Trust your kids to eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full, says Newell. This may be hard to do because we assume most kids don't eat enough. But one of Pollan's food rules is to stop eating before we feel full and even (dare we say) leave something on your plate.
In other words, don't force kids to eat everything for the sake of leaving a clean plate. The latter piece of advice might seem like heresy, especially since many of us have grown up hearing our parents tell us to finish everything and consider the starving children around the world. But childhood obesity has never been a problem like it is today.
So perhaps it's time to consider another adage: "It's better to go to waste than to waist." Furthermore, encourage less snacks. Eating smaller meals and snacking has been long touted as healthy eating behavior but snacks consist of more processed, convenience foods. Give kids a chance to eat healthy meals. Offer their meals multiple times if you have to, even after refusal. With rare exception, children will eat when they're hungry. And don't forget that portion sizes should diminish as the day progresses. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.
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Deborah Song
