Why this dietitian ALWAYS gives her kids lollies and snacks when they ask for it: ‘I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this’
- A dietician has revealed why she leys her kids have sweets when they please
- Kristen Ludwig, from the US, has three kids including twin five-year-old girls
- One of the twins is asking about lollies ‘all the time’ so Kirsten bought a bunch
- She said not restricting kids from having sweet treats helps them ‘self regulate’
- Kristen said her kids have had many chocolates on top of their meals
- She claims their ‘obsession’ with chocolate and lollies is already decreasing
A dietician mum has revealed she never denies her children chocolate and lollies in order to stop them becoming fixated and craving sugar.
Kristen Ludwig, from the United States, has a basket of candy on her kitchen bench and will give her kids a piece whenever they ask for it so the ‘novelty wears off’ and they don’t become ‘obsessed’.
In a video posted to Instagram the mum-of-three said she can ‘already’ see her twins five-year-old girls’ ‘obsession’ with sweet treats ‘decreasing’ since giving them the freedom to have a chocolate or lolly whenever they please.
Dietician Kristen Ludwig (pictured) from the United States said she is no longer restricting her kids from eating sweets and chocolate to teach them ‘self regulation’
‘They self regulate and it just becomes like ANY OTHER FOOD. They don’t eat a tonne of it, they’re not obsessed, they’re not trying to sneak around to eat it and they’re not going crazy at friends houses eating things “they’re not supposed to”,’ she wrote in the post’s caption.
Kristen said while people expect her kids only eat ‘healthy’ things because she’s a dietician, she recently bought a bunch of candy because one of her daughters has been asking after it ‘all the time’ and keeps it in plain sight on the kitchen counter.
‘They’ve each had three pieces total today with their meals. I can already see the obsession decreasing. It’s in plain view on the counter and they’ve asked for it TWICE today,’ she wrote.
The mum-of-three said she can ‘already’ see her twin five-year-old girls’ ‘obsession’ with sweet treats ‘decreasing’ since giving them the freedom to have one whenever they please
‘When humans feel deprived of something, they want it more. Their minds can become obsessive about it. This applies to food. If kids feel restricted from certain foods, they want it more.’
The dietician warned kids will be exposed to all foods in their lifetime and that restricting ‘bad’ foods can lead to them developing unhealthy binging habits.
‘Even if you can shelter them from the ‘bad foods’ until they’re adults, they will eat them eventually because other people in the world do and they’re going to be curious,’ she said.
‘If they’ve never had access to it – guess what? They’re going to binge. This leads to guilt which leads to dieting which leads to binging and so on.’
Kristen said the ‘best thing’ parents can do for their kids is to ‘remain neutral’ about food, offer them ‘all types’ consistently and trust their bodies will self regulate.
The mum’s video has been viewed more than nine million times with many in the comments impressed by the unorthodox approach.
‘Yes! Even as an adult I feel like this is a thing,’ one woman said.
‘I said this before when we barely had chocolates at home I always craved it! But when I got older and can just stock it at home I find myself not even reaching for it,’ another wrote.
‘As a binge eating disorder patient with severe restrictive habits, this tactic works great in the long run,’ said a replied.
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