Why HOW Your Family Eats is so Important

Welcome to The Family Newsletter at MaryannJacobsen.com (formerly Raise Healthy Eaters). Because you are a new subscriber, you're going to get a handful of daily emails to explain some basics of helping your family develop a healthy relationship with food. I remember how overwhelmed I felt after having my first child 13 years ago. That's when I began researching and learning everything I could about feeding children. The first thing I discovered is that how we eat, is just as important as what we eat. And it's the best place to start making changes. First is simply establishing a regular rhythm to eating times. What I call "meal structure" is so important for children and adults to learn self-control but also manage their hunger. When babies first start eating, they are introduced to food once or twice a day. By the time they reach one, they are typically eating 6 times a day. Of course, some kids do better with more eating times and others less, but by the time most reach school age, they're having 3 meals and 1-2 snacks per day. For more details see this post: How Many Times a Day Should Kids Eat? Very young children may have unpredictable hunger so of course parents need to respond to that. But allowing kids to eat whenever they want -- all the time -- puts children at risk for eating for non-hunger reasons and poor food regulation (eating too much or too little). It also could start the always-asking-for-food habit or they may fill up on juice or milk before meals (a toddler's stomach is the size of a fist!). When there is a predictable offering of meals and snacks, kids are calm when it comes to eating and will not hound you for food. Research also suggests they tend to be less picky which is probably due to more food exposure. Consistency is key! For more see this article: 5 Reasons Parents Should Rethink Food Handouts Of course, this is a flexible routine. Trying to keep a child from grazing at parties or outings won't be helpful. But home is a different story. A regular rhythm of eating is the first step towards empowering your family to create a healthy relationship with food. If you have any questions, reply to this email and I'll help you out! I'm so glad you are part of this community! Ps. If social media is your thing, join me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. This email was sent to edwardlorilla2001.tower2@blogger.com | Unsubscribe | Forward this email to a friend Powered by MailerLite