Stop hiding sweets from kids
Restrictive feeding is when a specific food, food group or caloric intake is intentionally limited in quantity or access in order to achieve a health goal. For children, particularly preschoolers, scientists have found that this approach may be counterproductive and may cause more harm to the child.
Preschoolers aged between 3-5 years are in a critical period of their development. At this time, they learn to be more independent, make their own choices, have preferences and improve their communication. At the same time, they are acutely aware of their food environment and they begin to shape their attitude towards food. Experts believe this is the perfect time to guide them towards good dietary practices, especially limiting the amount of sugary foods, teaching them table manners and determining food frequency.
While poor feeding habits have been largely blamed for childhood obesity, restrictive feeding does not receive as much attention as it should.
According to a study published in Appetite, restricting children from certain foods caused the children to consume higher quantities of that food. The study noted that behavioral responses like protests, comments, requests or tantrums doubled, also likely interfering with their ability to respond to hunger and fullness cues, causing them to heavily overeat restricted foods in the absence of hunger.
Physically keeping food out of reach is a form of negative parental control which may heighten the child's attention and craving, also impeding their ability to build self-regulation. A study published in an Oxford Academic journal confirmed that restricting what to eat in general is less productive and sustainable in the long run because it heightens cognitive tracking of the food. Not only do restrictive feeding practices lead to overeating, they may also be implicated in eating disorders later in life. A study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders claims that feeding restrictions at a younger age lead to symptoms of eating disorders in adolescents such as compensatory behaviors (e.g., fasting, purging), binge-eating, restrained eating, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating.
For most parents, restrictive feeding may be stressful by itself. Parents should prioritize when the food is eaten instead of cutting it out all together. It may also be helpful to explain why certain foods are healthier than others, so children start to understand the reasoning behind food choices rather than simply experiencing them as rules to follow. Also, there is no one method for every child. The Appetite study recommends that the child's temperament, traits and preferences should be considered in developing unique ways to encourage healthy eating. Ultimately, the goal isn't to eliminate certain foods altogether, but to help children build a balanced, lasting relationship with food, one guided by understanding rather than restriction.
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