It's Not a Kid's Job to Manage Their Nutrient Intake

I recently came across a post on Instagram that suggested kids should be educated about the “harmful” effects of sugar by teaching them to count sugar grams and spoon out sugar amounts in corresponding snacks for a shocking visual effect and a subsequent discussion about long term health. I couldn’t 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 with this idea more!!! ⠀
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First of all, kids are not in charge of the food purchased for a home or school so we can’t expect them to do anything other than eat what’s available to them. Expecting kids to understand the complexities and nuances surrounding nutritional needs is at minimum unrealistic, but more importantly, irresponsible. I have lost count of the kids in my office telling me that their poor relationship with food began with a health class with good intentions but poor outcomes. ⠀
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Kids have more important things to do, like enjoy the freedoms of childhood! Teaching kids about the specific minutiae of nutrients is a recipe for disorder and sucks the joy right out of eating. How can we expect to feel good about eating a cookie when we’ve just been told it has more than the recommended amount of sugar and that it may harm our health!?! (Which isn’t even true). It’s all about balance: Provide a variety of foods at mealtimes, including sweets, and it will all balance out - no need for counting, ever! ⠀
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Thanks to an account I won’t name for getting me fired up enough to break my posting hiatus!⠀
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Parents, what questions or concerns do you have about child nutrition? You may download my free resource "Top Tips to Raise an Intuitive Eater" here: socalnw.com/intuitive