healthykids
Out of the Mouths of Babes A Dozen Ways Children Teach Us to Eat Mindfully
by Dr. Michelle May P
arents are usually the main fa- cilitators of life lessons for their children, but in some arenas it’s best to let the kids do the teaching. Their natural eating behaviors, for example, exemplify smart choices for us all. Here are some surprising rules of thumb:
Eat when you are hungry. From birth, babies know when and how much they need to eat and cry to let us know. As youngsters grow this vital instinct can be unlearned, so that by the time they are adults, most have learned to eat for other reasons besides hunger. By rec- ognizing the difference between needing to eat and wanting to eat,
Children are born with the ability to eat instinctively, fully tuned in to in- ternal cues of hunger and fullness.
adults can also relearn when and how much to eat. Stop eating when you are full. Infants turn their head
away when they have had enough to eat and toddlers throw food on the floor when they’re done. But as adults, we clean our plates because we were admon- ished as youngsters about starving children, feel a social obligation or something just tastes good. Being hungry makes you grouchy. Being hun-
gry, tired or frustrated makes a child crabby and affects adults in the same way. Take care of your mealtime needs instead of taking out your cranki- ness on those around you.
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Broward County
http://FtL.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
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