1. Time to Eat!
Strategies to Create Fun and Healthy Eating
Habits for Children
Camille DeYoung
November 2, 2013

2. Loving Food from an Early
Age
Liam (almost 3 years old)
Mikal (7 months old)

3. The Secret to Feeding a Healthy
Family is . . .
. . . to love good food, trust yourself,
and share that love and trust with your
child. When joy goes out of eating,
nutrition suffers.
Ellyn Satter

4. Self-Regulation
• We are born knowing how to selfregulate
• Focus on how your child feeds, and
how she or he behaves at mealtime,
and try

5. Joy with Food &Quality
Mealtime
• Give her experience with a
variety of food.
• Let her eat as little or as much
as she wants (within reason).
• Show her how to behave at the
table - and how not to.

6. Your child is a “competent” eater
when he or she. . .
• Feels good about eating.
• Enjoys meals and behaves nicely at
mealtime.
• Picks and chooses from food you make
available.
• Eats as much or as little as he or she
needs.

7. Dividing the Responsibilities
Parents Decide (Control)
• WHAT
• WHERE
• WHEN

8. Dividing the Responsibilities
Children Decide (Control)
• IF THEY WILL EAT
• HOW MUCH

9. Parents as Role Models
• Food-related activities together
– Everyone tries new foods—parents
model how
– Farmers markets and grocery store
adventures!
– Pumpkin patch and seasonal
excursions

10. Eating as a Family Activity
• Family Meals
–Involvement in preparation of
the meal
–Setting the table together
–Theme nights

11. Mealtime as an Experience
•
•
•
•
Planning ahead
Sitting down together
Focusing on one another
Exploring & describing how food
tastes

12. Some Thoughts on Snacks
&Sweets . . .
• Food is never a reward or a
punishment
• Sitting to snack
• Snack, especially for the older child,
is his or her time to have control
• “Forbidden Foods” and “Dessert”

13. Groups/Breakout & Roundtable
Discussion
• Ideas of what works well for your
family
• What challenges do you face?
• What solutions do you have for
the struggles that arise with food
& your child or children?

14. Handouts & Further
Exploration
• Healthy Snack Suggestions (handout)
• Breakfast & Snack Ideas (handout)
• Recipes (handout)
– Popeye’s Secret NW Smoothie
– Easy Tzatziki
– White Bean Ranch Dip or Dressing
• Ellyn Satter website:
www.ellynsatterinstitute.org