Click Here To Get Started Activity 8: Promote Eating for Appetite by Learning the Facts There are many ideas and beliefs about food, eating, feeding, and our bodies that are well accepted in our community. It can be tricky to guide your children with their eating patterns when there is so much confusing and sometimes contradictory information available. Children can vary enormously in their nutritional needs, habits, patterns, and appetite, so an important aspect of your child’s eating patterns is developing an understanding of their unique, individual, and perhaps fluctuating appetite. Research tells us that most difficulties with weight and eating patterns arise when children ignore their natural appetite signals in favour of doing what pleases others (such as finishing everything on their plate) or eating for non-hungry reasons. Your job is to provide the food you feel is appropriate at regular intervals through the day. Your child’s job is to eat how much they feel like. Click Here To Get Started

What do you think? Please select one of the following Fact or Fiction? If you let your child decide how much they will eat, they will eat too much. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Actually, it’s FICTION. Children are born with the natural ability to gauge their body’s need for food, but over time they can learn to ignore these signals. Reasons this may happen include children hearing messages about certain foods being “good” or “bad”, or being encouraged to eat more or less than their natural appetite demands. Research tells us that a child with a certain genetic background will tend to grow a certain pre-determined way regardless of any adjustments we make to their diet, such as serving more or less food. In fact the less pressure we put on children to eat, or not eat, the better children are able to tune into their internal signals of hunger and fullness and eat accordingly. Go Back Next

Correct, it’s FICTION. Children are born with the natural ability to gauge their body’s need for food, but over time they can learn to ignore these signals. Reasons this may happen include children hearing messages about certain foods being “good” or “bad”, or being encouraged to eat more or less than their natural appetite demands. Research tells us that a child with a certain genetic background will tend to grow a certain pre-determined way regardless of any adjustments we make to their diet, such as serving more or less food. In fact the less pressure we put on children to eat, or not eat, the better children are able to tune into their internal signals of hunger and fullness and eat accordingly. Go Back Next

Children need to meet their dietary needs every single day. Fact or Fiction? Children need to meet their dietary needs every single day. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Children do NOT need to meet their dietary needs every single day. Actually, it’s FICTION. Children do NOT need to meet their dietary needs every single day. Research has made it clear that one to two weeks (not a single meal or even a day) is the time frame in which our body needs to receive and absorb the range of nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development. Go Back Next

Children do NOT need to meet their dietary needs every single day. Correct, it’s FICTION. Children do NOT need to meet their dietary needs every single day. Research has made it clear that one to two weeks (not a single meal or even a day) is the time frame in which our body needs to receive and absorb the range of nutrients necessary for healthy growth and development. Go Back Next

What do you think? Please select one of the following Fact or Fiction? Offering a child dessert as an incentive to eat more of their main meal is a good thing to do if it means they’ll eat more of their main meal. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Actually, it’s FICTION. Children are amazingly intuitive at knowing how much they need to eat at any one meal. It is tempting to say “finish your meal” or “have one more carrot”, but what you’re teaching them is that they must eat more of their main meal than they may have naturally in order to please you and get dessert.  If children see dessert as a “prize” at the end of each meal, they are more likely to do what it takes to get it, which for some children may be to over-ride their natural signals and overeat. Go Back Next

Correct, it’s FICTION. Children are amazingly intuitive at knowing how much they need to eat at any one meal. It is tempting to say “finish your meal” or “have one more carrot”, but what you’re teaching them is that they must eat more of their main meal than they may have naturally in order to please you and get dessert.  If children see dessert as a “prize” at the end of each meal, they are more likely to do what it takes to get it, which for some children may be to over-ride their natural signals and overeat. Go Back Next

Children do not always have to eat at each meal time. Fact or Fiction? Children do not always have to eat at each meal time. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Children do NOT always have to eat at each meal time . Correct, it’s FACT. Children do NOT always have to eat at each meal time . It’s very normal for children to eat very little or not at all at some meals and eat a lot more at others. In fact, research investigating young children’s eating shows that even though energy intake varies greatly from meal to meal, it’s surprisingly consistent from day to day. Giving children foods that they are more willing to accept does increase the chances of them eating the meal, but may discourage them from experiencing a wider variety of foods. Go Back Next

Children do NOT always have to eat at each meal time . Actually, it’s FACT. Children do NOT always have to eat at each meal time . It’s very normal for children to eat very little or not at all at some meals and eat a lot more at others. In fact, research investigating young children’s eating shows that even though energy intake varies greatly from meal to meal, it’s surprisingly consistent from day to day. Giving children foods that they are more willing to accept does increase the chances of them eating the meal, but may discourage them from experiencing a wider variety of foods. Go Back Next

What do you think? Please select one of the following Fact or Fiction? Some children need to be exposed to new foods a number of times before they are willing to try it. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Correct, it’s FACT. Some children DO need to be exposed to new foods a number of times before they are willing to try it. For a young child learning to eat, all foods are new, even those that are very familiar to you. Depending on their personality, some children are more adventurous with food, whilst others are naturally more cautious. It generally takes children time and repeated neutral exposure to learn to like new food. Neutral exposure is about including the food in family meals, enjoying it yourself, and not applying pressure to eat it. It’s normal for children to warm up slowly to unfamiliar foods. They may have to see, watch , touch, or taste a food many times before he/she learns to like it. Even after your child learns to like a food, they won’t necessarily eat it every time it is offered. They also may not eat some of everything that is on the table, but only one or two foods. And this is ok. When introducing new foods aim to be patient and persistent, but not to pressure. Go Back Next

Actually, it’s FACT. Some children DO need to be exposed to new foods a number of times before they are willing to try it. For a young child learning to eat, all foods are new, even those that are very familiar to you. Depending on their personality, some children are more adventurous with food, whilst others are naturally more cautious. It generally takes children time and repeated neutral exposure to learn to like new food. Neutral exposure is about including the food in family meals, enjoying it yourself, and not applying pressure to eat it. It’s normal for children to warm up slowly to unfamiliar foods. They may have to see, watch , touch, or taste a food many times before he/she learns to like it. Even after your child learns to like a food, they won’t necessarily eat it every time it is offered. They also may not eat some of everything that is on the table, but only one or two foods. And this is ok. When introducing new foods aim to be patient and persistent, but not to pressure. Go Back Next

Pressuring a child to eat will help them to learn to eat well. Fact or Fiction? Pressuring a child to eat will help them to learn to eat well. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Pressuring a child to eat will NOT help them to learn to eat well. Actually, it’s FICTION. Pressuring a child to eat will NOT help them to learn to eat well. Research tells us that according to natural temperament, all children are likely to experience some degree of pickiness or fussiness around food. Trying to get a child to eat more than they want to is actually likely to make them eat less. Similarly, getting a child to eat less is likely to result in them eating more. Trying to get them to eat certain foods makes them avoid them. “Pressure” around food can come in many forms (such as bribing, rewarding, or threatening). But did you know that pressure also includes making “special foods”, talking too much about the food, playing games with the food, nagging about eating etiquette, and warnings about being hungry? Some of this can seem like good parenting (such as reminding your child to eat the vegetables) but to the child it may feel like pressure to eat more, less, or different foods than they may naturally have done on their own. Go Back Next

Pressuring a child to eat will NOT help them to learn to eat well. Correct, it’s FICTION. Pressuring a child to eat will NOT help them to learn to eat well. Research tells us that according to natural temperament, all children are likely to experience some degree of pickiness or fussiness around food. Trying to get a child to eat more than they want to is actually likely to make them eat less. Similarly, getting a child to eat less is likely to result in them eating more. Trying to get them to eat certain foods makes them avoid them. “Pressure” around food can come in many forms (such as bribing, rewarding, or threatening). But did you know that pressure also includes making “special foods”, talking too much about the food, playing games with the food, nagging about eating etiquette, and warnings about being hungry? Some of this can seem like good parenting (such as reminding your child to eat the vegetables) but to the child it may feel like pressure to eat more, less, or different foods than they may naturally have done on their own. Go Back Next

What do you think? Please select one of the following Fact or Fiction? If you get food and nutrition right, your child will never struggle with their weight or body image. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Actually, it’s FICTION. It takes much more than getting children to eat nutritious food to have them develop healthy eating patterns. While what children eat certainly matters, understanding their stage of development and how best to foster confident eating and a respect for food is also important. To be healthy, a child not only needs a balanced diet and regular physical activity but also good self esteem, resilience, and a strong sense of connection to other people and their world. One of the more common factors amongst people who experience difficulty with eating, weight, and body image (regardless of their actual weight) is not a lack of knowledge about nutritious food and eating but a difficult relationship with food. Go Back Next

Correct, it’s FICTION. It takes much more than getting children to eat nutritious food to have them develop healthy eating patterns. While what children eat certainly matters, understanding their stage of development and how best to foster confident eating and a respect for food is also important. To be healthy, a child not only needs a balanced diet and regular physical activity but also good self esteem, resilience, and a strong sense of connection to other people and their world. One of the more common factors amongst people who experience difficulty with eating, weight, and body image (regardless of their actual weight) is not a lack of knowledge about nutritious food and eating but a difficult relationship with food. Go Back Next

Lean kids are healthy kids. Fact or Fiction? Lean kids are healthy kids. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Lean kids are not necessarily always healthy kids. Actually, it’s FICTION. Lean kids are not necessarily always healthy kids. Weight, body size, or shape are not always the best indicators of health or “being healthy”, as children of a variety of shapes and sizes can experience both poor and good health. It is unnecessary (and in fact can be harmful) for children of a naturally larger size or smaller size who eat a balanced diet, participate comfortably in exercise, and who are otherwise healthy, to attempt to lose or gain weight with the belief that it will make them “healthier.” Go Back Next

Lean kids are not necessarily always healthy kids. Correct, it’s FICTION. Lean kids are not necessarily always healthy kids. Weight, body size, or shape are not always the best indicators of health or “being healthy”, as children of a variety of shapes and sizes can experience both poor and good health. It is unnecessary (and in fact can be harmful) for children of a naturally larger size or smaller size who eat a balanced diet, participate comfortably in exercise, and who are otherwise healthy, to attempt to lose or gain weight with the belief that it will make them “healthier.” Go Back Next

It’s not just the parents’ fault if a child is a picky eater. Fact or Fiction? It’s not just the parents’ fault if a child is a picky eater. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Correct, it’s FACT. Research tells us that children's eating is influenced by both genes and the environment. As such, there is only so much you can do to influence your child’s eating habits. Did you know that food neophobia (reluctance to try new foods) is not only a normal part of development (peaking from ages 2 to 6), but it is also highly genetically linked? Research has shown that all children vary greatly in their willingness to try and experiment with foods but that with consistent, gentle support, all children have the capacity to optimise their food variety. Go Back Next

Actually, it’s FACT. Research tells us that children's eating is influenced by both genes and the environment. As such, there is only so much you can do to influence your child’s eating habits. Did you know that food neophobia (reluctance to try new foods) is not only a normal part of development (peaking from ages 2 to 6), but it is also highly genetically linked? Research has shown that all children vary greatly in their willingness to try and experiment with foods but that with consistent, gentle support, all children have the capacity to optimise their food variety. Go Back Next

Children of a similar age can vary in their energy and dietary needs. Fact or Fiction? Children of a similar age can vary in their energy and dietary needs. What do you think? Please select one of the following FACT FICTION Go Back

Children of a similar age CAN vary in their energy and dietary needs. Correct, it’s FACT. Children of a similar age CAN vary in their energy and dietary needs. Children can vary enormously in their energy needs, and even the same child can vary from day to day! Research tells us that a child’s total energy intake is remarkably similar each day despite them seeming irregular at times. Attending to the unique needs of each child can help you provide the amount and variety of foods they need to be at their best. Go Back Next

Children of a similar age CAN vary in their energy and dietary needs. Actually, it’s FACT. Children of a similar age CAN vary in their energy and dietary needs. Children can vary enormously in their energy needs, and even the same child can vary from day to day! Research tells us that a child’s total energy intake is remarkably similar each day despite them seeming irregular at times. Attending to the unique needs of each child can help you provide the amount and variety of foods they need to be at their best. Go Back Next

Your child is the best judge of their appetite Summary: Your child is the best judge of their appetite Encouraging and helping your child pay attention to, and showing respect for, their natural appetite signals is a wonderful way you can support your child to have a positive and healthy relationship with food and eating. With gentle and consistent support and good role modelling, children can grow up feeling confident in their ability to eat and choose foods according to what their body needs at any one time. Next

You have reached the end of this activity! Thank you for completing this activity. We hope this helped you understand a bit more about the different factors to consider when feeding your child, how you can become in tune with your child’s natural and fluctuating appetite and, over time, how you can encourage your child to become aware of their own natural signals of hunger and fullness, and eat accordingly. If you would like a printable copy of this activity please refer back to our website. Go Back to the Start