Yep, you read that subject line right!!
Today I want to talk a little about a feeding therapist named Ellyn Satter that has a world renowned program on how to approach picky eating with toddlers. (Bear with me! There is a point to this story!)
Ellyn is a big believer in including dessert AT dinner… NOT after dinner- yes DURING dinner.
The reason for this thinking is that doing so can allow kids to think in a different way about food and not as "Fun Food" vs "Not Fun Food". Basically, showing a child that a carrot is equal to a cookie and that all foods are a part of a healthy diet.
The whole point of this is to steer children away from skimping on dinner because they think they will be receiving “fun” foods after. Also, it helps them to learn to listen to their internal cues and decide on their own if they want the sweet treat or not on their plate instead of rushing through their meal just to get to the end prize.
There is much more to this of course, but I can tell you this method absolutely WORKS.
I have used it with my son and I am amazed that he eats his carrots over a cookie majority of the time.
I am not telling you this to change the way you do meal times with your family (although I hope you do your own research and may consider this going forward)
I AM telling you this because...
When you label food “BAD” and tell yourself you “CAN’T HAVE IT”, you are like a kid that is deprived of sugar then thrown into a candy store… I know you know this feeling!
When you have this mindset, and the “fun foods” are presented to you again, your control is lost, and you are probably going to want to binge in these moments. Plus that’s ALL you are going to think about- getting those ‘fun foods’ or treating yourself! You are not building a healthy relationship in regards to how to “act” around these food products!
We are sadly in a society of "all" or "nothing" eating plans which is leading us to restrict and binge cycles. This messes our metabolism WAYYYY up!
THIS IS NOT a HEALTHY way to live.
If you LEARN how to include these “fun foods” in our nutrition plan, and moderate how much and how often you eat them, you are going to be way better off!
So if I can suggest anything, please eat the carbs and even eat the sugar!! Just LEARN what works for your lifestyle in regards to how you regulate this intake vs relying on solely willpower and restriction.
If you are sitting there thinking “This is all great info, Emily, but HOW do I control myself around sugar? Where do I start? I’m so confused and I feel like my metabolism is broken.”
I have great news! My Gray30 course will help you transform your meals, metabolism, and MINDSET to help you build a better relationship with food to get to your health and physique goals! You can check it out HERE.
Talk soon!
Emily