In this guest post Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, registered dietitian, mother of two and creator of Raise Healthy Eaters, sheds light on where we health care professionals should refocus our attention in regards to childhood obesity. I will transfer and translate the comments from Finnish part of the blog to the English part. So you can comment on either language.
Sodas, snack foods, cakes, cookies and fast food are all implicated in the childhood obesity epidemic. Almost all of the focus has been on ”what” kids are eating.
As a result, the solution to the problem is to get kids to eat ”healthy food.” This includes more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. So the child healthy-eating campaigns have begun. But I worry that this only skims the surface –and will have no real effect.
As a registered dietitian and family nutrition writer, I believe there are three essential factors for raising healthy eaters. Yes, one is what kids are eating. But the other two may be even more powerful — and a better place to start when communicating health and disease prevention to families
How parents feed
30 years ago when childhood obesity wasn’t a problem, kids weren’t eating only ”healthy food.” Children drank soda and ate baked goods but they also had access to reliable balanced meals.
The key difference is in how they were fed. It was more likely that one parent worked and the other stayed home making the meals. So more kids ate dinners with their families and had structure to their eating.
How parents feed their children is essential to the eating habits children develop as they grow into adulthood. Regular meals and snacks at the kitchen table teach kids that eating is a priority. It is not something they do mindlessly while watching TV, when they are bored or simply because the food is there.
When it comes to the how of feeding, the attitudes and actions of parents is vital. Research supports an authoritative feeding style over a more controlling, authoritarian one. This feeding style is exemplified in the Ellyn Satter Division of Responsibility — parents decide the decide the when, what and where of feeding and children decide the whether and how much of eating.
But this is not happening. In a 2007 study published in Appetite, 85 percent of 142 families interviewed said they try to get their child to eat more at mealtime by using reasoning, praise and food rewards.
How parents eat
Everyone knows parents are role models to their kids when it comes to eating. If parents still have major food issues it is likely, though not guaranteed, to have some effect on the child. So addressing how parents eat is essential.
But the current model for ”parents as healthy role models” is usually about them eating ”healthy food,” just like it is for kids. This causes guilt for parents as they wrongly believe they need more time to eat perfectly — a behavior they may have never been able to sustain.
On my blog, Raise Healthy Eaters, I take another approach. I tell parents that learning how to feed their kids can help heal their own eating issues. It’s the perfect opportunity to ponder how they were fed growing up and how that impacts their current eating style.
Were they asked to clean their plates as children? Have years of dieting left them deprived and food-focused? Do they dislike vegetables because they were forced to eat them as kids?
Parents can also learn a great deal about how to eat from young children who regulate their food intake well. I’ve seen this approach transform parents’ eating for the better, which in turn helps them become better feeders.
Why it pays to address the what last
When health professionals address the what first it overwhelms people. They always feel they need more time (or money) to eat healthy. And many put it off as their perception of healthy eating may be one of a less satisfying and rewarding food experience.
But if we can address the how first, asking families (parent and child) to eat meals and snack at the table instead of haphazardly, it can have a big impact. Addressing feeding styles and hunger and satiety awareness is also important. This is a relatively easy first step to take — and it can be very powerful.
Once the how of eating is established, the what can be made in small steps. Gradually adding more fruits and vegetables to meals, experimenting with whole grains and substituting animal fats with healthier fats.
Addressing all three factors
By addressing the three essential factors of raising healthy eaters, how to feed, being a positive role model and helping families make small steps to healthier eating, I believe we stand a better chance of reversing the current trends in eating and weight.
But more importantly, it can make eating enjoyable and rewarding while taking the guilt and stress out of the equation. And what family doesn’t want that?
Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen is a registered dietitian, mother of two and creator of Raise Healthy Eaters, a blog that provides parents with simple and sound nutrition advice. You can visit her blog at http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/
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References
Hubbs-Tait L, Seacord Kennedy T, Page MC, Topham GL, Harrist AW. Parental feeding practices predict authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles. J of the Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(7):1154-1161.
Patrick H, Nicklas TA, Hughes SO. The differential effects of authoritative and authoritarian feeding styles on eating behaviors. J of the Am Diet Assoc. 2004; 104Supplement(2):61.
Orrell-Valente et al. “Just three more bites”: an observational analysis of parents’ socialization of children’s eating at mealtime. Appetite. 2007;48 (1):37-45
http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-intro-2009.htm