Did you know kids are naturally intuitive eaters? Unfortunately, despite any parent’s effort to shelter their children from today’s diet culture, children will at some point, be exposed to dieting, either inside or outside the home. And, sadly, this is happening at younger and younger ages.

A lot of parents understandably think they’re doing what’s best for their kids by having a paleo or keto or (insert ANY diet that’s not for medical reasons) home. However, although framed as healthy eating, these too are diets. Any way of eating that directly or indirectly labels foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is dieting. Food is not good or bad. Food is neutral. The best thing parents can do for their children when it comes to nutrition, food and eating, is to have a non-diet household and mindset. And, be an example of an intuitive eater! Your children are watching and imitating YOU.

So, what if my child is a picky eater and refuses to eat foods that I consider healthy? This is a question I get ALL the time. And, a constant struggle even in my home!

I will be blogging specifically about picky eaters soon but the biggest advice I can give is this:

Do not pressure your kids to eat. Try to encourage intuitive eating—help them recognize when they’re hungry/full/satisfied. Kids do this naturally but overtime, often because of how society portrays food, this changes. Talk about how it feels to be hungry (grumbling tummy, irritability, fatigue, etc.) and to be full and satisfied.
Talk to your kids about how foods make you feel, without presenting food in a negative light. Afterall, you want your kids to choose to eat vegetables because they want them (maybe because they know they have vitamins and nutrients that will help them grow, etc) NOT because mom is making me eat it. You ALSO want your teenager to be able to enjoy (and have no guilt associated with) that cake made from scratch that your best friend brought over.
Remember food is not good or bad. Food is neutral.
Try not to stress about what your child is eating. Kids pick up on this and it will likely make the situation even worse. It can help to think about their nutrient intake over the course of the week rather than per meal or per day.

Every child, parent, and situation is different and, no matter how much advice I write up, there is not a one-size fits all blanket approach to feeding children (or adults).

Feel free to email me with questions! Or, contact me to set up a 15 minute FREE discovery call to answer any questions you may have and set up a time to meet.

ML

ML

Blog

ML

Kids and Intuitive Eating

ML