Hypnosis Weight Loss Clients
10/15/2008 [+/-] SHOW/HIDE THIS POST

Some latest research brings up the subject matter of portion size in early
childhood and how it affects our children and their decisions later in life of
how much food is enough. We as hypnotists encounter this issue when not only
dealing children who are having portion size conflicts but also with adults who
want to release old habits.

Below is an article regarding the latest research showing how environment
affects us and our decisions on how much a portion is.

How Are Children Choosing Their Food Portions?

ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2008) — At dinner time, parents will often tell their
child to clean their plate. However, that old maxim might lead kids to eat more
than they need, especially when portions are adult-sized or supersized.

In findings to be presented at The Obesity Society's Annual Meeting on Oct. 7,
children took more food when larger portions were made available to them.

Jennifer Fisher, Ph.D., associate professor of public health and researcher at
the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, and her
research team observed 61 children between five and six years old to determine
their eating habits when normal entrée portions (275 g) and "super-sized"
entrée portions (550g) were offered. The children used either teaspoons or
tablespoons to serve themselves.

They found that while children served themselves larger portions when the
super-sized meal was available, portion sizes varied by gender, ethnicity, and
parents' reports of child feeding practices — all environmental influences on
children's eating behavior.

Fisher theorizes that having large amounts of food available conveys a social
expectation about portion size that condones larger self-served portions.

"Seeing a large amount of food in front of you can lead you to believe that
someone decided this portion was the right amount to eat," she said. "These
results suggest that children take cues from their eating environments when
deciding how much is enough."

There currently is very little research on what factors affect children's eating
habits, but Fisher's team hopes to pinpoint some of these factors to determine
how children's eating patterns develop, which could help stave off unhealthy
relationships with food later on in life.

"We are interested in the cues that children take from their eating environments
when serving themselves," said Fisher. "Many questions about children's eating
habits are as yet unanswered, such as whether large quantities of food and large
utensils prompt children to eat more or if the size of children's self-served
portions influences their caloric intake."

Fisher and her team are currently exploring a number of different avenues to
determine the association between the amount of food children are served and the
amount they're actually eating.

"Our goal is to try to identify ways to promote healthful choices from an early
age," she said. "We want children to grow up with good eating habits, and
without having to struggle with food issues into adulthood."

Other authors on this study include Michael A. Grusak, Ph.D, and Sheryl O.
Hughes, Ph.D, of the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of
Medicine, and Leann L. Birch of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at
Penn State University. Funding for this research was provided by the United
States Department of Agriculture.

Seth-Deborah Roth CRNA,CCHt,CI
www.hypnotherapyforhealth.com
read my blog at www.hypnotichealth.blogspot.com