

 

Responsive Feedingi:

Use of a responsive feeding approach, in which the care provider recognizes and responds to the child’s hunger and satiety cues, has been incorporated into numerous federal and international food and nutrition programs. A “nonresponsive feeding” approach (i.e., forcing or pressuring a child to eat or restricting food intake, indulgent feeding, or uninvolved feeding) has been associated with overweight and obesity.

  

Food Environmenti:

Although children seem to possess an innate ability to self-regulate their energy in- takes, their food environment affects the extent to which they are able to exercise this ability. Offering large food portions (especially energy-dense, sweet, or salty foods), feeding practices that pressure or restrict eating, or modeling of excessive consumption can all undermine self-regulation in children.

 

Division Of Responsibilityi:

 As early as the 1950s, recommendations for allowing young children to self-regulate were being made. Ellyn Satter, MSSW, RD, advocates a “Division of Responsibility” approach to feeding children. These premises, which incorporate principles of responsive feeding, have now been adopted by many national groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and USDA (MyPlate). With this approach, the role of parents and other caregivers in feeding is to provide structured opportunities to eat, developmentally appropriate support, and suitable food and beverage choices, without coercion to eat. Children are responsible for determining whether and how much to eat from what is offered.

 

The Food Relationshipi:

Early parental influence is associated with the development of a child’s relationship with food later in life. For example, young-adult eating habits, such as eating all food on the plate, using food as an incentive or threat, eating dessert, and eating regularly scheduled meals were related to the same feeding practices reportedly used by their parents during their childhood.

 

For Further Reading:

 

[i] Ogata BN, Hayes D. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Nutrition Guidance for Healthy Children Ages 2 to 11 Years.” (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2014), 114:1257–76.

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Preventing Food Jags: What’s a Parent to Do?

Preventing Food Jags: What’s a Parent to Do?
By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP

*This post was originally published on ASHA’s online blog. The original can be found here.

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As a pediatric feeding therapist, many kids are on my caseload because they are stuck in the chicken nugget and french fry rut…or will only eat one brand of mac-n-cheese…or appear addicted to the not-so-happy hamburger meal at a popular fast food chain. While this may often include kids with special needs such as autism, more than half my caseload consists of the traditional “picky-eaters” who spiraled down to only eating a few types of foods and now have a feeding disorder.  I  even had one child who only ate eight different crunchy vegetables, like broccoli and carrots.  Given his love for vegetables, it took his parents a long time to decide this might be a problem. The point is: These kids are stuck in food jag, eating a very limited number of foods and strongly refusing all others.  It creates havoc not only from a nutritional standpoint, but from a social aspect too. Once their parents realize the kids are stuck, the parents feel trapped as well. It’s incredibly stressful for the entire family, especially when mealtimes occur three times per day and there are only a few options on what their child will eat.

It’s impossible in a short blog post to describe how to proceed in feeding therapy once a child is deep in a food jag. Each child is unique, as is each family. But, in general,  I can offer some tips on how to prevent this from happening in many families, again, keeping in mind that each child and each family is truly unique.

Here are my Top Ten suggestions for preventing food jags:

#10: Start Early.  Expose baby to as many flavors and safe foods as possible.   The recent post for ASHA on Baby Led Weaning: A Developmental Perspective may offer insight into that process.

#9: Rotate, Rotate, Rotate: Foods, that is.  Jot down what baby was offered and rotate foods frequently, so that new flavors reappear, regardless if your child liked (or didn’t like) them on the first few encounters.  This is true for kids of all ages.  It’s about building familiarity.  Think about the infamous green bean casserole at Thanksgiving.  It’s rare that hesitant eaters will try it, because they often see it only once or twice per year.

#8: Food Left on the Plate is NOT Wasted: Even if it ends up in the compost, the purpose of the food’s presence on a child’s plate is for him to see it, smell it, touch it, hear it crunch under his fork and  perhaps, taste it.  So if the best he can do is pick it up and chat with you about the properties of green beans, then hurray!  That’s never a waste, because he’s learning about a new food.

 

To continue reading, please click here to be redirected to ASHAsphere.
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Is Your Tween Hiding Her Lunch?

REAL GRANDMOM ASKS: My 11 year old granddaughter is hiding her sandwiches and lunchables that are packed for her lunch in her room; sometimes before she even leaves for school. She takes a bite out of the sandwich or lunchable and puts in back in the container and seals it up, then hides it in her room. She doesn’t have an explanation for this and you can tell she is embarrassed when you talk to her about it. None of the food is new or disliked, that is why this is such a puzzle to us. My daughter is going bonkers over this and I simply don’t know how to advice her. Maddie has hidden evidence of “sneaked” food before when she was very young but this is a new behavior.What do you think? Thanks,Debbie A., a perplexed Grammy

 

REAL MOM LAURA ANSWERS:

Thank you Debbie for your heartfelt question.  I am sure many other grandparents and parents share in your sincere concern for both their daughters and their  granddaughters. There are a few things you can do without alarming your granddaughter. Be sure to keep this a confidential as possible. It is  a very sensitive subject and privacy will help to ensure your granddaughter’s privacy and thus minimize any shame or embarrassment. I will answer the question directed at a mom (or dad) since mom (or the primary caregiver) will need to do the follow through.

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In general when any tween is hiding food, consider checking in with the school nurse or guidance counselor (in private) to see if your tween is:

A)   Eating a different type of food at school?

B)   Eating any lunch at school?

C)   Attending lunch at school (some students hide during the lunch period to avoid social anxiety, bullying or to enable skipping the meal for restriction purposes)?

This will give you a better idea of what is happening for your daughter.  There are many things to consider such as is your child:

A)   Embarrassed to bring a home packed lunch?

B)   Perhaps your child doesn’t like the way their food smells?

C)   Perhaps your child is uncomfortable with their changing tween body?

D)   Has anyone said anything to your tween to make them feel shameful of their body?

E)   Is your child restricting their intake in effort to gain a false sense of control due to changes in friends, family, school…?

F)    Is your tween newly aware of her body and thus restricting her intake to prevent it from maturation?

Next and most importantly, sit down with this wonderful child and let them know you are there to listen. Let them know you promise not to be angry (if you truly do) and can help to support them. Validation is the most important piece. Moms don’t need to solve every problem rather we just need to listen.  Tell your tween you love them and are there for them when they feel ready to share. Giving your tween an unbiased outlet and a few hugs may get them to be honest with you.

If your tween is not ready to confide, you can also offer to take the tween food shopping to see if that helps to resolve the issue. This may give you a better sense of what is going on if your tween actually takes you on the offer.

If the issue continues, it is best to have your tween see a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (therapist specializing in eating disorders) or a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian (RD specializing in eating disorders). This accreditation is only given to experts trained in the  prevention and treatment of eating disorders by the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (www.iaedp.com).

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This One is for Moms

Is Restricting Really Normal?
By Christie Caggiani, RDN, LDN, CEDRD

 

“We don’t keep bread in the house.”  “One serving is enough – kids don’t need seconds.”  “We just have protein and veggies at dinner.”  “Why is my child sneaking food and snacking all the time?!”

 

Hmmm – at first glance, these may seem like separate, unrelated statements.  There is, however, a common thread and a chain reaction that is in play throughout the scenarios…and it all starts with restriction.   If you consider the unrelenting headlines that tell us obesity is an “epidemic”, that individual foods will either kill or save us, and the sneaking messages that lead us to think we’ll only be happy if we are a certain size, then it makes some sense that people are grabbing at the latest food rule (aka, restriction), to take control of their or their kids’ lives.   Yet the more we reach for restriction, the more out of control we become.

 

Let’s keep it straightforward.  There are some basic side effects of over-controlled under-eating:

  • It confuses body chemistry, triggering it to more readily lose muscle and regain weight as fat
  • It causes feelings of deprivation and depression that often rebound to overeating
  • It creates a lowered self-esteem, and disconnects individuals from their emotions and sense of well-being
  • It creates irritability, decreases concentration and memory, (especially if carbs are limited) and can cause tension in relationships
  • It can disrupt a female’s menstrual cycles
  • It makes exercise ineffective, because there isn’t enough fuel to run your body’s basic processes

 

So when you feel the need to snack on cookies and chips after the kids have gone to bed, notice if you’ve eaten enough during the day or pulled carbs out of the meal prior.  We can’t function effectively if we are depriving ourselves of enough fuel – and we are destined to swing the pendulum the other direction to try to create balance.

 

And the next time you feel the emotional tug to try the latest fad diet, label carbs as evil or tell your kids to stop eating, take a deep breath and remember:

Eating is Normal. Restricting is Counterproductive.   

 

 

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What does your child’s sense of balance have to do with trying new foods?

*This post was originally published on www.YumBoxLunch.com, the original post can be read here.

How the Inner Ear Helps Kids Try New Foods
By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP

Every parent knows the importance of a balanced diet, but what does the sense of balance have to do with trying new foods? Our sense of balance and movement, originating in the inner ear and known as the vestibular system, is the foundation for all fine motor skills. When your child picks up their first roly-poly pea with a tiny thumb and forefinger, that’s demonstrating some very fine “fine motor” skills! But, did you know that biting, chewing and swallowing are also fine motor skills and a child requires adequate balance and stability to perform those skills effectively?

Try this: Sit on a high bar stool at the local diner and order a piece of pie. Let your feet dangle – absolutely no resting those feet on the foot rest. Keep one hand floating in the air to help maintain your balance, but do not touch the counter. Now, pick up your fork with the other hand and eat the pie. Feel those abs tighten to hold your trunk in place? Can you feel your shoulders tense to provide stability for your arm and hand as they move through space? How well can you cut, stab and lift the piece of pie on your fork without any spilling onto your lap? Getting tired?

If you are like me, the fact that you love pie certainly helps in this scenario! But, if you were presented with a new food, one that you were not sure of, would you be as patient to try it? No, because most of your energy is devoted to maintaining your balance and monitoring how well the fork moves through space so that you don’t stab yourself in the cheek. It’s exhausting!

 

To read more of this article, please click here to be redirected.

 

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How important is breakfast?

My child is never hungry for breakfast, and it turns into a fight every morning.
By Elyse Falk, MS, RD, CDN

Photo Credit: ralph and jenny via Compfight cc

Yes, I get it.  I have three boys (middle school and elementary school age), and sometimes they tell me they are not hungry when I say, “Quick, what do you want for breakfast?” as I make lunches in a craze because everyone woke up late!  I know, some of you may be saying we should all be waking up earlier to make time for breakfast, but the truth is sometimes on those cold, dark mornings it’s just hard to wake up early!  I also understand because sometimes you are just not hungry as soon as you wake up.  However, I do believe that getting food in our kids is important before they head off to school or sports practice/games.  I believe it enables better concentration and superior performance, and many studies validate this belief.  I don’t want my child feeling shaky or ill due to lack of eating before leaving the house.  I actually got a call from the school nurse this year because my son was feeling really nauseated.  I told her, “That’s because he didn’t eat breakfast!” He refused to eat what I offered him before I dropped him off at school.  The nurse gave me a whole lecture about how important breakfast is and gave me suggestions (I couldn’t tell her I was an RD because I was too embarrassed!).  After the nurse gave him some crackers, he felt better and it held him over until lunch.  After this episode he didn’t go to school again without eating something first!

 

If your child still refuses to eat breakfast, despite what you tell him or her about food’s importance,  suggest that he or she conduct an experiment for a few days:  eat breakfast for 4 or 5 days and then skip a day of breakfast.  Make a chart to record how he or she felt each morning.  Instead of traditional breakfast food, maybe your child will eat leftovers or a sandwich for the morning meal. The key is simply for a child to eat healthily; the morning meal doesn’t necessarily need to qualify as “breakfast food.”   I’d also suggest trying different breakfast foods and/or nutritious shakes on the weekend instead of on a weekday morning when breakfast can be rushed and stressful.

 

Some kids have their lunch period early in the day, as early as 10:00 a.m.  If this is the case, I give my kids something quick like a bar, apple, banana, or even a baggie of dry cereal to munch on in the a.m. because I know my boys will eat larger portions during lunch and when they get home.  If their lunch time is on the later side and they give me a hard time about breakfast, I explain how yucky they will feel because their brains rely on energy from food, and without nutrients their stomachs will feel sour during morning classes and they won’t be able to do their best.  So, consider offering your kids a source of protein, whole grain, calcium, and fruit for breakfast if they have a late lunch.

 

Hopefully these suggestions help! Good luck!