As someone coming from a world of eating disorders I stressed this when I became a new mother. Weird for a professional counselor to stress out, I suppose, but based on personal experience, any book learning went out the window on this.
Then, I began doing presentations at MOPS groups on preventing eating disorders in our children. This question was often raised. "Are my kids really hungry? Or are they just eating because it tastes good? How do I know? I don't want to say they can't eat if they're truly hungry--but I don't want to enable them if they are just eating for the sake of eating."
My best friend, mother of six, gave me the answer. Serve your children a normal size portion at dinner. If they are still asking for food after that, offer fruits and vegetables. If they are truly hungry, they'll snatch them up. If they aren't, chances are, they won't want them.
Easy solution.
A few other things, while we're on the subject, to help instill healthy eating habits in our children:
1. Keep food limited to the table only. Eating snacks throughout the house, especially while watching TV, will only serve to encourage mindless eating habits.
2. Serve vegetables and fruits for snacks, along with yogurt, applesauce, cheese cubes, peanut butter and crackers. I'm not sure about you, but it's much easier for me to overeat junk food, than it is healthy food. When I eat healthy food, somehow I eat what I need and then, I'm done.
3. Ask your children: "Do you want food because you're hungry or because something sounds good to your head?"Younger children are not going to understand this question, but older children will and you can teach the difference between head and stomach hunger, as they grow.
4. Don't teach your children to clean their plate. This encourages overeating. When babies are nursing they stop when they are full. Then they become toddlers and we tell them to clean their plates "or they can't have dessert". Instead, let your child decide when they are full. This trains their body to eat only what they need instead of simply what is in front of them.
5. While your at it, when you feed your kiddoes all that healthy stuff, including a second helping at dinner time and includes more fruits and veggies than main dish--do that for yourself too! Too often we feed our children healthy options while we reach for the unhealthy options (*notice guilty look on my own face*). Children learn by example and the day will come they'll notice we're eating a brownie while they eat an apple and we're enjoying chips while they have whole wheat crackers with peanut butter. Lead by example when it comes to eating! :)
Resources:
Eat Your Vegetables! Drink Your Milk! (My Health)
How to Teach Nutrition to Kids
is something I've started, well, because, people are asking me questions due to things they read on here.
I am not an expert. Not at all!
But I do enjoy thinking through things and offering counsel, based on my understanding of God's Word and the spiritual, mental, and emotional side of us humans.
I also like discussions on parenting, green living, and Christian living. Anything that makes me think, is a good thing for me!
So ask away!
If I don't have an answer, well, I'll post your question on here and maybe we can get some people to comment their opinions and you'll get it answered that way!
