Help! My Kid is Snack Attacking Everything!

It is Annual Kids Eat Right Month with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics so it’s only fitting that I address a beloved aspect of my education, child nutrition. We are full swing into this Pandemic and one thing I am constantly seeing mentioned on my mom groups is “My kid won’t stop eating all our food” or “my kid is blowing through all of their snacks”. A child’s metabolic and emotional needs can play large roles in what is driving their need for food.

Let us take a moment to agree that we are not going to shame our children for what their hunger status and food choices are. I grew up as an obese child. I remember being told I could not possibly be hungry when I was, and I remember being forced to eat when I wasn’t hungry. At a very early age I “learned” that my body cues were unreliable. When I was shamed for my food, it felt humiliating and degrading which lead to a lifetime of disordered eating. I still struggle today with trusting my hunger and fullness cue’s despite learning how to manage them. Knowing what I know now it is easy to see that my hunger was directly related to incomplete food choices and emotions. Yes, children can innately seek food for comfort.

When it comes to addressing your child’s, eating habits it will take some experimentation but here are some quick suggestions to ensure success.

· Evenly space out meals 3-4 hours apart. This is just good practices for everyone. Evenly spacing out meal helps with hormone regulations, blood sugar levels and not over consuming later in the day to “catch-up”.

· Have snacks prepared. This can mean sitting down and having a snack together as a family but it can also mean having snacks put together for a quick grab and go. Set yourself and your family up for success.

· Set rules to eat food without electronics. There are so many studies that show watching TV or scrolling through your phone while eating leads to eating more. Sitting down without distractions will also encourage children to analyze their hunger cues and if they are willing to stop what they are doing to eat. Although, with younger children you may have to reassure them that they can continue playing after their snack is done.

They could be really be that hungry. Growth spurts tend to be an intense thing in our house. I know growth spurts seems like the obvious answer for those of us with toddlers, but sometimes we forget this is also true for older children as well. Growth spurts can also vary in timing. It is possible to have the metabolic need’s vary from one day vs another, especially as a child. My toddler can just be ravenous one day and then return to her normal eating routine the next day or week. Below I provide the daily dietary recommendations of calories for children. This is a tool to simply show that children need a lot of food. Possibly more than we adults do. * This year official dietary

guidelines for children birth to age 1 should be released. This is exciting and I will be sure to talk about it when it comes out!

Pay attention to when your child may be exerting more energy than usual. Did they go swimming today? Were they at the park longer than usual? Many kids are high energy naturally. If they need to go potty, they must skip not walk. Peak a boo involves running to a million places to find the best spot. My daughter literally bunny hopped around the house for about an hour the other day. As soon as she sat down to watch one of her favorite shows she was begging for a snack. So, we paused the show, DEMOLISHED a snack, then returned to the TV. My point is that if they are burning a lot of energy and some days may be more than others. If your body is burning energy it will want more energy to take in. So, keep in mind that they really could be that hungry be they are expending so much energy.

Snack need to be paired better. This is something that I wish I knew forever ago. As a kid I could eat a large bag of chips and still be incredibly hungry. I didn’t realize that snacks should be paired with a protein and a carbohydrate. The protein is slower digested than carbohydrates so what happens is your optimizing the snack to work for you for longer. I love suggesting fruits and veggies as part of a snack because then children are also getting fiber (which also helps with feeling fuller for longer). I’ll be honest I usually keep string cheese on hand as the protein and pair that with an apple, orange or gram cracker. Hummus is a huge hit in my house and the chickpeas count as a protein. Or have a tortilla with mashed beans. Peanut butter and other nut butters can also be a protein source to pair with snacks.Trail mix is a great one stop shop but be sure to watch your children while eating them since nuts are a common choking hazard.

They are seeking comfort. As I am sure everyone is aware right now this pandemic is affecting peoples home lives. Caretakers are working from home and balancing meetings during nap time. Interacting with other children may not be allowed. Maybe a sibling is extra annoying, and they cannot escape their sibling like when they could go to school. The one thing that is most likely true is whatever “normal” was for your child probably looks a lot different for them right now. It can be natural instinct to turn to food for comfort but it’s our job as caretakers to identify that and help ensure they are handling their emotions and not using food as a coping mechanism. There are many avenues that can be taken for addressing emotional health. Some suggestions could be breathing techniques for stress and anger or dancing for boredom. Perhaps involving a child psychologist is necessary, but I highly recommend encouraging teaching children how to feel and handle their emotions.

I promote speaking to a pediatric dietitian for any specific intake recommendations or underlying health conditions your child may have that could impact their diet.

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