One Very Nourishing Idea
August 11, 2008
If there were a Nobel Prize for common sense, I would nominate nutritionist Ellyn Satter. After years of helping families sort out eating problems, she came up with a simple way of looking at food issues so they don't become Issues.
Satter says, it's the grown-up's responsibility to provide the what and when and where of feeding. It's the child's responsibility to decide how much and whether he is going to eat. No more negotiating, pleading or bribing. If you provide a child with a variety of tasty, nutritious foods and then back off, Satter says, the child is more likely to eat a reasonable amount of many different foods, and enjoy the process.
Satter notes that this formula works best in a context of regular family meals that are pleasant, with food that is good and good for us. Providing meals at regular times in a social situation helps us all, in Satter's words, "settle down." The way I see it, it's a cycle of pleasure that helps us enjoy both the company and the food.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
