How to Avoid Raising an Emotional Eater
Eat meals at the dinner table away from sources of entertainment., Appreciate the food., Put the fork down between bites., Check for hunger before eating., Know how to identify emotional eating., Monitor your child's eating habits.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Eat meals at the dinner table away from sources of entertainment.
When kids eat meals in front of the television or iPad, they are detached from the nourishment itself.
Eating becomes something that is associated with entertainment instead and your child has no idea how much they are eating.
Stop this habit and enjoy meals together at the table.
Have polite conversation or listen to classical music while you eat.
Avoid snacking while watching TV, too.
Aim to have all meals at the table without any source of entertainment present so they can tune into their bodies.Avoid providing snacks throughout the day.
You may want to limit all forms of eating to specific times of day and only at a kitchen table. -
Step 2: Appreciate the food.
Before your family digs in at the dinner table, have everyone pause for a moment to appreciate the food being served.
You might walk them through this process a few times at first.
Then, do the exercise silently.
Think about where the food came from.
The distance it had to travel to make it to your plate.
Send out some gratitude to all the people involved in providing the meal before you (e.g. the farmers, the workers, the grocers, the cook, etc.) Spend some time admiring the many colors, textures, and smells associated with each meal.
Activate your five senses to truly connect with the food in front of you., Kids may shove down food without thinking if parents don’t put appropriate practices in place.
Encourage mindful eating by recommending that everyone return their forks to their plates after taking a bite.
Take small bites.
Chew each mouthful at least 20 times before swallowing., Instruct them to listen to their bodies.
Kids should sit down to eat when they are actually hungry—not simply because others are eating or it’s a mealtime.
Have them perform a hunger test.
For instance, if they are truly hungry, a real, whole food item should do the trick (i.e. meat and vegetables).
If the hunger is for a specific junk food item, it may be emotional hunger, not physical hunger.To keep your kids on an appropriate eating schedule, limit excessive snacking between meals.
Have them eat something approximately every 3 to 4 hours, but let them use their bodies as a guide.
Sugar can be extremely addictive.If your child frequently craves sugar, you may want to wean them off of sugary foods.
You may want to contact a therapist or doctor for help. , Emotional hunger typically arrives as a psychological craving in the head and doesn’t match hunger felt by a twinge in the stomach that develops between meals.
Also, this type of hunger often appears due to situational cues like when you're in a high-stress environment, when you're facing a challenging problem, or when you're bored.Take time to investigate the causes behind your hunger before giving in to emotional cravings.
If you recognize that situational factors are influencing your hunger, find adaptive ways to cope like exercising or calling a friend. , When your child starts looking for snacks, you should write down what their behavior or emotional state is at the time.
You may find a behavioural pattern that causes them to seek comfort in food.
If you can alter this pattern, you may be able to reduce the habit of eating emotionally.
For example, if you notice that your child wants to eat every time they are doing stressful homework, then you can take steps to teach them how to cope with stress at school. -
Step 3: Put the fork down between bites.
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Step 4: Check for hunger before eating.
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Step 5: Know how to identify emotional eating.
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Step 6: Monitor your child's eating habits.
Detailed Guide
When kids eat meals in front of the television or iPad, they are detached from the nourishment itself.
Eating becomes something that is associated with entertainment instead and your child has no idea how much they are eating.
Stop this habit and enjoy meals together at the table.
Have polite conversation or listen to classical music while you eat.
Avoid snacking while watching TV, too.
Aim to have all meals at the table without any source of entertainment present so they can tune into their bodies.Avoid providing snacks throughout the day.
You may want to limit all forms of eating to specific times of day and only at a kitchen table.
Before your family digs in at the dinner table, have everyone pause for a moment to appreciate the food being served.
You might walk them through this process a few times at first.
Then, do the exercise silently.
Think about where the food came from.
The distance it had to travel to make it to your plate.
Send out some gratitude to all the people involved in providing the meal before you (e.g. the farmers, the workers, the grocers, the cook, etc.) Spend some time admiring the many colors, textures, and smells associated with each meal.
Activate your five senses to truly connect with the food in front of you., Kids may shove down food without thinking if parents don’t put appropriate practices in place.
Encourage mindful eating by recommending that everyone return their forks to their plates after taking a bite.
Take small bites.
Chew each mouthful at least 20 times before swallowing., Instruct them to listen to their bodies.
Kids should sit down to eat when they are actually hungry—not simply because others are eating or it’s a mealtime.
Have them perform a hunger test.
For instance, if they are truly hungry, a real, whole food item should do the trick (i.e. meat and vegetables).
If the hunger is for a specific junk food item, it may be emotional hunger, not physical hunger.To keep your kids on an appropriate eating schedule, limit excessive snacking between meals.
Have them eat something approximately every 3 to 4 hours, but let them use their bodies as a guide.
Sugar can be extremely addictive.If your child frequently craves sugar, you may want to wean them off of sugary foods.
You may want to contact a therapist or doctor for help. , Emotional hunger typically arrives as a psychological craving in the head and doesn’t match hunger felt by a twinge in the stomach that develops between meals.
Also, this type of hunger often appears due to situational cues like when you're in a high-stress environment, when you're facing a challenging problem, or when you're bored.Take time to investigate the causes behind your hunger before giving in to emotional cravings.
If you recognize that situational factors are influencing your hunger, find adaptive ways to cope like exercising or calling a friend. , When your child starts looking for snacks, you should write down what their behavior or emotional state is at the time.
You may find a behavioural pattern that causes them to seek comfort in food.
If you can alter this pattern, you may be able to reduce the habit of eating emotionally.
For example, if you notice that your child wants to eat every time they are doing stressful homework, then you can take steps to teach them how to cope with stress at school.
About the Author
Diana Sanders
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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