Tandem Tantrums:
How (And Why) To Let Your Child Run The Food Show
The way we talk to our children about food is serious business. Just ask Laura Cipullo of Whole Nutrition Services, LLC. I was invited, along with several other bloggers, to Laura’s home to talk about her new program, Healthy Habits, part of The Mommy Manual Series. The Mommy Manual Series is Laura’s brainchild in her pursuit to help moms with parenting issues. Ah, but what is Healthy Habits and why was I wowed? Glad you asked.
Healthy Habits’ “ultimate goal is to encourage a lifestyle of active children eating sensibly.” Sounds pretty simple, right? Here are 5 things I leaned about kids and healthy eating.
KIDS ARE BORN
WITH FOOD CUES
Healthy Habits‘ “ultimate goal is to encourage a lifestyle of active children eating sensibly.” Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it kind of is. Laura pointed out that our children are already born with “food cues” and they know how to tell when they are full. We’ve all seen it. As a breastfeeding mother or even feeding your child with formula, when they don’t want any more it is impossible to get them to keep eating. Toddlers are no different. Joelle will eat like she’s a grown woman some days, and there are others where I’m pretty sure she can sustain herself on just crackers. It is important that we as parents try to give them healthier choices than just crackers, but we need to listen to them a little more and have better conversations with them about their food choices. We also need to encourage them to listen to their bodies and food cues so that they won’t start bad habits, like eating out of boredom or emotion.
KIDS NEED CARBS!
Whoa. For many of us, we’re trying to keep those to a minimum. Not the case for kids. I didn’t know that children need carbs; we all do (the right kinds). Glucose (what carbohydrates ultimately break down into) is needed by their little brains. Kids need the sugar so why not give it to them in a way that also gives them energy?
FORCING KIDS TO EAT SENDS THE WRONG MESSAGES
…and creates bad habits.
Another thing is that we as parents need to stop forcing our children to eat. Adults need to think about the way we condition our children when it comes to food. Just the other day I was wondering why we need three meals a day. Laura stressed that breakfast is a must, but as the day moves on, it is vital that children listen to their bodies to tell them when to eat and how much. If your little one refuses lunch, but gets hungry during a later activity, talk to them about making better choices the next day so that they won’t get so hungry. Maybe they don’t eat all of their lunch, but rather save some of it so that right before the activity they have something to eat. The “clean plate club” is out unless you are talking about ways to make a meal go further. There is nothing that says just because a meal is “lunch” it has to be consumed in one sitting. If your child’s body is telling them they are full then you need to monitor that and help them plan accordingly.
GET MOVING!
Another good tip Laura gave us is not to talk about “exercise” but more about “movement.” Our children have been listening to us, and, well, now exercise has gotten a bad connotation. It is linked to dieting and something we grown ups feel is a chore. She’s right! I think of it that way and have negative feelings about it, but if a friend says, “Let’s walk all over Manhattan today to get some air” I’m all over it. Telling our kids that we are getting an hour of exercise versus telling them they get to go to the park and play for a while can definitely set them up for success in how they see physical activity.
HEALTHY HABITS
Like I said there’s a whole program built around these and so many more concepts that will help us teach our toddlers, tweens, teens (and ourselves) better ways to think about food, weight, and movement. I was certainly impressed. Laura has the Healthy Habits program available on her site for $65. Share it with your friends or even your child’s daycare or school. I learned a heck of a lot with the parts of the book I saw and look forward to having conversations with Joelle that will give her more power over her choices and me more understanding over helping her making them.
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So how do you feel about Healthy Habits and teaching your child better ways to think about food and when they eat? Is this something you would like to try for your child? Let’s discuss!
Laura Cipullo is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, and creator of Mom Dishes It Out. She maintains a private nutrition practice in New York City, Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition Services, where she specializes in family and pediatric nutrition, preventing and treating eating disorders, and diabetes education.
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Ella Rucker is the mother of one of the smartest, funniest two-year-olds she’s ever met. She is currently assistant to the head GEM which means hats-a-plenty including writing, editing, and producing for Good Enough Mother. An Ohio native implanted in NYC for the last 13 years, Ella has achieved one of her many dreams by writing. Her musings (she’s amused they’d be called “musings”) can be found at other places on the web so make sure you follow her on twitter @ellalaverne for all the information.
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