December and Christmas are full of sweets and chocolate so here are some suggestions for helping our kids (and ourselves) to not overdo the sugar rush or sweets at this time of year. Because who can resist Quality Street when they’re in a bowl in front of you while you’re watching a Christmas movie?
Sugar is at the top of the list of foods to avoid in virtually every health article you read. With high sugar intake being indicated in health issues such as Diabetes Type 2, obesity and behavioural issues it may seem logical that we should ban all sugar from our kids’ diets but that is not practical. So in a world where we have easy access to sugar (and kids get exposure at school, parties, playdates, etc) so we need to come up with different strategies.
Deprivation can present challenges down the road if a child feels they have restricted access to certain foods (like sweets). That then backfires when they have the freedom to make their own food choices as restriction can fuel picky or binge eating, eating disorders, emotional eating and obesity.
Setting up a healthy relationship with food starts now; even at Christmas. So let them have a feast - pick a few days or occasions where you let the kids enjoy the sweets and food without strict limits. Often when we stop saying no they eat less than you expect. And it helps them from obsessing over them and sneaking it later; who wants a constant battle at Christmas?
Any sweets I really don’t like us to eat such as Skittles I just dispose of – they are too full of colours and fake sugars and really don’t taste that nice so why keep them?
Some sweets end up in the car – mints are particularly good for helping with car sickness.
I might surprise Sofia by offering a chocolate bar as pudding or when she doesn’t expect it as it can remove some of the mystery and excitement. Or I might to put a small bowl on the table for us to eat while watching a movie.
The I put the rest in a tin – I know sweets look great in a big bowl or glass jars but out of sight is more likely to stay out of mind.
Research shows that when we take the time to taste our food, we eat less. So I’m trying to teach Sofia to savour her food at meals, and so with eating sweets and “treats”.
You can try and ask your kids what colour or flavour of gummy or chocolate they are eating? What is tastes like and how long they can keep it in their mouth before swallowing? These questions can help kids to slow down their intake of food and they are more likely to chew well and be satiated by it.
Food shouldn’t have power and trying to limit or restrict our kids’ candy can sometimes backfire. When we forbid treats or make them “off-limits,” it can give them way more power than they deserve. Kids may even try to hoard as much as possible when given the opportunity, simply because it’s restricted at home. It’s about building a balanced mindset around all foods, so they grow up without the burden of food guilt. And sweets can be part of a healthy balanced way of eating.
You’ve may have heard about the “Switch Witch”— the idea of trading Halloween candy for a toy or a fun experience. Experts in the feeding space suggest that the Switch Witch can imply control and restriction, which doesn’t teach kids how to manage treats on their own in the long term.
So it’s beneficial to keep sweets around because it helps our kids learn how to behave around food that is so easy to overeat and seeing us parents eating them and managing our intake in a healthy way influences their behaviour. A child who learns to enjoy treats in a balanced way is less likely to feel shame or guilt around these foods as they grow older.
And my last piece of advice is to try and make sure everyone gets enough sleep as we crave sweet foods more when we’re tired for the boost to our energy levels so make sure to take time to rest.
Enjoy your weekend
Nicola xx
Comments