I am currently reading one of the best books I’ve read on eating (Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family by Ellyn Satter). I’ve treated people with eating disorders for over twelve years, and I find her advice wise, research-based, and well-organized. In fact, I believe that following the advice in this book alone could prevent most eating disorders. If you’re having any struggles feeding your children, I highly recommend it.
Snacks can be one point of stress for parents. How much should they snack? Which snack foods should I allow? According to Satter, these are the wrong questions. Instead, we should take a look at how and when we are feeding our children. Try these three tips:
1. Choose structured snack times. Provide sit-down snacks at the table at predictable times each day. Don’t allow snacking in the 2-3 hours before dinner to ensure that your children come to the dinner table ready to eat.
2. Choose 2-3 enjoyable foods, in unlimited quantities. How much your child eats should not be up to you and will vary greatly from child to child, from day to day. Provide food that tastes good and includes protein, fats and carbohydrates (examples are oreos and milk, or cheese, grapes & crackers). Think of snacks as “little meals.” Provide your child with regular opportunities to eat until full and recognize his/her body’s signals for hunger and fullness. Know that if you’ve been restricting certain foods or food groups, children may eat a lot of those foods at first, but they will relax and eat normal portions when they learn to trust that those foods will continue to be available in the home.
3. Make it fun! If you are stressed about your child’s eating, your child will sense it. Normal eating is relaxed and flexible. Only part of meal and snack time is about the food. It’ s also about spending time together, building social skills, and modeling healthy enjoyment and balance in eating. Eat with your child, the same foods he/she is eating, and have fun with it!
Hi, I’m Angela