![]() ![]() Parents have trouble believing their children will eventually learn to like a variety of foods on their own. I think a lot of it comes down to distrust. Restricting children makes them want to eat more. Forcing and pressuring causes kids to eat less and dislike certain foods. ![]() While this is only one study, and it does not prove cause and effect, it’s an important food for thought.Īfter studying the feeding literature over the last few years, it’s clear that many of the feeding strategies parents employ have the opposite effect. Of those who said yes, 73% said it limited their diet and 27% said it made them more open to new foods. ![]() When asked if the forced consumption changed their overall eating habits as adults, over one-third said yes. Pickier kids tend to be more sensitive to different textures so being made to eat something that offends them can make that item displeasing for many years, if not a lifetime. The researcher’s explanation is that when a child finally gives in and eats something he doesn’t want to, he “loses” and the parent “wins.” So later in life, when he can freely choose the food on his own, he chooses to “win.”Īlso, forced food consumption that results in gagging, vomiting, and overall disgust can cause food aversions. When asked if they would now eat the food they were forced to eat in childhood, 72% said they would not. The forcees also experienced feelings such as lack of control and helplessness. Most of the responses to the experience were negative with feelings of anger, fear, disgust, confusion, and humiliation. Forty-nine percent said they cried, 55% experienced nausea, and 20% vomited. What is most interesting is the internal conflict the forcees experienced - 31% experienced strong conflict, 41% moderate conflict, and 29% slight conflict. In over half of these cases there was a stand-off lasting an average of 50 minutes! The most common tactics used were threats such as no dessert or staying at the table. The scenario goes something like this: the forcer coerces the forcee to eat the target food for reasons such as health, variety, and waste. Most often than not, the forcer was a parent and the common forced foods included vegetables, red meat, and seafood. Of these young adults, 70% said they had experienced forced-food consumption during childhood. So what are the long-term effects of forcing a child to eat? Let’s take a look… The ResearchĪfter digging into the research I found a study published in the 2002 issue of Appetite surveying over 100 college students. As we discussed in the other post on rewarding kids with food, the way we feed our children imprints their eating for years, even after they leave the nest. But eating food is different - very different. I often hear parents lump kids’ eating in the same category as other chores. ![]()
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