On Nutrition: Kids eat the darndest things

Barbara Intermill, Tribune News Service on Aug 15, 2025

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We spent an entire day baking cookies for my grandkids’ county fair projects. A total of six different recipes required a lot of staying on task, especially for the 11-year-old. After a couple of hours of intense measuring and mixing, I suggested we take a break for lunch.

No takers. Their idea to taste each cookie had taken its toll.

Kids’ eating habits can be … interesting. Most of us have an idea, at least in theory, of what a healthful diet for a child looks like. For example, a typical 9- to 13-year-old needs a variety of foods each day to furnish the nutrients required for adequate growth and development: 2 cups of fruit, 5 ounces of protein, 2 cups of vegetables, 3 cups of milk or other high calcium food, and 6 servings of bread, cereal or other bread, according to the Department of Agriculture (myplate.gov).

Cookies, by the way, are in the “other” category to be eaten only occasionally.

The additional challenge for many caregivers (including grandmothers) is how to encourage them to eat well … but not too much.

Some of the wisest and most professional guidance I have leaned on over the years comes from the Ellyn Satter Institute (ellynsatterinstitute.org). Satter is a registered dietitian and family therapist who pioneered feeding kids with love and good sense. Her Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding (sDOR) is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and is designed to help us adults realize our role in feeding kids well.

Adults, says Satter, have three responsibilites: what, when and where. We get to choose the menu and select which foods will be provided. We get to select consistent eating times when food will be provided. (Most kids need three meals and one or two snacks a day, by the way.) And we get to determine where the food will be provided. (Hint: In front of the television is not recommended.)

We also need to trust our children or grandchildren with their two responsibilities: how much and whether. The child determines how much to eat of the food that is offered. And the child also gets to decide whether or not to eat the food that is offered.

This approach, says Satter, helps kids become more confident and capable with their eating. The key, she stresses, is to “stay in your own lane … and enjoy the ride together.”

I’m happy to report that the kids came back from the cookie judging contest with smiles on their faces. One judge even took a second bite of Logan’s cherry brownies.

And they soon returned to their normal eating habits. They were even happy to distribute some of the leftover cookies to family and friends. Oh, and they remarked that it might be a while before they want to bake cookies again.