Tips for Mindful Eating with kids

We hear a lot about being mindful these days. Taking the time to really take note of experiences and how our bodies are feeling. Being mindful seems to be something us adults should be aiming for in many aspects of our life, including with eating and food. But what about kids? Can being mindful about eating and food help kids develop a better, more positive relationship with food? The answer is YES! For kids and adults alike, mindful eating can help us to develop a better, more positive relationship with food. Something which can help promote overall health, prevent yo-yo dieting and disordered eating in the future. But what is mindful eating and how can you practice it yourself and with your kids?

What is mindful eating?

Mindful eating means that we are in tune to the eating experience. We eat for nourishment as well as enjoyment and honour hunger and fullness cues to guide our intake. Mindful eating also includes being fully present for the experience, savouring the taste, acknowledging how the food makes you feel, and being non judgemental about those feelings . The funny thing about mindful eating, is that babies and toddlers are great at this from the start. They listen to hunger and fullness cues meaning that they eat only when hungry and stop when they are full. They are quick to show you or tell you when they don’t like something or when they really enjoy it. Unfortunately, sometimes the way we parent when it comes to food can interfere with this innate mindfulness and lead kids to eat for a variety of reasons. As a result they may lose that ability to fully trust their bodies when it comes to eating. When we pressure kids to eat, allow them to eat with distractions such as TV or toys or be too relaxed when it comes to a meal and snack schedule we can negatively influence their ability to eat mindfully.

What can we do as parents to help preserve the innate ability of little ones to eat mindfully?

To help little ones to continue eating mindfully as they get older there are a few things we can do when it comes to parenting around food.

Maintain the Division of Responsibility

The Division of Responsibility (DOR) is the idea that parents decide what, when and where food is served, while kids decide if they will eat, what they will eat from what is served and how much. By following the DOR parents can help kids to continue honouring how their body feels, how they experience eating particular foods and acknowledge hunger and fullness cues by not overriding these feelings with pressure to eat.

Part of the DOR, is having a set time for meals and snacks. This promotes the idea that when it is time to eat we take a break from other activities and connect with our food and others around the table. Following the DOR allows kids to honour how they are feeling at the table and following their lead when it comes to eating more or less. This helps kids to continue trusting their body when it comes to following their hunger. When we mess with this by pressuring kids to finish their plates or try a bite, we override this innate ability and contribute to mindless eating. Eating mindlessly can lead to over or under eating and may have an impact on a kids relationship with food later on.

Unplug

Avoid distractions during meals and snacks. That means, turn off the TV, tablet or phone (for parents too!) and avoid bringing toys to the table. When we are distracted, it becomes very difficult to listen to our body. When we are focused on a screen or a toy, we aren’t in tune with our food, what we are eating, how it makes us feel, are we hungry or full? When we are distracted at the table it can be easy to eat too much or not enough. It is also best to allow children to lead when it comes to feeding, follow their cues and avoid using screens or other distractions to sneak in a bite.

Eat together as much as possible and talk about the food and how it makes us feel

Get into the habit of talking about the food you are eating. Highlight the physical characteristics, colour, texture or shape, it could be the way it tastes or smells or family traditions linked to that food. Explore the food on different levels, touch, taste and smell. As often as you can, enjoy meals and snacks as a family. Take the time to savour the food. Kids tend to follow your lead, when they see you eating mindfully and enjoying your food without judgement, following your hunger and fullness cues, they will too.

Have your kids tune into their tummies. Are they hungry or full? Do they want more or less on their plate next time. Allow them to decide if they take one more bite or any bites at all. Try to keep food as neutral as possible. That means not attaching any moral value to food. There are no good food or bad foods, just food. Doing this allows kids to eat without judgement and prevents them from attaching feelings of guilt or praise when eating certain foods.

Summing it up

Eating mindfully is something babies and toddlers are born knowing how to do. Sometimes, parents, unintentionally mess with that innate ability by pressuring kids to eat, relying on distractions to sneak in extra bites and get into the trap of eating on the run without taking the time to connect with food and family. Making little changes to the way you parent when it comes to food can help your little ones maintain their ability to eat mindfully, listen to their tummies and how food makes them feel. Mindful eating may not seem natural to us as adults, but practicing mindful eating little by little every day can help us and our kids develop and maintain a positive relationship with food.