“Nutrition Happens”
Ending Dinner Time Battles
By Beverly Pressey
www.creatinghealthyeaters.com
Dear Beverly,
It seems that every dinner ends in me having to punish my child for not
eating. I really don’t even want to have meals any more, what can
I do?
My in-box is filled with letters from hundreds of parents that often
find themselves in your situation. Keep in mind that children are
born with an intact instinct to survive, which includes eating foods
that will healthfully sustain their bodies. Unfortunately in our
attempts to nourish our children, we become disciplinarians. This will
simply not work.
In fact it could permanently damage your child's innate ability to
regulate their own appetite, leading to life long eating and weight
problems. Studies show that punishing a child for not eating or
using rewards or bribes leads can easily lead to a child who over or
under eats as a teen or adult. Therefore, creating a healthy eater
is about helping a child to maintain an emotionally healthy attitude
about food for a life time. So how do you create healthy eater?
- Offer a variety of healthy foods on a regular basis.
- Offer foods at least every 3 hours and for some children every 1
½ hours. This provides for food security, children know they
will be fed at regular intervals.
- Let a child eat until they have decided they have had enough, no
matter how much or little they eat. Children’s eating likes,
dislikes, and amounts consumed are erratic day-to- day,
month-to-month and year-to-year. If they don’t eat much on one
day or one meal they will make up for it later.
- Respect a child’s decision to eat or not, but feel free to
remind them that if they choose not to eat when food is served, no
food will be available until the next snack of meal time.
- Do not allow anything but water between snack and meal times.
This gives the parent a break from being a 24 hours waiter and
teaches the child to eat when food is offered.
- When a fun food is being served (in a limited portion) always
offer an unlimited amount of a healthy food with it so a child can
eat until they decide they have had enough.
- Help children focus on how their body feels during a meal by not
distracting the eating process with television, reading or intrusive
music or radio programs.
- Do not impose rewards, bribes, or punishments for eating or not
eating. The natural consequences of hunger or satiety will
teach our children.
About
the Author:
Beverly Pressey is a Registered Dietician with Master’s degrees in
Education and Nutrition and specializes in working with caregivers of
babies and children. Beverly has worked with individuals,
presented at conferences, consulted with childcare centers, taught
continuing education and college classes, and presented at numerous
parent groups. As an experienced counselor, cook, teacher, speaker
and a mother of 2, she has a realistic understanding of infant/child
eating patterns plus the perspective of a busy parent. Beverly
lives in Seattle, Washington, find out more about her and her book at
www.creatinghealthyeaters.com.
More articles by Beverly Pressey:
Healthy
Eating is Not a Discipline Issue
Nutrition
Happens
Eat Healthy, Even During the Holidays
