Thanksgiving is a holiday centered around food, so it’s no surprise there is A LOT of food talk going on this week. Being an adolescent and young adult eating disorder dietitian for over 10 years has given me a lot understanding how adult’s food talk can shape a child’s thoughts and beliefs about food and their bodies starting at a very young age. You may not think your little one is listening or understanding what’s being said, but they are sponges and taking in everything they see their parents (and other adults) doing.
This time of year can bring up negative food talk related to calories, weight gain, overeating, etc. Do any of these phrases sound familair?
“I’ve eaten so much I probably gained 10 pounds”
“I can’t eat that, it’s not on my diet”
“I am so bad for eating xyz”
“That food is fattening”
Quinn is at the age where she is always listening to us talk and is understanding more and more of what we are saying. It’s made me more mindful of how I’m talking about everything in our household, but especially food and my body. We can really help kids build a positive relationship with food and their bodies by being good role models.
Kids do not think about food in terms of health at this young age. If kids hear us talking about food negatively or labeling food as “good” or “bad” that can stick with them for a lifetime. It might initially not cause any harm, but overtime it could lead to them feeling guilty or bad for eating those foods, sneaking those foods, negative body thoughts, etc.
Unfortunately, I’ve worked with so many patients that received diet culture messages starting at a young age and it significantly impacted their relationship with food. If this is something you struggle with, then I encourage you to change the way you talk about food in front of kids.
Here are a few ideas of postive food talk to try at mealtimes:
“I’m so glad we can enjoy this meal together”
“My tummy is telling me I’m hungry/full, what does yours say?”
“I have a lot of bright colors on my plate, what about you?”
“What do you like/dislike about the food?”
“I’m glad I can feed my body to give me energy to play with you”
I hope this helpful in giving you some awareness and tips in how to talk to your kids about food.
Happy Thankgiving!
xx, A
