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Respect Different Appetites.
Teenagers and young adults have different appetites than adults. They may need to eat more frequently to keep up with the demands for growth and development. It is important to trust your child's own ability to self-regulate their food intake. Avoid telling or bribing your child to eat more and/or to stop eating when you think they should. Instead, provide a variety of food items from fruit to dessert and everything in between to accommodate a changing appetite and growing child but allow them to decide whether they want to eat it and how much they want to eat.
The Importance of Family Meals.
It has been documented that kids who eat regular meals with their family consume more nutrients, perform better in school, and are less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol. While it is quite a challenge in today's society to have regular meals, they do help foster lasting, positive eating habits. Even a few meals a week--say breakfast on the weekends and dinner a few nights during the week can make a big difference. Turn off phones, computers, and TV during mealtime and enjoy the special bonding time with your family.
Involve your Children in Food Preparation.
Too many kids have not learned proper food preparation skills. This can be problematic in the future as adults when they have to live on their own and are unable to prepare meals for themselves. Often times this leads to a high reliance on convenience items and poor eating habits. It is never too early to start having your child help you in the kitchen. Setting the table, selecting produce, stirring food, or adding items to dishes are all important cooking skills that need to be taught.
See this article on kids in the kitchen.
Be a Role Model.
Whether you like it or not, parents have the most influence on a child's eating habits is their parents. To raise a healthy eater you must be a healthy eater yourself. This means trusting your own body's ability to regulate food intake, eating a variety of foods, and avoiding classifying food as "good" or "bad". Foster a healthy body image in your child by modeling a healthy relationship with your own body. This includes avoiding diet talk or making negative statements about your own body or those of others.
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Ellyn Satter's website has more information on how to encourage healthy eating in infants and toddlers.
