I thought you all might enjoy this.

EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEIGHT
MANAGEMENT I CAN LEARN FROM A CHILD

By Michelle May, M.D.

I love watching kids at Halloween - and any time of the
year for that matter. They can teach us so much about
instinctive eating and effortless weight management. For
example, during Halloween they are just as excited about
the costumes, the trick-or-treating, the sorting, and the
trading as they are about the eating. Don't get me wrong;
they love the candy but food is only part of the
experience. And for weeks afterward they get to enjoy a
couple of pieces of candy each day--but most kids lose
interest when their favorites are gone.

Children have many other natural behaviors that can teach
adults how to love food -but not too much. Here are some of
the important lessons I've learned from watching them:

EAT WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY. From the time they're born, babies
and young children know when and how much they need to
eat--and they cry to let us know too. As they grow, this
important instinct can be un-learned so by the time they're
adults, they may have learned to eat for many other reasons
besides hunger: mealtimes, tempting food, stress, anger,
boredom, deprivation and countless other triggers. By
recognizing the difference between needing to eat and
wanting to eat, adults can re-learn when and how much to
eat too.

STOP EATING WHEN YOU'RE FULL. An infant will turn their
head away when they've had enough to eat, and a toddler
will throw a plate of food on the floor when they're done.
But as adults, we clean our plates because "there are
starving children" somewhere or just because something
tastes good. I'm not suggesting that we start throwing our
plates on the floor again, but we need to remember that
food is abundant in our society so there's no need to eat
it all now.

BEING HUNGRY MAKES YOU GROUCHY. Being hungry, tired, or
frustrated are sure to make a child crabby--and affect
adults the same way. As parents, we need to do our best to
make sure we are prepared with nutritious, delicious food
to feed our children when they're hungry. We should care
for ourselves that way too.

SNACK ARE GOOD. Kids naturally prefer to eat smaller meals
with snacks in between whenever they get hungry. That
pattern of eating keeps their energy up and their
metabolism stoked all day. Adults who need to fire up their
energy and metabolism might benefit from this pattern too.

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD. Most kids love to examine, smell and
touch their food. Since eating is a total sensory
experience, they get the most from every morsel. This
childlike approach of eating mindfully will allow you to
appreciate the aroma, appearance and flavors
more--especially if you aren't driving, watching T.V., or
standing in front of the refrigerator. I think you'll eat
less food while enjoying it more.

ALL FOODS FIT. Though parents sometimes worry about sugar
and junk food, "fun" foods are part of a healthy diet. In
fact, overly restrictive food rules usually lead to
rebellious eating anyway - just think about the last time
you weren't "allowed" to eat something on a diet. Children
and adults both eat healthier when they enjoy these less
nutritious foods in moderation when they want them.

YOU CAN LEARN TO LIKE NEW FOODS. Healthy eating is an
acquired taste; it can take up to ten tries of a new food
before a child will incorporate it into their diet. Good
nutrition is essential, so providing a variety of
appealing, healthful foods will benefit the whole family.
In our house, we had a two-bite rule when my kids were
young. Assuming everyone at the table was hungry, they
needed to taste two small bites of everything we served. If
they still didn't like it, we didn't force or bribe them to
eat it--but they did need to try it again the next time we
had it. Since that was "The Rule," there were no battles at
the table and the kids often surprised themselves by liking
something they thought they wouldn't. As teenagers they
both enjoy a wide variety of foods.

BE A PICKY EATER. The corollary to the lesson above is
that kids won't easily eat something they don't like. As
adults we sometimes eat cold French fries, stale cookies or
salty chili just because it's there. Be a little pickier!
Think of how much less food you'd eat if you didn't settle
for food that tasted "so-so."

THERE IS MORE TO A PARTY THAN CAKE AND ICE CREAM. Invite a
child to a party and they'll want to know what they're
going to get to do. Invite an adult and they'll wonder what
food will be served. You don't have to avoid parties to
keep your weight down. Just focus on the real purpose of
social events--to be social--and let food be the icing on the
cake.

EATING WITH YOUR FAMILY IS FUN. Since babies and toddlers
must be fed by their caregivers, they naturally love eating
with other people. Family mealtime is your opportunity to
bond, connect with each other, and model healthy habits.
Now that our kids are older, we sometimes play "High-Low"
at dinner. Each member of the family takes a turn telling
the others about the best and worst parts of their day.
What a great conversation starter and opportunity for all
of us to learn how we handle normal ups and downs in our
lives.

IT'S BORING TO JUST SIT AROUND. Toddlers seem to be in
perpetual motion as they constantly explore their world.
Young kids love to run in the grass, play on the
playground, and challenge themselves and each other with
increasingly more difficult activities. Of course, as they
get older, television, computers and electronic games
compete for their attention. To encourage other activities
in our family, we use "screen time" which limits how much
time our children are allowed to spend on anything with a
screen. Sometimes adults would benefit by limiting their
screen time and exploring their world a little more.

FOLLOW THE LEADER. Face it, kids watch, and often imitate,
everything we do. If they observe us eating a variety of
foods and enjoying physical activity, then they'll learn to
take good care of their bodies. Likewise, if they don't
hear us making comments like "I look so fat in this" or "I
was bad at dinner so I have to spend an extra hour on the
treadmill" then they are less likely to suffer from poor
self-esteem and a negative attitude about exercise.

SLEEP IS GOOD. After a full day, children need a good
night's sleep to prepare for all of the adventures that
tomorrow will hold. Wouldn't we all benefit from a
consistent bedtime to make sure we get our rest too?

LIVE IN THE MOMENT. Kids are masters at living in the
present. They don't waste a lot of energy worrying about
what has already happened or what might happen tomorrow.
They are fully engaged in small pursuits like discovering
where the ants are going, chasing the dog, or seeing how
deep they can dig with a plastic shovel. We, on the other
hand, continue to scurry around, chasing after our dreams,
all the while digging ourselves deeper and deeper. We could
learn a lot from children!

Great insight from a doctor that knows her stuff!

Good article! Lots of great points.