I frequently tell my clients that we eat for more than just nutrition. We eat because it tastes good and can give us pleasure and joy. A healthy diet that fails to bring us joy can’t be healthy because it removes a chance for us to feel good.
In 2019, the Journal Appetite published a position statement about Nurturing Children’s Healthy Eating. This position statement includes four key components of how to nurture healthy eating in children. The fourth component is the pleasure of eating.
This position statement cites several papers and textbooks that support the importance of pleasure in healthy diets. This is because food choices are both driven (for example food cravings/what we are in the mood for) and reinforced (or rewarded/think “that tastes good!”) by the pleasure we experience from food. There is evidence that this is especially true for children.
For ideas on how to help increase the pleasure of eating for your family – click here.
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