Dessert & Candy
One of the all time most asked about, talked about, stressed about, worked on food categories of my career. With Halloween candy popping up in stores and work spaces, the conversations about how to stay well around these foods have picked up.
What does not work:
1. Not eating them, restricting them, hiding them, not buying them. Labeling them as bad foods. Tell a child a food is forbidden and they will eat more of it when you are not looking. The same rules apply to adults who will then eat in secret. Restricting these foods can increase the likelihood of emotional eating, binge eating, sneaking, hiding, eating in secret, food seeking and preoccupation behaviors around these foods.
What does work:
1. Including these foods in a regular enough way as a part of a meal or snack so that you or your child does not feel deprived and can participate in the life events that involve these foods. Each person and family must navigate this balance together. Most of time/some of the time. 80/20. There is noone that gives guidance on this more effectively and with so much respect, common sense and love like Ellyn Satter:
The Sticky Subject of Halloween Candy
1. Parents-it is our job to teach our kids how to manage these foods in our world so that when we are not with them, they are competent in their ability to manage them and joyful, not food preoccupied, dysregulated and stressed out.
2. Humans-it is our job to relearn the above message 1. if we were not raised this way. And from there, follow your joy. Begin your research to discover your favorites. Start your food joy list. Learn about the difference between joy filled eating of ice cream cones in the summer and hot cocoa in the winter versus disconnected eating where another message is underneath. Get support for your underneath hard messages.
Share this with every person and parent you know.