Encouraging healthy eating

[suddenlycupishalffull]

Not sure this is the right place to post...both DC have always eaten well but because it's Christmas DD1 (3.5) is having far more treats than normal. Normally we don't have biscuits etc in the house but she does have choc prob once a week, party food if she goes to one, a tea cake out, that sort of thing. I had an eating disorder for a long time & therefore have no 'normal' sense of how people handle treats. For me, it can't be in the house or I'll binge then purge. DD1 is around treats every day now (she has a choc advent calendar, there seems to be lots of little Christmas parties at playgroups etc) and I'm getting around this by saying yes you can have it if you eat your dinner. I never ask they clear their plates - just eat till they're full- but I don't like the treats as a reward thing I seem to be falling into - but I can't think of any other way to ensure she eats proper food before she has treats. Any tips? Or should I just let it go & accept she'll eat more crap over the holidays?

Personally, I think let it go over the holiday season. Are you able to explain to her (and is she able to understand?) something along the lines of "it's nice around christmas time to have some extra treats, isn't it?" and then remind her gently that after christmas it will be back to normal. You might find she gets a bit used to it over the xmas period, but all the goodies will gradually phase out, and if you don't normally keep chocolates etc in the house, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

When I think about myself, my family, and most people I know, we all indulge a bit more at this time of year (eg. I have bought a box of mince pies at the weekly shop for the past 3 weeks, and never normally buy cakes), and what she is developing is actually a fairly normal relationship with food.