What is the danger of forbidding children candy, chips and fast food. Psychologist answers

Health directly depends on the quality of nutrition. Harmful things can imperceptibly undermine it – we know about this from an early age. That’s why adults teach children to healthy eating, often excluding from the diet everything that does not fit into this concept. But is it right?

consulting psychologist

Any prohibition stimulates the desire to break it, so rules and restrictions should be flexible.

What can prohibitions lead to?

The topic of children’s bans on this or that product is quite blurred. Each parent decides for himself what is allowed to his child, and what is categorically not allowed. Some give children the freedom of choice and allow them to eat whatever they want. Others forbid everything: meat, dairy, gluten and sweets. But any of these extremes can lead to health problems and eating disorders in the future (allergies don’t count, because this is an absolute indicator for food restrictions).

فيرونيكا There are no golden rules of parenting that will produce a perfect child. Any prohibition stimulates the desire to break it, and this applies to everyone: vegans and meat-eaters, ascetics and those who live by the “I can do anything” rule. Therefore, restrictions should be flexible so that they can be broken from time to time. There are exceptions to every rule, and the regular “can’ts” should sometimes be relaxed. Otherwise, the child will feel constant psychological tension.

فيرونيكا My personal example as a mom of two sons: my older son has autism, he has a “built-in” selectivity in food, so we are working with him to expand his diet. It’s different with my younger son: he’s four years old and he asks for whatever he sees tasty. Of course, I rely on his individual characteristics: how he perceives the refusal, how to convey information to him so that he understands. This is how I do it: based on my budget, I buy him almost everything he asks for, regulating this process a bit. Plus, when he asks to try (oh my God!) cake, jellybeans, chips, I don’t refuse him. And by my example I show him what is healthier to eat: as a rule, the youngest already keeps me company for the mere fact that “mom eats this”.