When we think of any area of life in raising children, it is unanimous that it is necessary to have patience, dedication, and persistence to educate them.
Regarding food is no different. Think of a baby, a child is a blank page… and we write a story from what we present, encourage, experience with them.
Educating the palate is training, it is persistence… children need to explore the new and they love to face the unknown, you know right?
So it’s our role to show different paths and options in food!
In behavioral nutrition, we know that as important as what we eat is HOW we eat and, for this reason, our role is to define a colorful, balanced, and varied menu, but the amount and speed, ahhh this is the children who decide!
Trust their intuition, we are born knowing how much we need to eat.
Let your child be guided by the inner signs of his body, he knows the size of hunger, pay attention to the signs of satiety as well.
Don’t fight, force, or use rewards or blackmail so she can eat if she’s not hungry. You take care of the routine, the schedules, but he decides how to drive.
We will preserve the intuitive and natural eating that our little ones have, after all, we grew up and end up not respecting our satiety for emotional, social issues, to please others, etc. So the time to educate is now!
omer is a delight and can be light, fun, respectful…
Eating is learning too, offer the same foods several times because they are learning. Offer salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. Remember that just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean your child won’t like it, try everything and invite the kids to participate in the preparation and choice.
Learn and talk to them about the importance of fruits, vegetables and use creativity!
Eating is also a family bond. Try, within the possible, create a pleasant environment of appreciation using the five senses, the child should take the food in hand, enjoy with the eyes, smell, texture, temperature, let them explore and enjoy the moment.
And by eating with calm and love, we nourish not only the body but also the soul!
By Thais Aceto
@nutrirsuaessencia
Nutritionist, CRN-3 49425
Postgraduate in Eating Behavior from IPGS
