When she is old enough to learn about soda-drinking from friends - probably in middle school - arrange to have soda occasionally for snack or along with a particular meal, such as pizza or tacos. “Tell your child it is a grownup drink, which it is. ![]() “If you drink soda, maintain a double standard,” she said. With regards to sodas, Satter has no qualms about how the division of responsibilities should play out. Recently, many dietitians have recommend developing a division of responsibility regarding eating, with parents deciding what to offer, and children deciding if and how much they want to eat of what is offered. ![]() Instead of rewarding or consoling with food, try giving out stickers, or even just promising your child an hour of your undivided attention. But these kinds of “benefits” can create associations that are hard to break later on in life. While a trip to the ice cream store may sound like a logical reward for good behavior or a fun way to cheer a child up if he or she is down. ![]() One of the most important lessons to learn in developing a healthy attitude to less healthy foods - for yourself or for your children - is to avoid rewarding with food. The majority of food a child is offered each day should still be fruits, vegetables and carbohydrates, but the occasional doughnut is not going to throw their eating off balance. Many dietitians now advise parents that dessert may actually be better served alongside the main meal from time to time, by presenting cake and broccoli as equally valid, equally exciting and delicious food choices. They’ll eventually learn that it doesn’t always feel too great to overindulge. Even with sugary treats, Satter suggests that allowing children an unlimited supply of cookies or desserts at snack time is not a bad thing. In an article on forbidden foods, child nutrition expert and registered dietitian Ellyn Satter suggests that when you do occasionally allow fries or chips with a meal, you should arrange to have enough that everyone can eat their fill, because fatty foods don’t compete with other mealtime foods in the way that sugary treats can. Instead of preventing our children from enjoying any processed foods, fatty treats or refined sugars, we may be better off allowing them to enjoy those foods in moderation, by taking care not to make a big deal out of them, and providing healthy alternatives for them to choose from. That’s not to say a diet of pure M&M’s and soda is a good idea for your 5-year-old, but it is still a fact worth remembering next time your child throws a fit over a chocolate chip cookie.Īnother fact that is often hard for us parents to accept is that banning something outright rarely works - especially if that something is readily available outside of the home. Because they are growing and learning at an astounding rate, and because they usually accompany that growth with a busy schedule of play, play and more play, their calorific needs are much higher than an adult of a comparable body size. It’s because their metabolism is in overdrive. The first thing to acknowledge is that there is a very real, physical reason why children like candy and fatty foods so much. ![]() But reinforcing that message among kids requires revisiting some basic assumptions. With foods with added sugars and solid fats contributing almost 35 percent of calories in the average American’s diet, rethinking our relationship to treats and indulgences has never been more urgent. We may be unintentionally reinforcing the message that sweets are more exciting than vegetables, and that good times and unhealthy indulgence go hand-in-hand. In our efforts to enforce a little moderation on our would-be sugar fiends, we run the risk of turning candy, cake and treats into a bigger deal in a child’s mind. We’re all used to those well-meaning snippets of wisdom from parents intent on limiting their kids’ intake of sweets.īut it is important to know they may be counterproductive.
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