![]() Maybe they always need to keep granola bars in their desk. In those examples, the best thing to do is to talk to the parents or caregivers. So what do you do about this in a classroom?įood issues are quite common among children in foster care or children who have been adopted. They still struggle with the trauma from food insecurity even though they have always had access to food in the last 5, 10, or 20 years of their life. I know several people who were adopted as infants, but they went without regularly getting breast milk or formula for the first few months of their life. It is also important to recognize that the trauma from food insecurity does not go away once you have food. Other times a student might sneak into your classroom treasure chest and leave dozens of empty candy wrappers. Or a child might eat all of their lunch and sneak the leftovers of their friends. In school, this might mean that a student might steal someone else’s food and hide it in his locker or backpack. The trauma of food insecurity and hunger wired their brains to constantly be afraid they will not have food or water. The feeling of hunger and thirst can make a child go into survival mode so they struggle to learn when they feel hungry or thirsty.Ĭhildren from food insecure households may also struggle with hoarding food and overeating, even through adulthood. Obviously this makes learning a challenge!ĭepending on the type of trauma that a child experienced, when blood sugar dips too low from going too long between meals, it can send a child into the fight, flight, or freeze response. When children are constantly hungry or thirsty, they struggle to focus, they struggle with headaches and stomachaches, and they can struggle with low energy and fatigue. Poor nutrition can affect brain development and physical development. Or $1 can buy a single serving of organic greek yogurt or one fresh mango. $1 can buy a box of generic brand pasta to feed a family of 5. ![]() Poor NutritionĬheap food is often not healthy food. He would refuse to eat unless his peanut and butter and jelly sandwich was pureed into a smoothie with a specific texture. ![]() I once had a student who would only eat pureed sandwiches and milk. And no amount of tough love, eat-it-or-starve ideology will work. But because of sensory problems, that child cannot and will not eat. The parents provide food, offer food, and serve food. Some children struggle with taste and texture due to sensory issues. We all know that plenty of students leave our classrooms on Friday, and they do not eat again until breakfast at school on Monday. In some families, the parents desperately want to feed their families, but there is not enough money to do so, so some children might go to bed with hungry tummies. Bottles might be propped up, formula might be diluted, and no amount of crying or whining will help that baby get their tummy filled. The parent feeds a child when and if it is convenient for them. Babies don’t get bottles on a schedule or breastmilk on demand. Sometimes parents simply do not feed their children on a regular basis. How does this happen?ĭifficult relationships with food can happen for so many reasons, but here are a few common ones. Although, it is no secret that we often have students in our classrooms with food issues. So I am actually most likely not the best person to be writing this post, but this is something that teachers need to know regardless of my dietary expertise.Ĭhildren who have experienced trauma can often have a difficult relationship with food, whether they overeat or refuse to eat. I am not a nutritionist (or dietary expert).Those experiences greatly affect how you view food and how you will receive this post.īut before we dive into this too deep, let me first acknowledge two things: Or maybe you grew up in poverty and you know how it feels to go to bed hungry? Maybe you are part of the working class, and you have had to survive on ramen noodles and hot dogs for 3 days straight until you got paid? But at least you had food? In full disclosure, I do not know what type of audience I am writing this post to.Īre you a middle class person who has always had a fully stocked refrigerator, freezer, and pantry? In this post, we are going to chat about the connection between food and trauma. Many children who have experienced trauma can have a difficult relationship with food.
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