Help kids avoid overeating during Thanksgiving

Some kids are voracious little eaters. As parents, it is our responsibility to guide our children towards healthy eating habits. One issue many parents face is having a child that asks for seconds before they even start eating. How can parents respond to this behavior?

Get frustrated and yell at them? Tell them to stop being greedy? Scold them for being rude?

You really shouldn’t do any of the above.

There are ways to teach your child to listen to their internal satiety signals in a calm and comforting way. You can’t change a situation that has already happened, but you can choose how to respond to it. One way to do this is by approaching the situation as a “teachable moment” and use it to share simple lessons about healthy eating.

Bad Move:
Becoming visibly frustrated, scolding or belittling your child. This negative tension creates an unconstructive environment that diminishes a child’s opportunity to form a healthy relationship with food and eating.

Power Play:

1. Talk with your child to find out the emotional reasons for his or her behavior.

2. Explore various methods to help your child identify hunger and fullness signals.

3. Explain how good food nourishes the body and enables us to learn, play and grow healthy and strong.

4. Reassure your child that there is always an opportunity to eat more later.

The road to optimal health and living is paved with lots of opportunities to teach ourselves and our kids’ new ways to eat healthier. Kids will be kids, so love them, have fun with them and never miss an opportunity to teach them powerful life skills that will help them grow into healthy and happy adults!

Resources:

Raising Fit Kids in a Fat World by Judy Halliday and Joani Jack