Using food as a tool or as a reward for young kids will put them at a greater risk of emotional eating, according to new evidence. Children who tend to use food as a way to deal with emotional distress are more likely to following a similar pattern later on in life.
In a recent study that explored children aged three to five years old, researchers observed whether the kid would want to play with toys or eat snack food when they felt stressed. Researchers noted that all the children had just eaten lunch and were not hungry. The study showed that children did not tend to eat more in comparison to a control group.
However, in a similar experiment of kids aged seven years old, many children would prefer to eat food, even though they were not hungry. Most kids would prefer emotional eating, instead of playing.
The research shows that the tendency to emotionally overeat may increase in children as they age. Parents, who claim that they frequently used food as a reward, were more likely to have kids who emotionally overate.
The study suggests that using food as a reward or punishment may predict a greater chance of using food as an emotional tool in children later on in life. According to the American Academy of Pediatric, children may use food to avoid situations that are difficult to handle when food is often given as a reward by parents, according to Web MD.
Since food can be an effective tool in calming young children, many parents give treats to distract or reward young kids, according to an articled published in the Daily Mail. The article regarding emotional eating was written by Dr. Claire Farrow, a psychologist from Aston University; Dr. Emma Haycraft, a psychologist from Loughborough University; and Jackie Blissett, a childhood eating expert from the University of Birmingham.
Unfortunately, even though parents eliminate links between food, emotions and rewards, the environment is still full of high-calorie temptations. Society has also changed the way high-calorie foods are marketed and promoted to children in the past few decades.
For example, large-sized bags of chocolates and supersized portions in fast-food outlets are constantly being marketed. Instead of supporting healthy eating, society has promoted overindulging.
Teaching children how to manage their appetite is an important lesson that is often overlooked. Children should be taught to eat only when hungry and to stop when they are full.
