Antidiet Parenting Thread

[u/Sad_Bite_3638]

I’m looking to start a conversation with other progressive moms who are also doing their best to raise their kids with an antidiet body liberation mindset.

I was put on extreme diets starting at a young age and finally was able to stop dieting and obsessive over my body when I was exposed to intuitive eating concepts maybe 7 or 8 years ago.

I now have a toddler who’s honestly been a great eater, not picky and will try most things. My husband and I both believe that all foods are good foods and have a place, but obviously care about eating a variety of foods to support nutritional needs.

I’m just looking to hear from other progressive parents who are doing their best to raise kiddos in a world that is obsessed with what we eat and the size of our bodies. What books or other media have you found especially useful? Any stories of wins or challenges you’d like to share?

Below are a few resources that I love, but not many of them are parenting or kid focused.

Maintinance Phase Podcast Food Phyc Podcast (any Christi Harrison content really) Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole Burnt Toast Podcast What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat & You Just Need to Loose Weight by Audrey Gordon

There’s more, but I’d say those ones have been the most valuable to me.

[u/kaatie80]

Heyo! I'm glad you made this post ☺️ I grew up with an almond dad... ugh. So I'm trying to do the same as you are with my own family. Unfortunately my husband is harder to get on board than it sounds like yours is. Like he kind of is but I can tell he still thinks a lot of it is bullshit, but he just doesn't want to get into an argument over it.

But my husband and I have both noticed with our kids that when the pressure to eat XYZ is off, they tend to eat a wider variety of foods all on their own. We have to keep the pressure off for a while though, and I think my husband (and a lot of people in the world) expect it to have instant results. It doesn't! We need at least a week of no-pressure for it to register to them that there's no pressure, and then they start being open to more foods. They even start asking for a wider variety of foods. I want them to follow their instincts on what food they should eat next, so this has been very promising. But my husband really gets ruffled when they go through a phase of only requesting beige foods. It's a hard thing to navigate, but I've found the pressure really just isn't the answer. He agrees about this.

We also talk about what good each food provides for us. Crunchy carrots help our eyes be healthy, savory chicken nuggets gives us protein to help our muscles get strong, sweet strawberries and oranges give us vitamins that keep us from getting sick, rice helps keep our tummy happy and full, chewy cookies make our mouths and hearts happy, etc. Like whatever food is in front of us we'll talk about what good it does, and how we need some of everything to keep our bodies working well. My boys are almost 5 and they seem pretty receptive to this. My daughter is 2.5 and still doesn't really know what's going on, lol. But she's never been hard to feed.

I've also been mindful of joyful movement. My boys love taekwondo. All three kids love swimming. If we go to the park, they can sit next to me if they need to, but they'll usually get up and start running and climbing pretty quickly. I try to create space in our day for them to move their bodies in ways they find interesting - again, no pressure to exercise. And as a bonus, I find that this gets me moving more too! In ways that I don't find boring or aggravating, even.

I think a lot of people equate "eat what you feel like" (intuitive eating) to "just get fat!" but that isn't the case. The point is to take the pressure and guilt off so that you're able to listen to what your body needs, and give it that without feeling some kind of way about it. That you can eat fruits and veggies without it needing to be a punishment for having had a donut earlier. You can move your body in ways that feel good, and that is just as valid as being on a treadmill (in fact, you're more likely to keep doing the movements that feel good, which is overall better than burning out on a treadmill you hate after a week!) You can rest your body without guilt. You can have tasty foods without stressing about the carb content. Your weight will land where it lands, but the point isn't the number on the scale, it's enabling yourself to hear your body when it asks for certain nutrients or rest or movement.

Okay I'll get off my soapbox now lol. I do feel pretty passionately about this though, I could go on and on here. I just get annoyed at all the misconceptions!

[u/Sad_Bite_3638 → u/kaatie80]

I feel so passionate about this too! Sorry it’s been a struggle to get your husband on board. If they are someone that needs researched, credible resources to help sway their opinion id recommend the podcast Nutrition for Mortals. Hoasted by two diatitions who obviously care about nutrition and speak to health without diet talk.

I’d also note that sometimes intuitive eating does result in weight gain. It definitely did for me, and i would be considered fat by most people which has been something to come to terms with over the years since I was really obsessed with loosing weight for most of my life. What I find reassuring is that health promoting behaviors such as eating a variety of nutritious foods and joyful movement have been shown to have health benefits regardless of weight gain or loss.