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5 important eating lessons we can learn from kids
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Our kids are naturally really good at something that many of us struggle with: food and eating. Let's learn from their innate wisdom and try to be a little more like a child in their relationship with food. - photo by Paige Smathers
When I was a new mom, I gave my young daughter her very first chocolate chip cookie. These particular cookies are my absolute favorite sweet treat, and I was ecstatic about the idea of watching my little one enjoy something so delicious.

We ate a great dinner together as a family and then I pulled the freshly baked cookies out of the oven and put one on her high chair tray for her to enjoy.

I fully anticipated her diving right in and eating the entire thing, but what she ended up doing was a bit of a shock to me she ate a bite or two and then made it clear she was done. She enjoyed it, but realized she was full, and was ready to move on with the rest of her night.

I'd witnessed my daughter's proficiency at honoring her own hunger and fullness cues up until that point, but I really wasn't prepared for her to be so good at continuing to honor those cues when there was a cookie in the picture. For so many years of my life, cookies and other treats like it were extremely difficult for me to not overdo.

But I sat there in amazement and watched my little one heed her bodily cues. In that important moment, I realized my daughter is really good at something that many adults struggle with: the entire process of eating.

Now I know many of you might be thinking that kids aren't good examples of eating: they're often finicky, picky or throw downright tantrums about food. Many of those struggles with toddlers and eating tend to be more about a power struggle between the child and the parents rather than about food itself.

There are cases where parents should seek help from a trusted medical provider for child eating concerns, but in general and under the right circumstances, children are incredibly intuitive about their energy intake and are great examples of what it looks like to have a healthy relationship with food.

Here's a list of the important lessons about food and eating that kids can teach us.

For kids, eating:

  1. Is enjoyable. Kids aren't afraid to enjoy the eating experience. They get excited about eating their favorite foods and enjoy delicious foods. For adults, food is meant to be enjoyable and rewarding, too we don't need to be afraid of enjoying foods because tuning into that experience actually helps us know when it's time to stop and is an important part of connection with others and our quality of life.

  2. Is guided by cues of hunger and fullness, most of the time! Under the right circumstances, kids are incredibly gifted at intuitively understanding when they're hungry and when they're full. As adults, we can learn to pay attention more to those cues and not let rigid dieting rules get in the way of the natural mechanisms built into our bodies to help us know how to best take care of them. We can learn to work with our bodies by honoring their cues, rather than working against our bodies with rigid dieting rules.

  3. Deserves its own time during the day. Kids don't do very well with their eating when it's rushed or on-the-go. Playing while eating doesn't usually go over very well with most kids. Kids teach us the importance of setting aside time for regular planned meals and snacks throughout the day an important concept for adults and kids alike.

  4. Involves all five senses. Kids intuitively love to dive into their meals with all five senses, and sometimes it drives adults crazy. "Stop playing with your food! Don't lick it!" a parent might say, but in reality, kids are curious and intuitively understand the importance of making the eating experience a mindful one. As adults, we can learn to slow down a bit and appreciate all the aspects of a meal, allowing us to be more present and mindful while eating.

  5. Doesn't result in guilt or shame. Unless an adult teaches a child to feel shame or guilt around food, kids will naturally be food-neutral. To a child, there's nothing inherently bad about a cookie, just like there's nothing inherently great about a carrot. Kids understand that food isn't a moral issue: they simply eat what they like in the amount that their body needs, and then move on with life. For kids and adults alike, a more food-neutral approach to eating tends to lead to more nutritious choices overall because shame around food tends to lead to all-or-nothing thinking and ultimate bingeing on foods that are labeled as "bad."



Of course there are exceptions to the above points. There are some kids who struggle with extreme picky eating or other food-related struggles that get in the way of these points being true for that child. But when parents can support a healthy relationship with food and avoid high-pressure situations around eating, kids can be some of the best examples to us in how to have positive, enjoyable and healthy interactions with food.

So, next time you're around a little one, pay attention to how they eat. We can all learn a thing or two about healing our relationship with food by looking to little ones as examples.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.