Healthy Eating for Weight Loss

Why You Should Eat Like a Kid

Go ahead: Order a kid's meal, pack a lunch box, and chatter your way through dinner. These healthy eating habits could make losing weight child’s play
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

The ABCs of Healthy Eating

Why You Should Eat Like a Kid // woman drinking from a juice box © Thinkstock

Image: Thinkstock

If you want great diet advice, look no further than across the table at your seven-year-old. Sure, he’s probably constructing a volcano out of mashed potatoes and ketchup, but he also eats only until he’s full, skips the salt and butter, and squeezes in a calcium-rich glass of milk at every meal. His secret? He doesn’t know better—or, shall we say, worse?

“Eating is a partially innate, and partially a learned process,” explains Dr. Elizabeth Wallace, a clinical dietitian at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Young and school-aged children are still learning the skills of eating—experimenting with textures, using silverware, and experiencing new tastes. As we get older and already have those skills, we learn to connect food and eating with our emotions.”

Not surprisingly, guilt-ridden dieters and impulsive eaters are more likely to be obese compared to those concerned with cooking nutritious meals for themselves and their families. A small study of middle-aged women published in the journal Health Education and Behavior found that food attitudes like these were accurate predictors of obesity risk factors like BMI, body fat percentage, and waist size.

Fortunately, if you set down your BlackBerry and pay attention to your plate instead of your portfolio performance, getting back to basics can be child’s play. Here, we’ve identified seven healthy eating habits you should steal from the kids’ table. And don’t worry, tater tots, Goldfish crackers, and juice boxes are not on the menu.

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