Level Up your Food Love Quotient to Impact your Families Relationship with Food

Our relationships with food first start at home. Setting our little ones up for happier interactions with food starts with modelling that as parents. Food is a basic need and learning to recognize that eating should not be a source of shame, guilt or fear is so integral to fostering a health and wellness. This mindset will help them approach food and their bodies more positively and help them navigate their interactions with diet culture in the future.

1) Slow down and enjoy meal times– it seems like this should be a no brainer but yet, we are often so busy that we don’t take the time to eat. Rushing through meals, distracted and stressed to get everything done, taking time to eat in a slow and relaxed fashion often does not take a precedent. If you saw my video on my social media @thebodypositiveparent on a Instagram or @jjmintuitiveeatande exercise on Facebook, savouring food takes time but is so much more pleasure filled. It is an act of self care to It might not be possible to slow down and be fully present in ALL of your meals but make it a priority to try more often than not.

2) Eat without distractions as often as possible- screens fill our lives almost all of the day. There is always an email, notification or text to respond to. Imagine if we could try and be more present at meal times and take that as time for ourselves to breathe and relax in all the busy? I know it’s difficult, but we don’t always need to be plugged in and “on”. Try and move away from the TV or phone and focus on the flavours on your plate. Connect with your family during this time- it’s often the time we have that’s most uninterrupted for family bonding.

3) Eat food you enjoy- again this seems like a no brainer but so much of our world makes us feel like we “should” be eating, doing or being something else. There’s always a “better” way to do things and eating is no exception. This makes us feel lost and confused around food and often we don’t even know what we like (add in the fact that we aren’t focusing on our food when we eat-see above- and it’s even more complicated!). I am not a picky eater as I enjoy a wide range of foods but I am extremely discerning about the food I put into my mouth. I was at a party this weekend and donuts were offered as a dessert. I don’t like donuts and just because they are free, I didn’t eat them. I came home and enjoyed a piece of chocolate later that night because I prefer it. The more often we choose food we love, the more likely we are to enjoy it and therefore feel more satisfied with our food. Take the time to explore what you like and don’t like and start including more of what you and your family enjoys in meals.

4) Switch it up- variety is the spice of life and it can be hard to enjoy food if you are always having the same thing. In my dieting days, I had a list of “safe foods” that I felt comfortable eating. I ate them on repeat and ate them on autopilot without enjoying the the flavour palate. I know that it’s difficult to get creative when time pressed as a busy parent. It can be as simple as varying the type of pasta you buy, choosing a different sauce, adding a new topping to a salad or oatmeal. These changes keep food interesting and more enjoyable to eat.

5) Include the family in the menu and prep- I know it’s more efficient for one person to do the menu planning, grocery shopping and prep. Especially if you have small children, it can be hard to have them join you in some of these endeavours when you have so much to do. Think about how much more fun food can be though when they play a role in the process? Remember that it doesn’t have to be all the time but allowing them to enjoy and be a part of the action, they feel empowered around food.

6) Have fun with food- lastly, food is such a big part of our lives. It is used to celebrate so many occasions and can bring so much joy to our world. We can be so militant and serious when it comes to food and this rubs off on our children. I see so many battles over food between parents and children that might be avoided if we made eating an experience rather than a struggle. Why not include a dessert on a dinner plate every once and a while rather than a reward for eating our vegetables? Why not make fun shapes in our food or experiment with using food in weird and exciting ways like as a finger paint at art time (yogurt paint for example)? Create an ambience at the dinner table that makes kids and parents alike want to be there- add a table cloth you can draw on at home for a fun restaurant like feel or some music you can sing along with and enjoy.

As with anything, these suggestions are meant to be approached with progress in mind and not perfection. It won’t always be possible to implement them 100% of the time. In fact, what fun would be had if we couldn’t eat a bowl of popcorn during a movie if eating without distractions became our golden rule? Grace, love and kindness with ourselves and our families is so important when making any changes in our lives.

Also, note that I did not say that this way was “better”. How you do things might be different and working for you. That’s great! I said in my title that it might impact your family not improve it. I don’t work in inciting fear in you to make changes in your life. That’s not what my coaching practice is all about. It’s simply about trying something different and perhaps making a positive impact in your enjoyment of food that may plant the seeds for a happier relationship with food for all involved. Happy experimenting!

I’m always here if you want to reach out further or want to access more extensive coaching to help. Send me an email at thebodypositiveparent@gmail.com or leave me a comment below.

Much love xoxo Jen