It's the parent's job to put wholesome, appealing foods on the table. But don't panic if a child doesn't choose from every food group at every meal. Over time, children will vary their selections. They are capable of regulating their food intake. They generally react negatively to new foods but will usually accept them with time and experience.
Parents can either support or disrupt children's food acceptance and food regulation.
Satter is vehemently opposed to depriving fat children of food to control their weight. Physicians often mistakenly assume that if a child is getting fat, it must be a result of overfeeding. Some will fight to the death rather than eat one more morsel than they really want. Other children like eating and will eat beyond satiety and not experience discomfort. They chronically withhold food from themselves, trying to eat less than they really want-less in quantity and less appealing food.