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Try it out! Lead a mindful eating session with your students

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Try it out! Lead a mindful eating session with your students

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Encourages students to slow down and tune into their different senses as they eat! See "Taste Test|Cosmic Kids Zen Den-Mindfulness for Kids" to support you in leading the session.

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Become more familiar with the concept of mindfulness in a school setting:

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Become more familiar with the concept of mindfulness in a school setting:

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Our evidence-based curriculum builds emotional resilience through mental fitness

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Support parents in supporting their children! Print and share the Top Mindful Eating Tips For Kids with parents so they are engaged and able to support their child at home.

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Traffic Light Diet Card Game: foods are identified as "green light" foods, which are foods that can be eaten in any quantity (veggies and fruit), "yellow light" foods, which can be eaten in moderation (milk and dairy products, starchy veggies, staple foods like pasta and rice) and "red light" foods which can be eaten occasionally (fried foods and sugary foods). A food is on each card with the associated traffic light lit on the back of the card for students to identify correctly. See the "GO! SLOW! WHOA! Food Guide for Kids video as support resource.

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IMPLICATIONS/APPLICATION FOR TEACHERS  based on research study intervention programs  (see videos and links)

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IMPLICATIONS/APPLICATION FOR TEACHERS  based on research study intervention programs  (see videos and links)

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Gaspar de Matos, M., Palmeira, A., Gaspar, T., De Wit, J., Luszczynska, A. (2016). Social support influences on eating awareness in children and adolescents: the mediating effect of self-regulatory strategies. Global Public Health, 11(4) 437–448. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2015.1094106

Knol, L., Myers, H., Black, S., Robinson, D., Awololo, Y., Clark, D., Parker, C., Douglas, J., Higginbotham J. (2016). Development and feasibility of a childhood obesity prevention    program for rural families: Application of the social cognitive theory. American Journal of Health Education, 47(4) 204-214. Retrieved from:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2016.1179607
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2015). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8: Health and Physical Education. Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf

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Linking to Specific Curriculum Expectations & Examples of Teacher Prompts 

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Linking to Specific Curriculum Expectations & Examples of Teacher Prompts 

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Integrate Mindful Eating Practices as part of the Strand C, Healthy Living section of the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum. And specifically, C2. Making Healthy Choices "applying health knowledge, making decision about personal health and well-being" (pg. 22).

GRADE ONE:
Specific Expectation (SE)  C2.1: "describe how the food groups in Canada’s Food Guide can be used to make healthy food choices."
EXAMPLE:  Teacher: “Can you tell me which foods we should eat every day, and which ones we should eat less often?" (pg. 93).

SE C2.2: "know and recognize cues to hunger, thirst, and the feeling of fullness, and explain how they can use these cues to develop healthy eating habits."
EXAMPLE: Teacher prompt: “What does your body do to let you know you are hungry or thirsty?” And “what should you do when this happens?" (pg. 94).

GRADE SIX:
SE C2.1: "apply their knowledge of medical, emotional, practical, and societal factors that influence eating habits and food choices to develop personal guidelines for healthier eating."
EXAMPLE: Teacher prompt: “How can a busy lifestyle lead to poor eating habits and food choices, and what can you do to eat better when you are busy?"
Teacher prompt: “How do you handle emotional and social factors that could lead to poor eating habits or choices?" (pg 173).

SE C2.2: "apply their recognition of internal hunger and thirst cues and their knowledge of physical factors that influence the desire to eat and drink to develop personal guidelines for healthier eating."
EXAMPLE:  Teacher prompt: “How do you feel if you wait until you are very hungry to eat? How does your body feel when you have eaten too much?" (pg. 173).

See the Ontario Ministry of Education for the specific expectations for Healthy Eating expectations for each grade at http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health1to8.pdf

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Fun Little Video on Cookie Monster Resisting Cookie!

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Fun Little Video on Cookie Monster Resisting Cookie!

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Sesame Street: Ian McKellen Teaches Cookie Monster to Resist

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Healthy eating behaviours almost always increased following intervention programs that incorporated skills that were transferable to the home environment, where children spend much of their time (Knol et al., 2016)

Intervention programs that teach self-regulation strategies are essential in supporting the transfer of knowledge to action (Gaspar de Matos et al., 2016)

It is beneficial for educators to include topics such as parent and peer influence with self-regulation teaching, as social influences tend to be linked to self-regulation competencies

It is beneficial for educators teach strategies that children can use as they enter adolescence, where they prove to have a greater struggle with self-regulation

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Article by Nour El-Zibdeh, MS, RD

You want your child to eat healthy meals. To drink milk, eat more fruits and vegetables, less candy, and no soda. You want them to have a healthy relationship with food with no fear of new foods or obsession with habitual ones.

In an attempt to achieve that, parents form their definition and checklist of healthy foods. Food rules get created; no sugar, no candy, no preservatives, and the list can go on. Before they realize it, they take the joy out of eating, especially healthy foods.

Teaching your child to eat healthful and mindful can start as early as toddlerhood. While mindfulness seems like a new health trend, your child is born a pro. Infants and toddlers are connected to their senses; they look, feel, smell, and taste their food before they eat. The younger the child, the closer he is to mindful eating.

The parents' role is to use mindful eating techniques to help the child self-select healthier foods. Set your child up for success by practicing these strategies:

1. Accept that each person is different and unique, including your child. There's no right or wrong way of eating, instead, there's a variety of ways and food experiences.

2. Consider the concept of Division of Responsibility. Parents decide:

What to offer -healthy foods

When - meals times, not grazing throughout the day

Where - in an environment supportive of feeding

The Child decides:

If she's going to eat and how much.

New to some parents and difficult to adopt for others, consider how you can apply this concept with your child.

3. Talk about food. Toddlers are learning colors, shapes, and textures, and food is the perfect teaching tool. During conversations, discuss what a healthy food is. They don't have a big understanding of health, so start with the basics. Instead of classifying food into good and bad, teach them to think of a healthy food as something that will help them grow, get tall, become strong, play more, or run fast. See Give Your Family's Diet an Honest Look.

4. Get your child involved in food selection and meal preparation. Comfort foods are taking shape, and habits they develop now will stay with them for years after.

Take your child grocery shopping and encourage her to select produce she wants to try.

Make a habit of trying one different food, as a family, once a week.

Children like to help; let your child wash produce, set the table, toss the salad, sprinkle cheese or spices, or anything safe for her age.

Make your child aware of the effort it takes to prepare a healthy meal, let her respect and understand the value of it.

5. Make meal times for meals only. While it's tempting to turn the TV on or feed your child when he's playing, try to avoid doing so. One of the principles of mindful eating is to direct all awareness to the feeding experience. Give him utensils and let him eat on his own (don't stress about the mess). At least once a day, eat meals together as a family. For younger kids, bring the highchair close to the table, or remove its tray and let your child use the family table.

6. Be a role model. Your actions and attitudes matter. Children who fear trying new foods have mothers who do too, and children who are picky with vegetables have mothers who don't vary their vegetable intake. Children want what their parents have, so make sure you are eating healthy foods to nourish your body too. Be aware of how you think of or label foods. Avoid being judgmental. Read more about parent role modeling.

7. Don't reward eating a healthy food with something that is not. "If you don't eat your vegetables, you can't have dessert." That implies he has to eat something nasty or causes discomfort to get something that is sweet, delicious, and triggers joy. This does not encourage your child to love eating vegetables. It also makes him attach happiness and success to unhealthy foods. Instead, make fruits and vegetables festive, reward with fun activities or special attention, and offer dessert occasionally, detached from eating any other food. Learn more about avoiding food as a reward.

8. Be patient and continue to offer a variety of foods. When your child refuses to eat something, ask her why. Help her acknowledge what caused her response: is it taste, smell, texture, or temperature? Remember that it takes 10 to 15 times for children to trust and try a new food. Offer it in different cooking methods, shapes, temperatures, and offer something that looks good. Let her move it around on her plate, and she will eventually make that jump from a food in her hand to a food in her mouth.

9. Abandon food rules. Create too many unattainable rules you can't keep and end up with power struggles with your child. Be strict about the rules and risk raising a child that fears or over-control his intake. While general guidelines help your family be well nourished, be careful not to go overboard. Remember that your child is developing impressions and attitudes towards food. Instead of countless rules, stick to a simple one: if you ate it once today, you can't eat it again.

10. Take it easy. They won't eat the way you want all the time. Have an occasional treat, and allow your child to experiment with all foods. Most important of all, don't take the pleasure out of food. Create healthy eating memories, and at the same time, don't surrender or become a short-order cook. If they don't eat what you've offered for one meal, hunger will eventually kick in.

Test Your Knowledge
The best thing for your child to do while eating is:
a. Watching TV
b. Focusing on the food and eating experience
c. Playing with toys
Answer:
b. Focusing on the food and eating experience
If your child refused to eat a food more than 3 times, you should:
a. Respect her wishes and never offer the food again
b. Force her to eat the food
c. Keep trying again, offering it in a different texture, shape, or temperature
Answer:
c. Keep trying again, offering it in a different texture, shape, or temperature

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Article by Nour El-Zibdeh, MS, RD You want your child to eat healthy meals. To drink milk, eat more fruits and vegetables, less candy, and no soda. You want them to have a healthy relationship with food with no fear of new foods or obsession with habitual ones.

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Taste Test | Cosmic Kids Zen Den - Mindfulness for kids

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When children are taught mindful eating practices, they are supported in developing a healthy relationship with food. As educators, we can support students in meeting the healthy living expectations by teaching them different mindful eating practices and tips. Here are some helpful resources to plan your lessons or activities for students!

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When children are taught mindful eating practices, they are supported in developing a healthy relationship with food. As educators, we can support students in meeting the healthy living expectations by teaching them different mindful eating practices and tips. Here are some helpful resources to plan your lessons or activities for students!