Comments on: Putting Food in Perspective: Strategies to Prevent Food Issues

By: Creating a Happy, Healthy Relationship Between Your Toddler and Food — PhD in Parenting

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:52:49 +0000

[...] Cooking Manager. A couple of years ago, she wrote a post on preventing food issues, which detailed her mother’s approach to feeding their family. She followed it up with a second post, answering a reader’s questions, on feeding picky [...]

By: Orthodox Girls and Eating Disorders | A Mother in Israel

Orthodox Girls and Eating Disorders | A Mother in Israel — Fri, 28 May 2010 03:57:41 +0000

[...] Putting Food in Perspective (at Cooking [...]

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:57:02 +0000

HI Lori,
I saw the comment, but apparently forgot to approve it. I approve all first-time commenters. Thanks for the compliment–I needed it today, and I’m glad to see you’re back to blogging regularly.

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:44:37 +0000

I left my first comment on this blog (which is terrific, by the way!) under the post about serving on individual plates (we do that in our house)- it seems to have disappeared.

Anyway, we try to have a healthy attitude about food around here. Most of your strategies are similar to what we do (though we do discuss food at the table). Basically, we’re pretty casual. We don’t constantly preach to the kids about eating healthy or force them to clean their plates. They get fed a healthy diet most of the time, with some junk thrown in here and there.

I agree with the point about kids helping with meal preparation- my boys love doing that stuff.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:18:44 +0000

I removed the part about food disorders. It was going too far. Still thinking about the second. Do you have trouble seeing comments? Katherine does.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:34:50 +0000

Leora wrote: “Food is just the symptom in an eating disorder.” Like I mentioned, there are probably many factors. It could be that the repressed feelings will come out in some other negative way–just not through an eating disorder.
“What’s the big deal? We love talking about food.”
I want to think more about your comment. Perhaps is all a matter of degree.

By: Leora

Leora — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:24:03 +0000

I’m not a social worker or psychologist, but in my limited understanding food is just the symptom in an eating disorder. The underlying feelings of the child being repressed and not allowed healthy expression seems to be more of the root cause of an eating disorder.

That said, not forcing food seems like a key ingredient. On the other hand, talking about food was a huge part of table talk both in my childhood home and now. What’s the big deal? We love talking about food.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:56:22 +0000

Hi Katherine,
I think the societal/cultural component is very strong. Parents can only do so much, we are exposed to so much advertising and messages encouraging us to overeat.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:49:15 +0000

gosh, this is such a tricky one. my kid is only a year old and I already see how much it annoys me when he doesn’t eat. I’m learning to not show I’m annoyed, and to just find him something else he will eat, and to let it go if he won’t. It’s difficult – I left home and put on ten kilos – and we were fed a healthy diet at home with very few sweets. I just never learned how to eat healthily, and not over do it, even though I ate properly at home.