Mindfulness is a trait that permeates every aspect of your kid’s life, trying to improve it. Why? Because being mindful makes them appreciate what they have and savor it. It makes them live in the current moment without wondering about anything else. This helps kids get less stressed or anxious when facing obstacles or challenges.
While it is great to start with meditation to introduce kids to mindfulness, do not let the healthy trait get restricted to it. Mindfulness enhances everything it touches, be it painting, playing, or studying. Therefore, it is important to start with mindful eating to develop lifelong healthy eating habits.
How often have you asked your kids to focus on their food and eat instead of being on smart devices? The answer to this problem lies in this article. Here are some tips to inculcate mindful eating habits in kids, to teach them to savor their food.
Food provides children with energy and nourishment. That is its primary purpose. But when children do not enjoy or notice the food they eat, so does their body. For example, your child loves to eat while engrossed in watching a cartoon show. This ensures your child has little connection with the food they eat, barely remembering and gulping it.
As a result, their body also forgets to focus on extracting every bit of nourishment from it, resulting in a dearth of required nutrients and poor health. Food is always absorbed and digested better when eaten with attention and appreciation. Also, savoring and being mindful of the food kids eat offers a number of benefits to kids. Read on to find them out and introduce your kids to mindful eating.
Let your kids serve themselves during meal times. While it may be easier or less messy to do it yourself, it will teach them valuable lessons on serving food. It will also give them the chance to choose and eat food without wasting it. Make it a rule not to waste food that has been served on plates to ensure they eat what they take.
Teach kids to recognize hunger cues as well as signs that they are full. This can only occur when kids focus on their food and eat mindfully. Often, kids confuse cravings with hunger and bloating with satiation. This can lead to random cravings or binge eating later. It is ideal to guide them into focusing and identifying them. Make your kid drink some water when they express hunger. If the feeling persists after that, then offer snacks or serve the meal. Similarly, ask kids to chew well and eat slowly, as the brain gives a proper signal when the body is done eating.
It is great if your child asks for seconds, if not, ask them to wait awhile, for a few minutes or so, before serving themselves. This is to ensure your child’s brain gets ample time to send the signal of satiation. If your child is still willing for a serving after 5 to 7 minutes or so, then let them take a second serving. This will teach them portion control and encourage them not to overeat.
Encourage your kids to focus on their food while eating it. They may want to watch the tv or their phones but let them use those after meals, not during them. This is to ensure the food gets their complete attention. Every bite of food should be savored and appreciated. This automatically makes kids mindful and satisfied, inducing satiety early.
Consider television and all digital devices as a form of distraction during meals. While listening to music or talking to one another is fine, the focus should never shift from the meal to the conversation for your kids. Adults can still juggle their attention and focus on different things, but kids are still learning to focus.
Gardening inculcates a healthy appreciation of food in children. When they see how much time and effort goes into growing a single carrot or a single pumpkin, they will think twice before wasting any during meals. Also, kids are more likely to eat the food they grow, even if it is a vegetable. So, allow them a spot in the garden and introduce them to maintaining a herb garden. This will strengthen their relationship with food while developing mindful eating habits.
Eating mindfully takes practice and commitment. It does not happen in a day, like Rome. It takes daily practice and lots of patience to develop mindful eating habits in kids and savor every bite of food. But it is never too late to start making a difference. So give this guide a try now and watch your kid’s relationship with food bloom.
References
https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/7-ways-to-teach-your-child-mindful-eating
https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/activity/mindful-eating/