Last week I had the opportunity to visit a local elementary school. I had a blast with kiddos from Kindergarten through 5th grade. At the end of each of my sessions I asked the kids if they had any food or nutrition related questions. Some of the questions were fun—“what’s your favorite food?” and “why did you become a dietitian?” But one of the questions gave me pause (and quite frankly made my heart sink). A really young girl asked me “if you really like a ‘Bad food’, how can you eat that food and still stay on your Diet of ‘Good foods’ to meet your goals?” Oh dear.

Dieting?

Her question made me stop in my tracks and wonder where this was coming from. And was she really on a “Diet” or maybe someone at home is Dieting? This little girl is at a very literal developmental stage and has clearly had someone use some Dieting talk around her.

This is why I steer clear of “Good foods”, “Bad foods”, “Healthy foods”, “Junk foods”, “Garbage” and the like. Nutrition is nuanced and using these terms means that kids are getting some real black and white information about a topic that is pretty complicated.

All Foods Fit

I like to tell kids that I’m an “All Foods Fits” kind of dietitian. That means that we can eat all foods and don’t need to fear “junk/garbage/bad” foods. I always follow this statement up with “Some foods bring more nutrition and some foods bring more fun. That’s why we need balance & a wide variety of foods that we eat”.

Adults mean well when they share information about different types of foods. They want to pass knowledge to kids so that they can grow and develop to their potential. I get it–we want our kids to be their best. BUT I would encourage adults to be careful about the language they use.

What if teachers tell a kid that he can’t have the PopTart that his parent packed in his lunch because it’s not a “healthy” snack. What if that’s the only food that was available at home? What if that’s the one of the only food that he eats? What if we withhold all the Halloween candy and require kids to eat their veggies first? This can cause some kids to start sneaking candy and other forbidden foods.

Food is food. Let’s be a bit more neutral about it.

What was my answer?

So, how did I answer the question about liking “bad” foods but wanting to stay on track for a diet? I took a deep breath and reiterated my point about balance and eating a wide variety of foods. It was simply too tough of a question to untangle on the spot & in front of 50 kids!

I’m hopeful that all the kiddos I spoke with learned a little bit about food in a fun but neutral way. Want some help talking about food at your house? Reach out any time–I’m here to help.

Snack Idea:

Oranges are still in season, so try this idea: Mix orange sections, sliced strawberries, mango cubes and sprinkle with a bit of chili powder, a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of honey.

Reach out at Karen@CoastalFamilyNutrition.com or call the office at 603-674-2479.

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!