A dietitian specializing in eating disorders has revealed why parents shouldn’t make kids finish their plate or go on a diet.
Kate Regan, 26, of Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaHe said conditions like anorexia and bulimia can be triggered at a young age and well-meaning parents can inadvertently cause children to develop unhealthy eating relationships.
The expert shared the five things she would never do when she became a mother, from never dieting to never labeling foods “unhealthy or healthy” or shaming anyone.
Kate Regan, 26, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said conditions like anorexia and bulimia can be triggered at a young age and that well-meaning parents can inadvertently lead children to develop unhealthy eating relationships.
She said: ‘Under no circumstances will I put my son on a diet or tell them they need to lose weight.
“Many eating disorders begin in childhood. Diets are inherently restrictive and teach you to follow a set of rules versus how we are born, where the instinct is to eat intuitively.
“Diets take away from your natural ability to listen to your body telling you when you’re hungry or full, which carries over into adulthood.”
The expert shared the five things she would never do when she became a mom, from never dieting herself to never labeling foods “unhealthy or healthy” or body shaming anyone.
The second piece of advice was for parents not to go on a diet or ‘pursue intentional weight loss’ themselves.
Kate explained that even if you don’t tell your child directly, they notice and absorb your actions and behaviors, and can still be influenced.
She said: ‘A child would grow up believing that there is a right and wrong way to eat, and that the pursuit of intentional weight loss is more important than their health.
“Instead of dieting, I would prioritize health-promoting behaviors over looking at the number on the scale.”
Elsewhere, the expert insisted she would never label foods “healthy or unhealthy” or “good or bad.”
The dietitian went on to explain that she would refer to them as ‘play foods’ and ‘fun foods’ versus ‘nutrient dense’ or ‘nutritious’ foods.
Kate said: “Using neutral language to describe foods removes morality and lets children know that it’s okay for all foods to fit into their diet.”
Elsewhere, the expert insisted she would never label foods “healthy or unhealthy” or “good or bad.”
“When morality is attributed to food, a lot of guilt and shame can come into play. They may internalize “bad” feelings about themselves when they eat “bad” food and feel like a “bad” person.
He went on to insist that he will never be ashamed of his body, or of his son, or of other people in front of his son.
“If my son comes to me one day and says ‘I feel fat,’ I won’t reply with ‘you’re not fat, you’re beautiful,’ but I’ll reply with curiosity,” she said.
Wondering why they might think that, why they might feel that way and support their feelings, without implying that being fat is a bad thing, which it isn’t.
She said she would never make a child finish their plate of food, or tell them they can’t eat anything else when they say they are still hungry.
Kate, who is on TikTok @wholesomechicknutrition, said: “When kids are encouraged to finish the whole meal, even if they say they’re full, it teaches them to ignore the signs of fullness.” That can lead them to lose contact with those signals.’
When he shared some of his advice online, many people chimed in with their own experiences, particularly on the ‘finish your plate’ advice.
Making children finish their food was something many people commented to say they had experienced in their own childhood, and they commended her for highlighting the risks.
One viewer wrote: ‘Was waiting for the ‘finish all the food on the plate’. It definitely still affects my relationship with food.’
Another said: “I wish my mom would never force me to finish all the food on my plate, I feel like I have to finish everything even if I’m full.”
A third agreed: ‘I don’t know what full is because my dad forced me to eat as a child and now he calls me fat as an adult.’
Congratulating Kate for posting the video, one said: “I was really worried about watching this video thinking it would be a huge embarrassment to mum but I’m so glad I watched it.” Great message!
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