Dinner is only a couple of hours away but that doesn’t stop your kids from hounding you for some food, milk or juice. You can’t remember the last time they ate. Did they snack? You’re unsure because they’ve been grazing all day long. So you give them what they want and are disappointed when they only take two bites of dinner.
Having consistent meals and snacks goes a long way towards solving family food dilemmas. Here are 5 reasons your family will benefit from having regular meals and snacks without food in between.
1. It helps parents provide variety: As the parent, you are the decision maker when it comes to what, when and where your child eats. Having regular meal and snack times better equips you to feed your child all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
For example, when I offer my daughter a snack between meals I know what she had for breakfast and what she’ll have for lunch and dinner. This helps me offer her an appropriate snack. If it’s bean burritos for dinner I offer her veggies and dip. If she doesn’t have dairy for lunch I serve whole wheat crackers with cheese. So instead of making decisions on the fly, I have a flexible plan to ensure I’m offering her a variety of food.
2. It helps kids regulate their hunger: Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, author of several childhood nutrition books, explains how offering children food every 2-3 hours helps regulate their hunger. Balanced snacks, better thought of as mini meals, help children get from one meal to the next without getting too hungry or being too full.
Satter says that balanced mini meals are best when they contain all three of the macronutrients: protein, carbohydrate and fat. This combination helps satisfy little ones and holds their hunger for longer periods. For example, cheese and crackers provides protein, carbs and fat as does veggies dipped in hummus. Look for an upcoming post on how to plan appropriate snacks.
3. It helps solve the “mom can I have” problem: It’s in most children’s nature to try to take over your job of what and when to eat. They will try to get the food and drinks they like whenever they can get it. The problem with this strategy is kids don’t know how to plan their meals (yet). While it’s their job to decide how much to eat of what you offer them, it’s not wise to put them in charge of mealtime choices.
Having planned meals and snacks gives you the perfect response to their requests. You can say that their next meal or snack is coming real soon. And when they request a particular food you can tell them you’ll keep that in mind for future meals. Remind them that it’s your job to decide when and where they eat and they can decide whether or not to eat it.
4. It makes dinner more enjoyable: When my daughter constantly grazes before dinner she’d rather be anywhere then the dinner table. Sometimes I let this go, especially when we go to afternoon parties or visit her grandparents. My goal is to give her a snack at least 2 hours before dinner so she shows up to the table with an appetite.
When young children come to dinner hungry, but not ravenous, they are more likely to eat at least some of what is offered. They also behave better when they aren’t starved or already full.
5. It helps fight obesity? In one of Ellyn Satter’s most recent books, Your Child’s Weight: Helping without Harming
When you think about it, it’s hard to get full and satisfied when you graze on food vs. sitting down to a balanced meal. Having regular meals and snacks may take a lot of planning, but the pay off is well worth it.
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