Parents’ eating behaviors shape children’s relationships with food

Young children consider their parents to be their greatest role models. They seek their parents’ approval and want to be like them in as many ways as possible. They notice when their parents are there and when they are not. The importance of parental behavior cannot be overstated because children pay attention to more things than we imagine or value them.

Through decades of research, we have learned about the importance of parental presence and various issues. attachment Styled by mental health professionals and research psychologists. Recently many child rearing-Central publications tend to have a little more urgency woven throughout.

We know that being physically and emotionally present for our children is important. in Hold your kids tight: why parents need to be more important than friendsDr. Gabor Maté has written extensively about the importance of parental influence on children’s behavior, health, and sense of safety. Erica Komisar, LCSW, talks about the importance of mothers staying home with their children during early childhood. Being there: Why it’s important to prioritize motherhood in the first three years. Her therapeutic experience and review of the research literature show that the mother’s presence allows the child to develop a more secure attachment, which helps the child become more emotionally resilient. resilientand healthy.

Parents’ relationship with food influences their children

At a more detailed level, diet, sleepingand movement forms patterns and habits that emerge among children. new the study Research by a team of British behavioral scientists suggests a direct and significant link between parents’ interactions with food and their children’s eating habits.

Source: Angela Mulligan/Unsplash

In the study, parents were evaluated and categorized into four different types of dietary relationships. typical diet, enthusiastic diet, emotional eatingand avoid eating. Parents then provided information about their child’s eating behavior between ages 3 and 6.

Approximately 40% of parents were typical binge eaters, with no severe or intense food-related behaviors. Committed eaters (approximately 37%) were parents whose eating decisions were heavily influenced by parental cues. environment Their emotions, not their own hunger cues. They scored low on satiety responsiveness and slow eating. Almost 16% of parents were emotional eaters, meaning they ate in response to their emotions. emotion They were more likely to experience emotional overeating than any other cue. The remaining parents (6%) were avoidant eaters who did not enjoy food as much as the other parents and were picky about their food choices.

Children tended to develop similar eating relationships with their parents. Similarities in eating-related styles were particularly pronounced for those with enthusiastic or avoidant eating behaviors.

Parents with passionate or emotional eating relationships were more likely to use food to: emotional regulation more than parents with typical eating behaviors, which correlates with children also having passionate or emotional eating relationships.

These parents were also less likely to create a healthy, positive eating environment at home. Children were more likely to avoid food if the food environment was unhealthy.

Changes in the relationship between food and emotions

Parental behavior can shape children’s behavior in all aspects of life, including food choices and various eating behaviors. The results from these data analyzes provide insight into the tightly coupled nature of the parent-child feeding relationship, particularly with regard to emotional regulation. Currently, CDC data shows that 20% of youth ages 12 to 18 have type 2 diabetes. Behavior can change at any point in life, but it’s arguably easier to head into adulthood with the healthy eating behaviors established in the 19th century. childhoodrather than reconfiguring those habits as an adult. Given the strong impact this research suggests that parents’ relationships with food have on their children, perhaps continued work in this area would be helpful in helping parents develop healthier relationships with food, first for themselves. It can serve as a springboard for building for the child and, in turn, for the child.

Suggestions for changing the relationship with food at home with children

• Establish a source of comfort that isn’t food related.
• Celebrate accomplishments with fun activities and experiences instead of sweets.
• Keep healthy foods available at home on a regular basis.
• Involve children in the cooking and baking process.
• Eat meals at regular times or on a schedule that is predictable for your child.