142: Division of Responsibility with Ellyn Satter

Your Parenting Mojo - Respectful, research-based parenting ideas to help kids thrive

Do you worry that your child isn't eating enough...or is eating too much?

Do you wish they would eat a more balanced diet...but don't want to be the Vegetable Police?

Do you find yourself in constant negotiations over your child's favorite snacks?

You're not alone!

Join me for a conversation with Ellyn Satter MS, MSSW, author of many books including Child of Mine: Feeding With Love and Good Sense. Ms. Satter developed the approach to feeding children that's known as Division of Responsibility, which means that the parent is responsible for the what, when, and where of eating, and the child is responsible for whether and how much.

It all sounds pretty simple, but when you're actually navigating eating with your child it can seem a whole lot more complicated:

• Should we worry about our child's eating in the long term if they won't eat vegetables now?
• Should we restrict access to children's food?
• What should we do about picky eating?

Ms. Satter helps us to understand her ideas on these important questions and much more.

In the conversation we discussed some questions that you can answer to identify whether you are what Ms. Satter defines as Eating Competent:

Do you agree or disagree with these statements?

• I enjoy food and
• I am comfortable with my enjoyment of food and
• I take an interest in unfamiliar food.
• I eat as much as I am hungry for.
• I plan for feeding myself.

Agreeing with these statements indicates you are likely Eating Competent. Disagreeing means you are missing out on eating as one of life’s great pleasures and putting up with a lot of unnecessary misery. Do you have to be miserable to eat well and be healthy? Not at all. People who are Eating Competent eat better and are healthier: they weigh less, have better medical tests, and function better, emotionally and socially.

Ellyn Satter's Books:

Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense

Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family: How to Eat, How to Raise Good Eaters, How to Cook

How to Get Your Kid to Eat: But Not Too Much (Affiliate links).

References Chang, S. (2019, December 4). Back to basics: All about MyPlate food groups. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved from https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/09/26/back-basics-all-about-myplate-food-groups

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Cooke, L.J., Wardle, J., Gibson, E.L., Sapochnik, M., Sheiham, A., & Lawson, M. (2003). Demographic, familial and trait predictors of fruit and vegetable consumption by pre-school children. Public Health Nutrition 7(2), 295-302.

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Curtin, S.C. (2019). Trends in cancer and heart disease death rates among adults aged 45-64: United States 1999-2017. National Vital Statistics Reports 68(5), 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_05-508.pdf

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Fayet-Moore, F., McConnell, A., Cassettari, T., Tuck, K., Petocz, P., & Kim, J. (2019). Vegetable intake in Australian children and adolescents: The importance of consumption frequency, eating occasion and its association with dietary and sociodemographic factors. Public Health Nutrition 23(3), 474-487.

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Fryar, C.D., Carroll, M.D., & Attful, J. (2020). Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among adults aged 20 and over: United States, 1960-1962 through 2017-2018. National Center for Health Statistics https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-adult-17-18/overweight-obesity-adults-H.pdf

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Jones, B.L. (2018). Making time for family meals: Parental influences, home eating environments, barriers and protective factors. Physiology & Behavior 193, 248-251.

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Larson, N., & Story, M. (2013). A review of snacking patterns among children and adolescents: What are the implications of snacking for weight status? Childhood obesity 9(2), 104-115.

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Satter, E. (2007). Hierarchy of food needs. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 39(5), S187-S188.

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Satter, E. (2007). Eating competence: Definition and evidence for the Satter Eating Competence Model. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 39(5), S142-S153.

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Satter, E.M. (1986). The feeding relationship. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 86, 352-356.