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The ultimate tool for feeding a healthy family

The ultimate tool for feeding a healthy family

by

Verena Dickson, MSc, RNutr

Child Nutritionist

Hands down, I am a HUGE fan of the Division of Responsibility in Feeding. This is a tool which allows parents to provide nutrition and structure while giving children the independence to eat according to their needs.

I love the Division of Responsibility, as it supports children’s self-regulatory abilities and removes any pressure from the dinner table.

It is the parents/caregiver’s job to decide WHAT goes on the table, WHEN to provide meals/snacks and WHERE to serve them.

It is then 100% up to the child WHETHER to eat from what is on the table and HOW MUCH to eat.

Let’s have a look at your feeding jobs.

WHAT

Foods you enjoy as a family
Each meal/snack should contain at least one source of carbohydrate, protein, fat and fruit/vegetables
Serve foods separately “Deconstructed Burrito Style”
At least one familiar, safe food your child can fill up on

WHEN

Provide a meal/snack time structure
Find a routine that allows for eating together at least once a day
Schedule meals/snacks, so your child comes to the table hungry but not famished
Avoid grazing between meals/snacks

WHERE

Designated eating space, i.e. the family table
All meals AND snacks should be served while the child is sitting down
Avoid eating “on-the-go” if you can

Tags: child eating too much child overeating child overweight

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We still have an enormous amount of work to do, to

We still have an enormous amount of work to do, to help girls develop a positive body image 👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽 ⁣
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In a UK study, 9 out of 10 girls with low body esteem, said they stoped themselves from eating or otherwise put their health at risk👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽 ⁣
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Another 9 out of 10 said they avoided seeing friends and family or trying out for a team or club 👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽 ⁣
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Building body confidence and resilience against beauty standards portrayed in the media, takes time and starts from a young age 👧🏻👧🏼👧🏽 ⁣
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👉 Focus on what our bodies can do, rather than what they look like ⁣
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👉 Focus on your children's achievements rather than their appearance ⁣
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👉 Use media, toys and games to promote diversity and call out narrow beauty ideals ⁣
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👉 Support your children in building friendships⁣⁣
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#kindness #diversity #kindkids #happykids #healthykids #bodydiversity #strongisthenewpretty #qotd #montessori #empowerchildren #positiveparenting #motherhoodunplugged #mindfulkids #sizediversity #mindfulmums #mindfulparenting #mindfuleating #wordsofwisdom #kids #bekind #bearolemodel #ukmums #ukkids #ukparents #teachthemyoung #stronggirlsclub #girlgang #empoweringgirls #empoweringkids #kidsofinstagram

Sure, some foods are better than others for our he

Sure, some foods are better than others for our health, but the concept of healthy food is very abstract to children, and quite frankly it is for many adults too 🤔⁣
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The younger the child, the less concept of the future they have. Try explaining to them that eating lots of chocolate every day, might have a negative impact on them when they are grown up... They couldn't care less 🤷‍♀️⁣
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Since most children live in the moment, they will value the benefit they get from chocolate right now (tastes yummy, makes me happy) over potential future risks that are impossible to grasp 🍫⁣
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Instead of categorising foods as good, bad, healthy or unhealthy, keep a neutral language around food. And make sure chocolate and other sweet foods are on the menu often enough, to not be seen as exhilarating 🤯⁣
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#kindernutrition #healthykids #bodydiversity #empowerchildren #positiveparenting #motherhoodunplugged #mindfulkids #sizediversity #mindfulmums #mindfulparenting #mindfuleating #wordsofwisdom #kids #bekind #bearolemodel #ukmums #ukkids #ukparents #teachthemyoung #kidsofinstagram #healthyfood #toddlerfood #whatmytoddlereats #kidsnutrition #kidsfood #happykids #chocolate #getinmybelly #consciousparenting #confidentkids

Provide a variety of foods, trust your child to ea

Provide a variety of foods, trust your child to eat as much as he needs, and let him grow into the body that nature intended for him 🍌🥦🥯⁣
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Some children are very skinny, others are big. As long as you do your job with providing nutritious meals/snacks and leave your child to do their job with eating what and how much they need, your child will grow consistently and predictably. It is usually pressure to eat more or less food, that results in distorted eating behaviours, a lack of body confidence and erratic growth patterns 👶🧒👧⁣
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Resist the urge to give in to external pressures, shut down the mum guilt and protect your child from external interference in their eating skills. Children who experience trust and support from their parents, to eat according to their internal cues, have been shown to develop a good relationship to food and their own body 💜🙏🙆‍♀️⁣
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Get in touch if you are worried that your child is too skinny or too big and we can work on solutions which are kind, protective and positive. Rather than putting weight loss (or gain) at the centre, I will help you identify and correct distortions in feeding and restore optimum feeding behaviours. The child’s health – both physical and mental, is at the centre of my practice 🙌👧🙌⁣
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#kindernutrition #registerednutritionist #rnutr #kidsfood #feedingthefamily #mindfulkids #mindfulparents #mindfulmums #consciousparenting #awareparenting⁣
#letthembelittle #trustyourbody #kidshealth #childnutrition #childfeeding #whatmybabyeats #whatmytoddlereats #bodypositiveparenting #positiveparenting #motherhoodunplugged #sizediversity #haes #healthateverysize #diversity #kindkids #happykids #healthykids #bodydiversity #ukmums #ukkids

We are constantly learning and developing, so ever

We are constantly learning and developing, so everyone has their own story about their relationship to food and their body. Here’s a snippet of mine 🙋🏼‍♀️⁣
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10 years ago, after I graduated from school, I started working as a personal trainer. In the little gym bubble community, suddenly the way my body looked became ever so important to me. I thought I needed to be thin and ripped, how else would anyone take me seriously? 🤦🏼‍♀️⁣
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Interestingly, looking back, instead of becoming fitter, I kept gaining weight. I was working out every day, replacing meals with protein shakes and was generally living a pretty fit lifestyle, but I was increasingly unhappy with my body 🙍🏼‍♀️⁣
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Things changed when I stopped working at the gym and met an amazing guy (now my husband), who absolutely adored me and my body. The more he loved my body, the less I hated it. I dropped a bit of weight without trying or wanting to lose weight. I just started worrying less about my body, stopped working out so much and ate without worrying about calories (and I changed the contraceptive pill I was on, which probably had an impact too) 🤷🏼‍♀️⁣
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I guess I went back to my “normal” weight, because I have now had the same body shape and weight for at least six years, without ever trying to change my body weight again 👩🏼⁣
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I am not saying, people will loose weight, when they stop worrying about diets and the foods they eat. Neither should they. Everyone has a natural body shape according to their genetic blueprint and it is more important to stop worrying about your diet and start loving your body, than it is to be thin 🙆🏼‍♀️⁣
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True, I am thin and have a body which might be deemed "desirable" by society, but that’s just my body, there is so much more to me than that! I know that my husband played a big role in me accepting my body and I am forever grateful for that. I know my body will change with time and I am OK with that also 🙏🏼⁣
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#kindernutrition #bodykindness #bodydiversity #loveyourself #bodypositivity #allbodiesaregoodbodies⁣
#sizediversity #antidiet #antidietculture #mindfuleating #riotdontdiet #haes #healthateverysize #foodforthought #foodie #selfcare #bodypositiveparenting

Your child needs access to all macronutrients to d

Your child needs access to all macronutrients to do well in regulating their food intake. This means when you offer a meal or snack, be sure to include a source of carbohydrate, protein and fat.⁣
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Your child may decide only to eat one or two food groups at a given meal or snack, but over the week, their nutrient intake will naturally balance out according to their needs.⁣
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If your child is hungry for a snack and you offer them a fruit pouch, for example, it may satisfy their hunger briefly, but it won’t satisfy their needs for protein and fat. If your child was craving protein, because they are currently going through a growth spurt, they might even decline the fruit pouch, even though they are hungry. You can offer a bit of yogurt or cheese with the fruit pouch, and you have a balanced snack, that will satisfy whatever their needs may be and keep them full for longer.⁣
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#kindernutrition #registerednutritionist #nutritionist #balanced #familymeals #feedingthefamily #whatmytoddlereats #mindfuleating #mindfulkids #famalam #honestlypatents #parenting #parentinghacks #mumsofinstagram #ukmumblogger #ukmums #ukkids #healthykids #healthykidsfood #kidsfood #ukfamilies #kidsdinner #familydinner #familytime #vegetablesforkids #kidsloveveggies #funfood #toddlermealideas #veggies #fussyeaters

What can you do, if your child comes home, telling

What can you do, if your child comes home, telling you that the other kids are teasing him because of his weight?⁣
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Firstly, I know it is horrible to see your child sad or suffer like that. If you show your child, that you feel sorry for them, it might send the wrong signals and leave them feeling even more sad and helpless. Or they might not tell you again, because they don’t want to make you feel sad.⁣
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Instead, give them the tools to be confident, stand up for themselves and hold their own with their peers. ⁣
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It can help to ask your child questions, to encourage them to find their own solutions to the problem.⁣
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"Why do they tease you about your weight", will give you important cues as to the root of the comments he/she recived. It might be because "everybody teases everybody" or "because that's all they can think of to tease me" or "because I tease them".⁣
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Ask what it makes him/her feel when getting teased. What do other children do when they get teased? Ask for examples, until he comes up with one that's empowering for them. ⁣ ⁣
Wherever the conversation stops - your child has got what they needed. ⁣
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It is trusting and affirming to say, "I know you can handle this".⁣
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It is a difficult topic, and if you feel alone or overwhelmed with the situation, it is always worth reaching out to a professional, to help guide you through the challenges you have.⁣
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#kindernutrition #bodypositiveparenting #mindfulparenting #parenting #mindfulkids #haes #sizediversity #healthateverysize #ukmums #ukkids #ukparents #bodypositiveparenting #honestlypatent #kindness #funfoodforkids #feedingthefamily #mindfulparents #raisingmindfuleaters #raisingbodyconfidentkids #ukmumblogger #littlefoodie #healthykids #loveyourbody #bodykindness #kidsnutrition #nutritionist #registerednutritionist #rnutr #happykids #kidsofinstagram

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