To provide food for children in school, find the middle ground. From the previous patterns of giving kids free access to all kinds of food in vending machines, school stores and on à la carte lines, we have veered to the other extreme of strictly restricting high-fat, high-sugar foods in the name of weight control.
To find the middle ground between the two extremes, provide, don't deprive. Broaden out the lens from restricting certain foods and pushing others. Focus, instead, on doing good parenting with food in the school setting. Feed in the best way, provide children with opportunities to be active, and support their natural growth processes.
For more feeding children in the school setting (and for research backing up this advice), see Ellyn Satter's Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook, Kelcy Press, 2008 and Your Child's Weight: Helping Without Harming, Kelcy Press, 2005. Also see www.EllynSatter.com to purchase books and to review other resources.
Copyright © 2010 by Ellyn Satter. Published at www.EllynSatter.com.
For more information, visit Ellyn Satter's Facebook page.
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