Nutrition Lecture

Here is a recap, by Stephanie Bennion, from the Nutrition Lecture that was given last Wednesday:

Last Wednesday Sister Dana Cox gave an informative, informal lecture on family feeding structure. This kind of information is so applicable to pretty much everyone! We all eat and unfortunately this necessity of life that is meant to be a pleasure becomes a confusing and frustrating daily event for many people. Some stand-out thoughts I will remember include:

• Trust your child. Children are born with an intuitive ability to eat when they're hungry and self-regulate themselves (no mind battles over food for them). Unfortunately that self-regulation can disappear between ages 3-5 largely through interference of adults.
• It's easy to overestimate what a child can realistically eat. The general rule is 1 T per age of the child. That's not very much!
• The Ellyn Satter approach was the framework for our discussion. Her "Division of Responsibility" for feeding toddlers through adolescents is: The parent is responsible for what food is presented, when, where the child eats and the child is responsible for how much and whether they eat.
• It's important to emphasize to children how food makes you feel. Think about the refreshing/cleansing effect of fresh fruits and vegetables versus the filmy, greasy feel of more processed foods.
• I like Dana's family rule for Halloween candy: Eat what you want but no tummy aches! This allows children to learn to recognize how they feel in response to eating. Also, before leaving the table instead of saying "are you full?" ask "are you hungry?" or "are you satisfied?" ("full" can imply making yourself "filled up" and going over your level of satisfaction).
• We are a child's biggest exemplar. It is important that we show children how to eat and like good food. Our attitudes, even subliminally, can be picked up by children.

A follow up discussion/lecture is a possibility for the upcoming fall. Stay tuned for that and in the meantime don't hesitate to discuss this topic with Sis. Cox - she is passionate about it and loves sharing ideas with others. Thanks Dana and thank you those who attended!

Thanks for sharing Stephanie!

Below you will find Dana's notes from the meeting:

Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility in Feeding

Parents provide structure, support and opportunities. Children choose how much and whether to eat from what the parents provide.

The Division of Responsibility for Infants:

· The parent is responsible for what

· The child is responsible for how much (and everything else)

The parent helps the infant to be calm and organized and feeds smoothly, paying attention to information coming from the baby about timing, tempo, frequency and amounts

The Division of Responsibility For Toddlers through Adolescents:

· The parent is responsible for what, when, where

· The child is responsible for how much and whether

Parents' Feeding Jobs:

· Choose and prepare the food

· Provide regular meals and snacks

· Make eating times pleasant

· Show children what they have to learn about food and mealtime behavior

· Not let children graze for food or beverages between meal and snack times

· Let children grow up to get bodies that are right for them

Fundamental to parents' jobs is trusting children to decide how much and whether to eat. If parents do their jobs with feeding, children will do their jobs with eating:

· Children will eat

· They will eat the amount they need

· They will learn to eat the food their parents eat

· They will grow predictably

· They will learn to behave well at the table

Copyright 2012 by Ellyn Satter. Published at www.EllynSatter.com