
Lester stressed the importance of positive body image promotion and family mealtimes. “You want to talk about their body in the third person because therapists have found it helps to reduce shame and increase objectivity.” What do you think of your body right now? How is your body doing for you?’” she said. “Take every ounce of judgment out of your voice and say, ‘So, every year your body changes a lot. When dealing with a teenager, Gilboa said to avoid telling them what you think. “And if you can do them before age 12, that’s when you’re not only building patterns, that’s when you’re still mostly in control of what they eat.” “Those five interventions make a huge difference,” she continued. And no more than 6 ounces of sweetened drinks per day.No more than two hours of recreational screen time a day.Eating takeout no more than once a week.

Gilboa highlighted "five things that have been proven to improve kids’ overall fitness and nutrition": And whatever you do, do not mention weight or body shape, she said.

If you notice your child is gaining weight, Gilboa said to survey the inventory in your cupboards, as kids ages 12 and below make most of their food choices at home. And in order for it to work best, it needs a balance of different fuels, including fruits and vegetables." “It allows them to do the things they enjoy doing like dancing and running. “As a parent, you want to help your child understand their body as one of their coolest, most interesting tools that they have for moving through the world,” she explained. Gilboa said the first step is to stop placing moral values on foods by labeling them as “good” or “bad.” Instead, talk about food as fuel. “This is a balance beam many find themselves on.” “So many wonderful parents struggle to help their kids live in healthy bodies, without poisoning their minds against food,” Gilboa told TODAY. Gilboa said there are “many great lessons” to take from the almond mom trope. Deborah Gilboa agrees with Lester’s assessment.

Parenting and youth development expert Dr. Related: Would my life be different if body-positive bloggers were around in the ‘90s? “She projects her own fears onto her children and in doing so, teaches them that she doesn’t accept them unless they’re at a weight that may be unattainable.” ”The almond mom phenomenon is rooted in fat phobia and internalized bias,” Lester told TODAY Parents. Because, you know, in Paris and Milan they like the girls just a tad on the skinny side."Īccording to Lester, an almond mom is a person who is usually “stuck in diet culture,” and likely grew up hearing phrases such as “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” and “you’re not hungry, you’re bored.” "You can have one night of being bad, right," Yolanda says. "Then you gotta get back on your diet, though. Karla Lester, a pediatrician and childhood obesity expert, isn’t laughing. Lester pointed out that Yolanda was also filmed shaming Gigi for wanting to indulge on her birthday. Yolanda was clearly poking fun at herself.
