Eating Competence: Nutrition Education with the Satter Eating Competence Model
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GEM NO. 448
Eating Competence: Nutrition Education
with the Satter Eating Competence Model
Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW, BCD* tion: education, anticipatory guid- But far more importantly, your re-
Ellyn Satter Associates, Madison, ance, and early problem solving. The gard will contribute toward partici-
Wisconsin level of the intervention is dictated pants’ sense of effectiveness and self-
not by the level of complexity of the regard. Seeing themselves as being
(J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007;39:S189-S194) problem, but by the level of services capable can help set them free to be
that can be delivered. creative and resourceful in finding
*Corresponding author: Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, their own solutions.
LCSW, BCD, Ellyn Satter Associates, 4226
Mandan Crescent, Madison, WI 53711; Phone: EATING ATTITUDES
(608) 271-7976; Fax: (866) 724-1631;
E-mail: info@ellynsatter.com The primary attitudinal goal with ec- Enhance the Dignity and
doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2007.04.177 Satter is to establish and maintain Importance of Eating
positive and flexible attitudes about
eating, which in turn allow being re- Subjective observations indicate that
The Satter Eating Competence Model
sponsively attuned to outer and inner in our culture, eating is a faintly las-
(ecSatter) conceptualizes eating compe-
experiences relative to eating. Indi- civious activity that we trivialize. We
tence as having 4 components: eating
viduals do best with food management conduct it in an off-hand fashion,
attitudes, food acceptance, regulation of while distracted with other activities,
food intake and body weight, and man- when they have a relaxed self-trust
about food and eating and are able to and give it a minimum of time and
agement of the eating context (includ- attention. Instead, dignify eating, and
ing family meals). According to ecSat- experience harmony among food de-
sires, food choices, and amounts give it your blessings. Make comments
ter competent eaters are confident, such as:
eaten.1
comfortable, and flexible with eating “Eating is one of life’s great
and are matter-of-fact and reliable pleasures.”
about getting enough to eat of enjoy- “Enjoy your eating.”
able and nourishing food.1 The ecSatter
Build Relationships
“Make time for eating,”
Inventory (ecSI), a reliable and vali- Eating is more than deciding what “Be dependable about feeding
dated 16-question, paper-and-pencil as- and how much to eat—it is about the yourself.”
sessment tool, assesses the 4 compo- connection with our bodies and with
nents of eating competence.2 (To access life itself. Eating reflects our history, as
the ecSI, obtain permission for use and well as our relationships with our- Emphasize Providing,
receive further information about scor- selves and with others. Advising Not Depriving
ing and application, write ecSI@ someone else how to manage his or
EllynSatter.com.) her eating is about the connection On a fundamental level, eating com-
The priority with ecSatter is en- between you and that other person, petence has to do with the behaviors
hancing and dignifying the importance about trusting or controlling and and attitudes that ensure getting fed:
of eating by making it positive, joyful, about accepting or rejecting.4 eating a variety of reasonably nutri-
and intrinsically rewarding. The ecSat- Make building relationships your tious food in amounts adequate to
ter practitioner makes individuals the priority. A person’s foodways are in- support the demands of life. Motiva-
priority by waiting to be asked before tensely personal and private. Shar- tion to eat a variety of food, including
offering meal-management or any other ing with you in your role of nutrition nutritious food, is internal and comes
food-management advice, joins with in- professional the intimate details of from genuine, learned food prefer-
dividuals right where they are, supports food management carries the risk of ence. When the joy goes out of eating,
their efforts in feeding themselves, re- criticism and shame— but also the nutrition suffers.4
spects their food preferences, and trusts possibility of support and admira- Avoid prescriptive interventions,
their inherent capabilities and tenden- tion. Be accepting and back your including those intended to prevent
cies to learn and grow.3 participants up; don’t criticize or un- degenerative disease: fat restriction
Problems with eating competence dermine them. Your regard will en- and modification, salt and sugar re-
can range from the simple and hance your value, position you to be striction, and consumption of more-
straightforward to the involved and helpful, and increase the likelihood than-adequate amounts of fruits, veg-
even entrenched. The nutrition edu- that your participants will accept etables, or whole grains. From the
cator’s task is to do primary interven- your help with food management. perspective of ecSatter, prescriptiveS190 Satter/PRACTICAL GUIDANCE TO IMPLEMENTING EATING COMPETENCE
interventions not only introduce neg- to the task at hand. Unexpressed feel- Don’t Get Pushy With Target
ativity, they represent medical nutri- ings can act as a barrier to change as Food
tion therapy and are therefore outside well as interfere with your getting on
the bailiwick of nutrition education. the individual’s wavelength. Ask about Introduce the possibility of includ-
On the other hand, help program par- meal planning and food selection, and ing fruits, vegetables, and whole
ticipants to see the nutritional value also ask how people feel about their grains—at one nutrition counseling
in the food they currently consume. approaches to food management. Many session—then let go of it. Repeated
Avoid nutritional criticism, even if it are ashamed of their eating and feel reminders increase resistance. Give
is introduced by the client. It produces guilty about the food they choose. nutrition information only if the
resentment, ambivalence, and shame, Those with limited resources may feel person is interested. Ask, “Do you
negative feelings about food selection ashamed that they have to feed their want to hear about this?” Nutrition
that are likely to produce inconsistent family canned fruits and vegetables. A information increases willingness to
and negative nutritional behavior. recent immigrant may feel ashamed of taste novel food in subjects for
continuing to choose culturally familiar whom nutrition is important and de-
food. creases willingness in subjects for
Address Encoded Messages Correct misinformation, but don’t whom nutrition is not important.5
try to fix feelings. The person’s sharing Provided the participant is inter-
Guilt and anxiety are such a part of
their feelings with you and your ac- ested, explore ways to make target
our relationship with food1 that even
ceptance and affirmation of those feel- food items appealing. Salt and fat
benign messages can take on a nega-
ings diffuses them and is help enough. tone down the bitter flavor of greens
tive and moralistic spin in the ears of
If you try to change someone’s feelings or cabbage-family vegetables. A
the hearer. Even if you bend over
or life circumstances to achieve nutri- small amount of sugar takes the
backwards to be positive, participants
tion goals, you are doing psychother- rough edge off the taste of canned
may still decode your messages as neg-
apy, not education. tomatoes. Covering brussels sprouts
ative, prescriptive, and judgmental.
with water and cooking them in an
Consider the possibility that the word
open pan cuts down on the strong,
healthful could decode as, “don’t eat so
sulfurous taste. So does adding but-
much; don’t eat the food you like.”
FOOD ACCEPTANCE ter and salt.
Consider whether you can afford to
use the word nutritious. Is it a neutral
The ecSatter approach to nutritional
term, or does it precipitate expecta-
excellence is supported by variety, Teach Food Acceptance Skills
tions of rigid and puritanical food se-
which in turn is supported by enjoy-
lection, along with restriction and
ment and learned food preference. If participants genuinely want to in-
avoidance? If our food guidelines are
Rather than trying to get participants crease their food repertoire, do expe-
dreary, they are not sustainable.
to eat certain amounts or types of riential programming. Provide oppor-
Rather than trying to purge your
food, support variety by emphasizing tunities to prepare and taste food
language, ask what nutrition-program
participants hear you say. Encourage pleasure as a guiding principle in food (always reassure participants that they
them to be frank, prepare to have selection.1 don’t have to taste), or suggest food
some fun, and don’t take their com- acceptance behaviors to use at home.
ments personally. When you say, Research with children6 and adults7
“have meals,” does it decode as “have and clinical experience with adults in-
Trust People To Learn dicate that acceptance of specific food
broiled chicken breasts and lettuce and Grow
with no dressing?” When you say, “all items increases with repeated, neutral
food can make a nutritional contribu- exposure—typically 10 to 20 expo-
It is a natural human tendency to sures. However, mothers typically de-
tion,” does it decode as “eat it if you learn and grow. As individuals feel
must, but it isn’t really very good for cide an unfamiliar food is disliked af-
successful with food acceptance, they ter only 3 tries.8 Exposures include
you”? When you say, “all food can fit will push themselves along, to the best
in a healthful diet,” do they expect a looking at the food; touching, smell-
of their ability, to gradually increase ing, and handling it; preparing it; and
catch, such as “don’t eat so much,”
dietary variety.3 Approve of preferred tasting it over and over. Teach partic-
“don’t eat it so often,” or “make up for
food fixed in preferred ways. That dig- ipants to inconspicuously spit un-
it by eating less of something else”?
nifies and supports individual’s efforts wanted tastes into a napkin. Mouth-
to feed themselves and their families ing the food increases familiarity and
Address Feelings as well as neutralizes ambivalence and acceptance of taste and texture, but
shame coming from embedded atti- having to swallow unfamiliar food is
Feelings belong in nutrition education if tudes that “if it tastes good, it can’t be generally experienced as aversive and
you keep the discussion closely related good for me.” is likely to decrease food acceptance.Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior ● Volume 39, Number 5S, September/October 2007 S191
Address barriers to experimenting acceptable behavior around food. It is attention: predictable sit-down meals
with novel food. Many participants on socially acceptable to pick and choose and between-meal snacks, consumed
tight budgets hesitate to purchase new from what is on the table, to decline to in a tuned-in fashion. The permission
food for fear it will be wasted.9 Ask a be served, to eat only 1 or 2 food items is food selection and regulation:
group of participants how they address from a meal, or to leave unwanted food choosing preferred food at those reg-
the problem of food waste. You could on the plate. It is not socially acceptable ular eating times and eating enough to
get into a productive discussion about to draw attention to food refusal or to satisfy hunger and appetite. Permis-
managing tight budgets in general, request food that is not on the menu. sion and discipline reinforce each
feeding children (food waste increases other. Having rewarding food at meals
with children in the house10), or run- and snacks makes structure intrinsi-
ning family food experiments by pur- REGULATION OF cally rewarding; the planning inher-
chasing and preparing novel food in FOOD INTAKE ent in structure gives access to reward-
small amounts. ing food. Messages that support
A person with effective food regula- internal regulation include:
tion attitudes and behaviors is com- “Your body knows how much you
Address Picky Eating fortable enough with the rhythms of need to eat.”
hunger, appetite, and satiety to con- “Go to the table hungry, eat until
Picky eating— extreme food select- form to the social structure of meals you are satisfied.”
ivity—represents an exaggerated exam- and snacks, is relaxed and tuned-in “Reassure yourself that another
ple of poor food acceptance skills. A during the eating process, and trusts meal or snack is coming soon and you
Google search for the term picky eaters the experience of satiety. An essential can eat again.”
delivers over a million hits, among part of trusting internal regulation is
them a Web-based support group for accepting the body weight that
adult picky eaters.11 Picky eaters have evolves.1 Encourage Sensitivity To
difficulty remaining calm in the pres-
ence of unfamiliar food and therefore
Eating Rhythms
cannot provide themselves with the re- Coach Internal Regulation
peated neutral exposure necessary for Hunger and appetite adjust to pre-
learning to like new food. In most cases, Based on decades of clinical work, the dictable meal-plus-snack routines.
adult picky eating is based on childhood Table describes typical subjective ex- Eating when hunger and appetite
food coercion or lack of opportunities to periences of hunger, appetite, and sa- are noticeable but not overwhelm-
learn, although the stimulus may also be tiety. Internal regulators of food in- ing makes eating more pleasant, sup-
rigid and prescriptive rules about food take function most effectively when ports eating in a tuned-in and or-
selection accumulated during adult- they are supported by regular, predict- derly fashion, and enhances the
hood. Begin by relieving social pressure able, and rewarding opportunities to ability to stop eating when comfort-
on food acceptance. Coach mealtime eat. ably full but not stuffed. Messages
social skills to allow the individual to ecSatter maintains a positive ten- that support internal regulation in
politely but firmly fend off unwanted sion between discipline and permis- the context of structure include:
food. Teach the conventions of socially sion. The discipline is structure and “Have meals with the food you
Table. Subjective Experiences of Food-Regulation Cues Relative to the Satter Eating Competence Model
Famished Extreme hunger, pronounced discomfort: shakiness, crankiness, headache. Urgency and desperation to eat,
especially if there is no reassurance of being able to get enough food. Often results from food insecurity or
extreme self-restraint.
Hunger, Increased appetite Physical experience of emptiness, perhaps mild discomfort such as shakiness, fatigue, headache. Tolerable and
comfortable anticipation of eating, provided adequate amounts of rewarding food will soon be available.
Heightened interest in food.
Hunger goes away Physical experience of emptiness subsides along with discomfort from energy deficit; sense of relief increases.
However, most people are reluctant to stop eating at this point because eating is still rewarding,
Appetite goes away Satiety: Positive experience of readiness to stop eating. This is a more sustaining and rewarding endpoint to eating
for most people than when hunger goes away. Food stops tasting good (but is by no means repulsive) and there
is a subjective experience of losing interest in eating.
Feeling full For most, this is a pleasant, if occasional, endpoint to eating. It is a positive state of feeling filled up. Eating past
satiety is rewarding if it follows a deliberate decision to eat more than usual, perhaps on a ceremonial occasion,
because food tastes exceptionally good or because energy needs have suddenly increased.
Feeling stuffed Virtually universally experienced as being a negative endpoint to eating. Negative physical state including extreme
fullness, lethargy, physical discomfort, perhaps nausea. Accompanied by aversion toward eating and often a sense
of chagrin at overeating and self-indulgence. Often arrived at as an unthinking or impulsive suspension of
restraint.S192 Satter/PRACTICAL GUIDANCE TO IMPLEMENTING EATING COMPETENCE
like. Don’t force yourself to snack to to the point of feeling stuffed is gen- nutrition educator, knowledgeable
get the food you like.” erally negative, eating to the point of primary intervention can be helpful.
“Reassure yourself that you will be being full can be a satisfying, if occa- To help neutralize disinhibition— or
fed. Don’t scare yourself by being ca- sional, endpoint to eating. Messages to avoid exacerbating it—neutralize
sual about eating.” that support eating enough include: food insufficiency. Teach internally
“Make meals worth waiting for.” “Eat until your mouth is satisfied, regulated eating, and emphasize per-
as well as your stomach.” mission to choose rewarding food and
“Sometimes it feels good to eat eat it in satisfying amounts. Messages
Support Self-awareness until you are really full.” that help neutralize disinhibition em-
“To be sure that everyone gets phasize permission and paying atten-
and Choice
enough to eat, make enough to have tion to eating, not eating less:
Support self-awareness; out of awareness leftovers.” “Eat as much as you want. Just pay
comes choice. Help program partici- attention and enjoy it.”
pants become sensitive to their subjec- “You don’t have to go out of con-
tive experiences of initiating and finish- Identify and Discard trol to eat a lot.”
ing eating, and encourage them to make Restrained Eating
their own choices based on those sub-
Restrained eating is the chronic at- Address Weight Management
jective experiences. There are no rights
tempt to eat less and/or less-desirable
or wrongs with respect to amounts Striving for a particular weight out-
food than wanted, generally in the
eaten or with beginning or ending come undermines eating competence.
pursuit of weight loss.12 Because re-
points of eating. The intent is not to It mandates systematically ignoring
straint with respect to both food se-
replace one set of rules with another, and overruling internal regulators
lection and regulation of food intake
but rather to enhance sensitivity to nat- rather than depending on those cues
are so integral to undergraduate and
ural homeostatic mechanisms of food as guides to food regulation. Offer to
graduate nutrition curricula and nutri-
regulation. help, not with weight loss, but with
tion policy, even the best-intentioned
In both individual and group set- decision making about weight man-
nutrition educator is likely to promote
tings, ask open-ended questions that agement. Enter the subject via the
restrained eating in the form of por-
support self-awareness about internal individual’s presenting concern about
tion sizes, numbers of servings, or fat
regulation and give openings for choice: weight, and ask questions.
restriction.
“How do you know when you Has weight been stable? Initiating
Because restrained eating takes so
need to eat?” dieting can disrupt energy homeosta-
many forms in our culture, consider
“What does it do to your eating sis and is not to be taken lightly.
intent. If the intent is to eat less food
when you get too hungry?” Has weight followed a stepwise
or less-appealing food than desired in
“What makes you decide to stop upward trajectory subsequent to re-
an attempt to manage weight, it is
eating?” peated weight loss attempts? Another
restrained eating.
Asking, “How do you know when diet is highly unlikely to be successful
you need to eat?” for instance, gives and, in fact, risks making weight
openings for individuals to discuss per- Address Disinhibition climb even higher.
sonal responses to hunger, such as feel- Has weight been on an uninter-
ing cranky or stressed, their awareness Disinhibition is periodic excessive rupted upward trajectory? It is likely
of hunger and fullness, or whether or and impulsive overeating with or that internal regulatory processes are
not they forget to eat. Such self- without weight gain. By definition, impaired in some way.
awareness gives openings for choice. disinhibition is a deliberate or uncon- Consider addressing these ques-
How do they feel about treating them- scious throwing-away of controls that tions in a group setting. Group mem-
selves that way with food? Is it some- exists in tandem with current or bers discover that their lack of long-
thing they want to change— or not? threatened food insufficiency (food term success with weight reduction is
insecurity and/or restrained eating) or a near-universal experience. As a con-
persists as the result of historical food sequence, they may be more forgiving
Give Strong Permission To insufficiency. The tendency to over- of themselves and therefore more re-
Eat Enough eat at buffets, celebrations, or other ceptive to alternative approaches to
occasions in the overall context of managing eating and weight.
As indicated in the Table, eating to plentiful food may represent a habit-
the point where appetite is satisfied is ual response to historical food
a more rewarding and therefore a insufficiency. EATING CONTEXT
more sustaining endpoint than trying Although chronic disinhibition
to stop when hunger goes away but may respond only to treatment and is ecSatter emphasizes family meals. ec-
food still tastes good. Although eating therefore outside the domain of the Satter attitudes and behaviors withJournal of Nutrition Education and Behavior ● Volume 39, Number 5S, September/October 2007 S193
respect to context include having the meals, including meals with other be interested in information about
skills and resources to procure and/or people. specific nutrients.
prepare rewarding and reasonably nu- Capability with money manage- On the other hand, people func-
tritious meals, provide predictable op- ment. tioning at the foundation of the Hier-
portunities to eat, be comfortable Shopping and other food-acquisition archy are preoccupied with getting
enough with internal regulators to skills. enough to eat, not with seeking or
wait for meals, and manage time and Sanitation and food-handling avoiding specific nutrients. Address
self in order to suspend other activi- knowledge and practice. concerns about food security by sup-
ties and make time for eating.1 Food-preparation capability. porting the natural tendency to pref-
Avoid turning the emphasis on Capability for orchestrating the erentially select food that is relatively
family meals and strategies for meal serving and social context of meals. high in energy density— high-fat,
planning into food rules. Remember high-sugar food—and point out how
that from the perspective of ecSatter, such food contributes to dietary qual-
you are neither entitled nor obligated to Define Meals Achievably ity. Encourage the use of fat in food
tell people what they should do with preparation. Encourage liberal use of
their eating. Respect the individuals’ Define meals in achievable ways; a relatively inexpensive but filling food
life circumstances, honor their choices meal is sitting down to eat facing each such as bread, rice, noodles, and po-
about feeding themselves, and empha- other13 and sharing the same food. A tatoes, and endorse using butter, mar-
size eating food they find enjoyable. meal around a blanket on the floor or garine, oils, and spreads to increase
Wait to give advice until you are in- around a coffee table is still a meal. the caloric density of those food items
vited, then introduce the possibilities and Encourage using food the family is as well as increase variety in the diet.
the choices, don’t lay out shoulds or currently eating, even if those food
oughts. items are high in calories and low in
nutrients. Teach Strategic
Meals can be orchestrated around Menu Planning
Stress Family Meals foods that family members eat in a
catch-as-catch-can fashion by round- There are more possibilities with meal
Structure is as critical for singles and ing up the family to eat their pizza, planning, but your participants don’t
adults with no children as it is for macaroni and cheese, or bologna have to go there. You are working to-
parents with children. As Satter ob- sandwiches and Cheetos together. Re- ward their definition of meals, not
served in Secrets of Feeding a Healthy sist imposing your own standards and yours. For instance, it can represent a
Family, “you are a family when you values with respect to food selection major achievement to regularly orches-
take care of yourself.”4 Meals reassure and meal planning. Keep in mind that trate family meals by sharing an odd
both adults and children that they even the most nutritionally reprehen-
will be fed. Going to the table hungry assortment of food while sitting on a
sible meal is better than no meal at blanket on the floor. On the other
and eating until satisfied is key to food all. Endorse and dignify all approaches
regulation. Meals give the repeated hand, such an achievement can stimu-
to food preparation, including take- late curiosity and energy for greater
neutral exposure needed to learn to out, mixes and meal kits, homestyle,
like new food. Meals give emotional achievement. That energy may take the
gourmet, and “healthful.” direction of meal planning.
and social reassurance of structure and
reliable access to other people as well Once meals are firmly in place and
as offer a regular opportunity to tune if you are invited, ask, “What do you
in on oneself and the process of eat-
Join With Individuals Where like to eat? What do you like to eat
ing. Finally, meals help food keep its They Are with it?” Emphasize the nutritional
place as only one of life’s great plea- worth of preferred food items, offer
sures by limiting focus on food to spe- Give strategic food selection advice one or fewer changes at any one time,
cific times and places. that supports current efforts with feed- and recommend adding food items
ing self and family. People function- rather than taking them away. To de-
ing at the apex of Satter’s Food Hier- termine whether participants are tell-
Remember Your Capabilities archy3 feel confident of getting ing you what they think you want to
enough to eat and may be interested hear, ask questions, and have some
The nutrition educator has mastered in choosing food for instrumental rea- fun: “If you make that change, will
and is in a position to teach the many sons, such as eating— or avoiding— you still enjoy your meal?” “If you do
food management skills that allow certain food to resist disease, prolong that, will it wreck the dish?”
having regular and reliable family life, or enhance mental and emotional When participants are ready, offer
meals, including: functioning. Those people are capable meal-planning strategies to help them
Familiarity with the food supply. of prioritizing nutritional consider- be successful with feeding themselves
Strategies for planning rewarding ations when planning meals and may and their families. Feeding a family isS194 Satter/PRACTICAL GUIDANCE TO IMPLEMENTING EATING COMPETENCE
challenging. Children are inexperi- that integrate the concepts of ecSatter tence model. J Nutr Educ Behav (suppl).
enced eaters, and grownups have their and discuss them in lay terms include 2007;39:S142-S153.
2. Lohse B, Satter E, Horacek T, Gebre-
own food preferences. Trying to please Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family13
selassie T, Oakland. Measuring eating com-
all the eaters all of the time demoral- and the Web-based handout, “You petence: Psychometric properties and va-
izes the cook and undermines meals. and Your Eating.”14 lidity of the ecSatter inventory. J Nutr Educ
Meal-planning strategies that help Given its fundamental contradic- Behav (suppl). 2007;39:S154-S166.
family members do well with meals tion with the prevailing model, you 3. Satter EM. Hierarchy of food needs. J Nutr
are outlined in the chapter “Orches- may worry that ecSatter leaves you Educ Behav (suppl). 2007;39:S187-S188.
trating Family Meals” in Secrets of without a role to play in telling the 4. Satter EM. The secret in a nutshell. In:
Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family. Madi-
Feeding a Healthy Family.12 public what to eat. In reality, ecSatter
son, Wis: Kelcy Press; In Press 2008:2-14.
allows you to make comprehensive 5. McFarlane T, Pliner P. Increasing willing-
use of your professional skills and re- ness to taste novel foods: effects of nutri-
IMPLICATIONS sources in working toward an achiev- tion and taste information. Appetite. 1997;
able goal: empowering your partici- 28:227-238.
Begin by asking where your partici-
pants to be positive and capable with 6. Birch LL, Johnson SL, Fisher JO. Chil-
pants want help, and address those dren’s eating: the development of food-
eating. ecSatter offers a wide scope for
concerns. Many want help with main- acceptance patterns. Young Child. 1995;50:
nutrition education, offers you many
taining family meals, generally within 71-78.
tools for intervention, and lets you
a tight budget. Help them find ways to 7. Pliner P. The effects of mere exposure on
contribute on a satisfying and reward- liking for edible substances. Appetite. 1982;
address obstacles to family meals.
ing level. 3:283-290.
Strategize how to plan rewarding
You have authority, knowledge 8. Carruth BR, Skinner JD. Revisiting the
meals, cook in a hurry, and stretch the
and expertise with food behavior, nu- picky eater phenomenon: neophobic be-
budget to fill everyone up. Such dis- haviors of young children. J Am Coll Nutr.
trition principles, food composition,
cussions give openings for endorsing 2000;19:771-780.
physiology, cultural food-ways, eco-
individuals’ food choices as well as for 9. Healthy Weight in Preschool Children: a
nomic realities, family and social sys-
discussing internal regulators of hun- Project of Central Michigan University
tems, and strategies for coping. When Public Television, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.
ger, appetite, and satiety. Those dis-
you combine your professional exper- CMU Public Broadcasting, Michigan Nu-
cussions, in turn, provide a foundation
tise with your positive regard for the trition Network. 2005.
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intrinsic worth of your clients, you are
Remember, eating competence sup- practices of householders. J Am Diet Assoc.
positioned to be a catalyst for produc-
ports weight stability. 1987:327-331.
tive change in eating attitudes and
In a classroom nutrition education 11. Picky Eating Adults.com Support and In-
behaviors. Your regard allows you to
setting, attitude is a good place to start formation Pages. Available at: http://
engage others in their discovery of www.pickyeatingadults.com. Accessed on
with addressing ecSatter. Saying “eating
what holds true for them and sets August 16, 2007.
is okay” begins to neutralize program
participants’ fears that you will scold them free to be creative and resource- 12. Satter EM. Orchestrating family meals.
ful in finding their own solutions. It is In: Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family.
and shame. Be prepared to neutralize Madison, Wis: Kelcy Press; In Press 2008:
negative and puritanical messages about positively thrilling and profoundly
64-76.
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13. Satter EM. You and your eating chapters
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14. Satter EM. You and Your Eating: How
size food seeking, not food avoidance,
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