As a parent of an over weight son, we encouraged him to participate in more physical activities whilst reducing his daily calorific intake and over 2 months this worked, now he more aware of what he has to do to take account for snacking. Shaming our son was not an option as this would impact on his self belief and that is the last thing we wanted to do. We have to embrace the challenges that our children have and with the help of God we will find the right path to being the best parents possible.

I first time I remember being on a diet was when I was 9 years old. Then life continued but always I was afraid to gain any weight. Any time food was there I had to wrestle with the thought of eating it. I couldn't just enjoy it without thinking that I was probably gaining weight right when I was eating it. I couldn't eat without freaking out about gaining weight. It was a mental entrapment. Thankfully, God delivered me from this bondage to weight and food when I was in my early 20s (yes I was in that trap until I was about 23 -- I didn't become a Believer until I was almost 20 though so really it took God just 3 years to get me out of this bondage). Once I was free from it it felt so good. Our minds are not meant to be tied to anything but Jesus Christ and His love for us. We shouldn't be obsesses mentally with food or with other things. If we think about something constantly we have a problem with it. Our minds need to be free to go where God wants them to go. If we have a right relationship with food our children will gain a right relationship with food (or at least they will have a better chance of having a good relationship with it). Food is meant to be enjoyed. Giving food, making food for our families and friends is a way to show love -- and this is a blessing. My stepson just said he feels so loved because every night when he gets home from work there is a meal waiting for him (he also lived on his own for a while so he appreciates home cooked meals now). Everything God gives us is to show us love. Everything in our lives we can use to show others love -- food is a biggie. No wonder so many have problems with it. It is a tool God can and does use to reach so many. Of course then it will have a lot of issues with it. the enemy sure doesn't want us to see its potential for great good.

Well said, Amy (April 6, 2012 8:59 AM). And when it comes to family versus community responsibility, I say it's both. In fact, I say that's God's model. It's what the church does for God's people under the New Covenant and it's what Isreal did for God's people under the Old Covenant. Just look at Ruth 4:1-12, for a pretty blatant example; family, law and community all come together seamlessly there. Cheers, Tim

Sarah Ferguson wrote: "Someone wrote "kudos and gratitude to Michell [sic] Obama for making awareness a priority of the administration." We do not need the government, state or federal, dictating how we eat and how we feed out children." The original author of that post didn't say anything about policy; she wrote about 'awareness'. Michelle Obama isn't dictating anything. Please read the literature about her Let's Move campaign; if you've got a problem with the First Lady then fine, but please let it be about something she's actually done rather than a misinterpretation of the program. You then wrote, "Children must present their lunch boxes for inspection before being allowed to eat lunch. If the "inspector" doesn't deem the lunch to meet the imposed guidelines, the child will not be allowed to eat it or be forced to take additional food from the lunch menu to meet the arbitrary guidelines set up by the powers that be." Specific school lunch rules are set up by the local district. Parents should take their issues directly to the school board as the federal government has no say in school lunches other than very broad guidelines. Also, it's not a child's fault if his or her parents provide crappy food (or no food). Should the school system just sit back and do nothing when they see a child come to school with a bag of chips and a soda for lunch? Or nothing at all? Most likely, the district is setting up these rules to help THOSE kids, but they're then bound to apply the rules to everyone else, too. Maybe some aren't happy with rules like this, and I can see why, but everyone's children are important, whether they can afford a healthy packed lunch or not, and whether their parents care about them or not. I'm concerned for the well-being of ALL children -- not only my own. And yes, I believe child-rearing IS a community responsibility. It does, in fact, take a village.

Great post, Rachael. When are we as a whole going to realize that the food pyramid (or whatever "they" are calling it this year) is not based on God's word and is manufactured by man. Yes, nutrition is important and we should be smart about our food choices, but we are created with different body types; even if we eat the very same things in the same amounts we are not all going to be 5' 6" tall and wear a size 4! Someone wrote "kudos and gratitude to Michell Obama for making awareness a priority of the administration." We do not need the government, state or federal, dictating how we eat and how we feed out children. This is the responsibility of parents. The administration needs to focus on its constitutional responsibilities and get out of the business of interfering with the family and allow fathers and mothers to rear their children according to what they believe to be in their best interests. It does not take a village, it takes a family to rear a child. My son is a grown man so I am not directly affected by the invasion into parental authority and choice that has occurred in our county schools. Children must present their lunch boxes for inspection before being allowed to eat lunch. If the "inspector" doesn't deem the lunch to meet the imposed guidelines, the child will not be allowed to eat it or be forced to take additional food from the lunch menu to meet the arbitrary guidelines set up by the powers that be. For example, a young mother shared with me that her son's lunch was deemed deficient even though it included a turkey and cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk from the lunchroom. Her child was forced to take additional food from the lunch menu so that he would have a nutritious lunch. So what is that child learning? Certainly not good nutrition. Thanks again for addressing a difficult topic that many ignore. The things we say to our children will last a lifetime...the good and the bad. My own mother told me I was not normal when I was growing up and I still struggle with the shame of that at times. By the grace of God I have learned, am still learning, it is not what others say that I am, but what God says that I am that really matters. I am fearfully and wonderfully made and He has a plan for my life! We as Christians should remember to look to Scripture as our guide to everything, including our eating habits.

Absolutely wonderful post! Yes, food is "fragrant, beautiful, pleasing, delicious, sustaining, and satisfying because God is all those things and more--and everything we ingest from morning coffee and bagel to late-night cookies and milk whisper to us of the sweet, savory, sustaining, goodness of God." I too love Ellyn Satter's freeing approach. She revolutionized my relationship to food and body image and was instrumental in my recovery from years of disordered eating patterns. I've written a number of posts on the subject in my blog: Let's Eat, http://bethsblog.typepad.com/lets_eat/

Rachel, this is a lovely post! I am a mother of a 6 year old girl who is bigger than average, healthy and beautiful. I am also a family doctor, and having to learn to feed my family (as an MD, I have treated those suffering with anorexia as well as other illnesses related to a bad relationship with food, I realize that is a horrible simplification...)I found Satter's work, and it was life-changing. I left my work as a family doctor and now work to help families who are struggling with feeding and weight worries as a childhood feeding specialist. Feeding children is absolutely spiritual. I talk with Church groups, and this journey is a leap of faith. We can control how we feed, we can't control how much our children will weigh. I feel blessed that I have been able to look at my daughter and see her as a perfect child, who was, way off the charts, and with time is slimming down, as most kids do if we feed them, love them and support their need to move their bodies in joyful ways. I KNOW had I not found Ellyn's work, I would have seen the labels and worried needlessly about her health. The great irony, is that this mom's approach is likely to cause the very outcomes she fears most... Thanks for the great post! BTW, Ellyn is on facebook, at ellyn satter associates, and I am one of her clinical faculty, www.thefeedingdoctor.com. You are on the right track! Thank you for spreading the word!

It is always difficult to find the proper balance between two extremes, i.e. you can only eat salad or it doesn't matter what you eat. Most eating disorders are really not about food. Teaching our kids to honor God and to be thankful for His provision can go a long way toward helping them to view food in a healthy way. Focusing on God and not on ME is one of the toughest lessons we learn.

If shame worked to deter behaviors, we'd all be size 4, don't you think? We get enough body shaming. I don't understand why ANY parents would body shame their children. Food does not have moral value. There is not "bad" food and "good" food. One is not "good" or "bad" based on what one eats. It upsets me so much when I hear people say, "I was so good today. I only ate salad." Or, "I was so bad. I had a whole slice of cheesecake." It makes me sad that people think that anything they eat can change their value as a human being created in God's image. "What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” Matthew 15:11 Best parenting moment this last month? When my 5-year-old daughter ran up to me and shouted, "I LOVE MY BODY!"

First, thank you for even "going there." I'm guessing that, like myself, others are finding this topic almost too painful to even respond. I've never struggled with weight, but my almost 7 yr old daughter, who *is* very tall, also weighs 80 lbs. Our family eats more healthily than any other I know, and yet we're not scared of treats. My husband and I have consciously decided we never want to shame our daughter for her love of food or put her on any type of diet, but sometimes it seems like even the very occasional reminders to be aware of portions, or the rule that between meal snacks should consist of fruits or vegetable (all you want!) are unkind and harmful. It's so easy to talk about nutrition--and kudos and gratitude to Michelle Obama for making awareness a priority of the administration--but it's extremely difficult when all the nutritional awareness and guidelines are in place, your child's metabolism is the biggest enemy, and every one is horribly aware of how our society regards any one who's curvier than Jennifer Lopez. Every fat joke in movies, on TV, or even from unthinking friends brings me to the edge of tears fro what I know is likely to be a lifelong battle for my precious daughter. So while we're getting our hearts and priorities right about food, let's practice sensitivity towards those who don't look like they subsist on a plant-based diet. And let's affirm that God created every body type because he thinks every one is beautiful.