The Impact of Labeling Your Child’s Food Choices as Good or Bad

To understand the negative impacts of labeling food and lifestyle choices it is important to first understand what diet culture is and how it impacts our society. Kate Willsky at Equip Health defines diet culture as “a system of social beliefs and expectations that values thinness above all.” Diet culture equates thinness to health and views larger bodies, and those in larger bodies who are not on the pursuit to become thin, as shameful. Diet culture connects body size and food choices to morality. Those who are thin are put on a pedestal and those who don’t fit within these standards are put down.

Mindful eatingFrankki Sorce, LPCOctober 25, 2023food, eating

How to Respond When Your Child is Concerned About Food

Adolescence is the developmental stage from about ages 12-18. During this period, adolescents are building an understanding of who they are and how they fit into the world. Because of what we know about the developmental stage of adolescence, it is expected that this is a time when comparison to others is more present and body image may waver. This often brings up concerns for kids about what others think of them and if they are living up to societal expectations. When it comes to body type in our culture, there is a societal expectation for bodies to fit the “thin ideal”. This expectation is something that we cannot escape as it is presented to us at every angle whether that be consuming media or what is taught in health classes at school. It is important to understand how to respond to your child when they approach this stage.

How am I Impacting my Child's Body Image?

Is your child starting to over-analyze their appearance? Are they over-thinking food choices and you’re not sure why? It’s understandable to feel confused; it’s not like you’ve ever criticized them about it! Your child’s behavior may be changing as they get older because they’re picking up on what you’re doing. Here’s the thing: children are like sponges. Even if your child has not directly been criticized for their food choices or appearance, they may be indirectly influenced about their appearance. Or, they may have picked up subtle cues from their parents about their body image. or they may have interpreted messages about their appearance and body image. It’s possible that your child is picking up on things that you don’t even realize you’re doing! We’ll shed light on potential influences…

Dos and Don'ts: Meal Time Conversations with Someone with an Eating Disorder

If your child is struggling with an eating disorder or working through their recovery journey, you may have noticed that meal times can be a huge stressor. People recovering from eating disorders have to directly challenge their disordered thoughts and feelings several times a day during every meal. This can be especially difficult for kids and teens. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid it; we need to eat in order to survive. However as a parent, you can make meal time a bit easier for your child. You can create a nurturing environment for recovery while helping your child build distress tolerance. Here are some do’s and don’t’s for meal time…

3 Foods to Help Manage the Stress of the New Year

A new year is a time for new goals. It’s a time to plan for self-improvement and aspire to achieve more in the year ahead. You may aim to learn a new skill, be more present, lose weight, etc. With all of these new goals comes new stress. This year, take a nutritional approach by integrating foods that help with stress reduction. Fuel your body with foods that help you work towards your objectives without suffering from as much stress. Below are three foods to incorporate in 2021 that help manage stress…

How to Transform Mundane Daily Tasks into Mindful Ones

Do you feel like you’re stuck in the same quarantine routine? If you and your family have been following the same cycle since quarantine began, it might be time for a change. Following the same patterns of behavior can make you feel anxious, hopeless, or frustrated. You’re often on autopilot, going through the motions of typical tasks while your mind wanders and worries about other things. Luckily, there is a way to break out of these patterns of behavior and have an improved connection to daily experiences: mindfulness! Mindfulness helps you break the cycle of passive “autopilot” behavior. You build awareness of what’s happening around you without letting your emotions take control. Mindfulness isn’t as complicated as you might think. Here are some simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into your routine and find meaning in mundane experiences…

Tips for Mindful Holiday Eating

It’s the holiday season, which means that family, celebration, and food are front of mind. We take the time to celebrate with loved ones, having fun and catching up over a delicious meal. While it’s great to enjoy a feast with family, it’s also important to be mindful of what you’re eating. The holiday season is known all too well for its high-calorie foods that often cause us to overeat. If you’re wondering what you can do to enjoy your meal without worrying about putting your health at risk, look no further! Here are some tips to keep yourself in check and practice healthy holiday eating…

Eating Disorder vs. Disordered Eating: How to Tell the Difference

Do you have a difficult or out-of-control relationship with food? You may potentially have an eating disorder, or it could be disordered eating. It’s often difficult for people to determine if or when their disordered eating habits develop into an eating disorder. Many wonder, “How do I know it’s really a problem?” Disordered eating habits are fairly common. Perhaps you eat when you are bored or upset (you may not actually be hungry at the time), or you eat the same thing for breakfast each morning. Disordered eating behaviors can be precursors to more alarming behaviors that fall into the “eating disorder” realm. However, you can engage in disordered eating without having a more serious eating disorder. Read more about some key differences between the two...

4 Tips for Mindful Eating on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday seasons. It’s the time of year for great food, good times with family, and celebration. However, many people struggle with eating mindfully on Thanksgiving. It can be so easy to get tempted by the abundance of delicious food and overeat. Instead of regretting your decisions at the Thanksgiving table, follow these tips to keep yourself in check and be more mindful during this year's meal…

Understanding Why You Eat What You Eat

Food is all around you. You eat for enjoyment, when you are hungry, when you are bored, celebrating, sad; and the list goes on. Sometimes it is difficult to know WHY you are being pulled toward a particular food in a particular moment and end up eating “just because." Identifying the kind of hunger you are experiencing is an effective way to gauge your emotional versus physical hunger. Many times it can feel the same. Here are the 7 types of hunger, and some tips on how to stop an emotional eating episode before it starts...

How to Overcome Emotional Eating in the New Year

Eating is an essential part of our day. We can develop complex relationships with food because food plays such an integral role in our health and livelihood. Many people struggle with overeating or possibly emotional eating; they may eat mindlessly, or feel that they must finish their plate. Here are some tips to better understand emotional eating habits, and how to make some healthy, and hopefully lasting changes for 2018.

How to Eat Mindfully this Thanksgiving

The holidays are just around the corner! They’re the time for great food, good times with family, celebration, and perhaps some stress as well. One thing that many people struggle with during this time of year is eating mindfully on Thanksgiving. With the abundance of delicious food at your family gather, it can be easy to overindulge and overeat. Here are some tips to help you keep yourself in check and be more mindful during this year's holiday meal...

4 Sweet and Healthy End-of-Summer Snacks

Helpful tips, Mindful eating, Self-improvementEmily ZemanAugust 20, 2017snacks, healthy lifestyle, health, nutrition, recipes, sweet

Mindful Eating in Four Easy Steps

Do you find yourself mindlessly eating; that is, eating food without actually tasting it, eating on the go, putting anything in your mouth that you think will satisfy you in that moment without thinking about the consequences? If so, these four simple steps can help you learn and practice mindful eating....

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