Each month, this series introduces fun and impactful healthy habits to help families with kids and teens prioritize physical, mental and spiritual well being – fostering a lifestyle of shared growth and lifelong wellness. Healthy habits built together are the ones that last a lifetime.

What if we could flip the script about food for our children? 

In a culture that often promotes diet fads laced with poor nutrition, it’s no surprise that many adults struggle to have a healthy, balanced relationship with food. For many, intuitive and mindful eating is something they only discover later in life, often through therapy or after years of trying to escape unhealthy habits.

Today’s parents and guardians are approaching eating with more mindfulness than ever with a desire to help their children grow into confident, intuitive eaters who feel empowered rather than confused at mealtime.

Nurturing the Norm of Mindful Eating is Crucial 

How we approach food in our daily lives has a substantial impact on how our kids view what and how much they eat. A Cambridge University study shared that research consistently shows that children who are raised with a balanced, non-restrictive approach to food have healthier eating habits in adulthood. They are less likely to engage in disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating, emotional eating or restrictive dieting.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Additionally, the CDC reports that nearly one in five children in the US is affected by obesity. Meanwhile, body dissatisfaction starts as early as age six with many children already expressing concerns about their body size or shape.

Here are three principles to embrace as you raise intuitive eaters: 

#1 Teach Food Neutrality

Instead of labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” teach your children that all foods serve different purposes. Prioritize your vocabulary around food to be surrounding the nutrition benefits of food like providing energy, helping growth and staying full longer. Vegetables aren’t inherently “good” while ice cream is “bad” – different foods hold different roles within our diet. 

Model this mindset in how you choose to speak about food. Try to replace phrases you’ve probably grown up hearing like “I was bad today” due to eating sweets with “I’m choosing this ____ because it sounds delicious right now” or “I’m in the mood for something fresh and energizing.” This helps eliminate shame or guilt around specific foods and instead gain an understanding of how to fuel their body.

#2 Tune Into Hunger Cues 

Learning how to understand what your body is telling you is a key factor to becoming an intuitive and healthy eater. Helpful prompts can help children identify what hunger truly feels like. Try asking questions like “Is your tummy saying it’s hungry?” or “Is your body telling you it’s ready for lunch?” 

Help build trust in themselves and their bodies by allowing kids to choose how much to eat or when. Concentrate on honoring your child’s hunger cues and fullness cues by not focusing on if their plate is “empty” and more on their ability to determine if they are satisfied. 

#3 Create a Mealtime Environment

Distracted eating is one of the root causes of unhealthy habits around nutrition. Mealtimes as children should feel enjoyable and relaxed. It’s proven that kids who experience positive mealtimes rather than stressful ones develop healthier relationships with eating. Try to set similar mealtime routines thinking about the time of day meals and snacks will take place as well as what kind of environment you want to build.

Not every eating experience will have the same level of control, but the majority of their mealtimes will give them the foundation in which they will build upon. Do your meals start with a prayer or reflective question? Do you eliminate distractions like screens or sounds? Is there ample time to eat their meal and listen to their own fullness cues? 

Creating Practices That Last a Lifetime

Mindful and intuitive eating isn’t a childhood or adolescent habit – it’s a lifelong skill. When you take intentional time to nurture the mindset around food and nutrition in your child, you help them become confident in their food choices, in tune with their own body and resilient against negative diet culture.

Ultimately, you are creating adults who know how to listen to their needs and truly care for themselves.