According to the Center for Mindful Eating — Mindful Eating is:
Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food selection and preparation by respecting your own inner wisdom.
Using all your senses in choosing to eat food that is both satisfying to you and nourishing to your body.
Acknowledging responses to food (likes, dislikes or neutral) without judgment.
Becoming aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decisions to begin and end eating.
Intuitive Eating is a non-diet approach to eating. The concept was developed by Evelyn Tribole MS RDN and Elyse Resch MS RDN CEDRD - Both Registered Dietitian’s and Authors of the book “Intuitive Eating”
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating
Reject the Diet Mentality
Honor Your Hunger
Make Peace with Food
Challenge the Food Police
Respect Your Fullness
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food
Respect Your Body
Exercise—Feel the Difference
Honor Your Health
Key Components
Develop a healthy relationship with food.
Be present in the moment - taking the time to choose and prepare foods that will be both satisfying and nutritious.
Not judging yourself for choosing/or not choosing a certain food
Be in tune with your body cues that tell you when you are hunger or full.
Respecting your body and encouraging physical activity for energy and health benefits
Impact eating behaviors have on children:
Eating behaviors can impact growth, development and mentality
Mindful eating helps develop self-regulation - allowing the body to respond to internal cues - feelings of hunger or satiety (fullness)
Promote the development of flavor and a variety of food preferences
Children gain knowledge of eating behaviors from watching others - family members, schoolmates, friends, and TV
Modeling a positive behavior is the best way to promote healthy behaviors and increase consumption of healthy foods
Parents who don’t eat fruits and vegetables tend to raise children who refuse those kinds of food
Restrictive eating or negative thoughts on food can lead to disordered eating at a young age and into adulthood
Children should be allowed to listen to their own internal cues of hunger and fullness for when to start and to stop eating
Ways to implement mindful and healthy eating:
Family mealtimes
Discuss flavor, color, and texture of food with kids
Allow children to help prepare food & to serve themselves
Offer a variety of foods at meals and snacks
Model positive eating behaviors
Limit screen time while eating
Be patient
Family meals
Offers a comforting routine
A place to catch up with your kids, and a chance introduce new foods
Allows parents to model positive eating behaviors
Choose a mealtime that works best
Eating out is still an opportunity to eat as a family and promote mindfulness
Be a Role Model
Children eat a certain food happily if they see a parent eating that same food
Have a positive attitude about food, talking about taste and flavor
Reinforce eating behaviors of feeling hunger and fullness instead of the amount of food eaten
Be patient and establish a pleasant atmosphere
Establish a schedule of meals and snacks
Try not to force or pressure children to clean their plates
Avoid using dessert as a reward for eating the meal
Don’t use food as a way to show love
Offer a variety of healthy foods at meals and snacks
Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are exposed to foods & beverages by their caregivers
Add variety of fruits and vegetables to every meal, and snacks
Keep fruits and vegetables on hand - washed, cut and ready to eat (frozen and canned food options)
Make half of grains as whole grain (wheat, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, pastas, barley)
Provide lean protein options - meats, eggs, seafood, beans, seeds, nuts
Limit fast food and low nutrient snacks - it’s OK to have a few favorite snacks
Avoid sugary drinks - Choose water, milk, and 100% juice okay at times
Involve kids in preparing meals and serving themselves
Talk to kids about food choices and planning a meal together
Allows kids to set up table, safely cut fruits/veggies, stir ingredients
Thank them for their help and praise their prepping skills
Creates a positive impact on decision making as they get older
Limit Screen time (TV, Phones, Tablets)
Keep TV off, and phones away during meals
TV advertising influences children food and beverage preferences
Viewing TV and commercials can lead to mindless eating which may lead overeating
Family movie nights with popcorn or snacks are okay as long as it’s not an everyday occurrence
Be Patient. Enjoy small talk during mealtime
Allow kids to take their time when eating
Chew slowly, take small bites, savoring the food
Ask them about the colors of foods, the texture, and flavors they taste — sweet, salty, spicy, bland.
Key nutrients to promote growth and development in toddlers and preschoolers
Water helps maintain internal balance and hydrates the body
Also, removes waste and transports nutrients to cells
Many foods contain water:
Fruits and Vegetables - Cucumbers, Watermelon,
Celery, Lettuce, Zucchini, Bok Choy, Grapefruit,
Oranges, and Strawberries
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for
the body and especially the brain
Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Starchy Vegetables
Limit processed foods which provide little to no nutrients
Protein is the building block for body tissues
builds, restores, and maintain muscles and organs
Meat sources: Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Fish, Eggs, Dairy
Plant sources: Legumes (beans, chickpeas), Soy (tofu), Lentil, Quinoa, Nuts, Nut Butters, Seeds, Oatmeal
Fat is essential for brain development, especially from infancy to 3 years of age
Dietary fat is a key element in providing satiety. Helps absorb vitamins A, D, E, K
Choose healthy fats such as:
Monounsaturated fats - olive oil, peanut and canola oils, avocados, nuts, seeds
Polyunsaturated fats - vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fatty oily fish
Omega 3 fatty acids
Limit Saturated Fat
Avoid Trans Fat - highly processed foods
Kid Friendly Snack Ideas
Air-popped popcorn
Assorted fresh fruits
Baby carrots/sliced veggies with hummus dip
Cheese on whole grain crackers
Fruit and veggie kabobs dipped in yogurt
Plain yogurt mixed with honey or jam and fruit
Whole grain muffins, breads, cereals
Fruit smoothies
Pretzels
Dried fruits and nuts
Roasted pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds
Kid Friendly Breakfast Ideas
Brown bag breakfasts - assemble 3 foods (fruit, whole grains, protein) in a brown paper bag the night before:
Mozzarella cheese stick, slice of whole wheat bread with jelly or butter, 1 cup of fruit of choice
Breakfast trail mix (1 cup chex cereal, 1/2 cup dried fruit, 1/2 ounce of pumpkin seeds, 1/8 cup dark chocolate mini chips) and 8oz low fat milk carton
1/2 bagel with cream cheese sandwich with small banana
Slice of wheat bread with mashed avocado, boiled egg, and fruit of choice
Scrambled egg and cheese sandwich, and fruit of choice
Variety of Smoothies for on the go
Kid Friendly Lunch Ideas
Lunches should include at least 4 of the 5 food groups:
Protein: Turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon, chili, hardboiled eggs, chickpeas, hummus, tofu, seeds
Fruits: fresh, canned, or dried: Apples, banana, oranges, kiwi, peaches, fruit cup, pears, plums, apricots, melons, unsweetened applesauce
Vegetables: vegetable sticks - sweet peppers, carrots, cucumbers, asparagus. Green beans, sliced squash, green peas, broccoli, cauliflower
Grain products: Bread/buns (whole wheat, pumpernickel, cracked wheat), tortilla wraps, homemade muffins, bagels, fig bars, plain popcorn, rice, pasta salad, couscous
Dairy: cheese sticks, cheese cubes, sliced cheese
School Lunch Ideas:
Turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread, sliced fruit of choice, carrot sticks with or without hummus dip
Chicken salad sandwich on cracked wheat bread, mozzarella stick, sliced cucumbers, and dried fruit
Bowtie pasta salad with chickpeas, broccoli, and feta cheese. Popcorn, canned peaches
References:
Mindful Eating Principles. https://thecenterformindfuleating.org/Principles-Mindful-Eating
10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2018, from https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/
Edelstein, S., & Sharlin, J. (2009). Life cycle nutrition: An evidence-based approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett. Normal Nutrition for Toddler through school-aged children and the role of parents in promoting healthy nutrition in early childhood
Pérez-Escamilla R, Segura-Pérez S, Lott M, on behalf of the RWJF HER Expert Panel on Best Practices for Promoting Healthy Nutrition, Feeding Patterns, and Weight Status for Infants and Toddlers from Birth to 24 Months. Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approach. Guidelines for Health Professionals. Durham, NC: Healthy Eating Research, 2017. Available at http://healthyeatingresearch.org
What Should You Know about Mindful and Intuitive Eating? Mathieu, Jennifer. Journal of the American Dietetic Association , Volume 109 , Issue 12 , 1987
The start healthy feeding guidelines for infants and toddlers. Butte, Nancy et al. Journal of the American Dietetic Association , Volume 104 , Issue 3 , 442 - 454
Choose MyPlate. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2018, from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Ben-Joseph, E. P. (Ed.). (2018, June). Healthy Eating. Retrieved November, 2018, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/habits.html
Pediatric Nutrition. Willet, Gina PHD RD. Institute for Natural Resources. January 2011.