The Satter Eating Competence Model

ecSatter

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At the heart of a good relationship with food is the principle of Eating Competence.¹ Eating Competence, as defined by the Satter Eating Competence Model (ecSatter), is being positive, comfortable, and flexible with eating as well as matter-of-fact and reliable about getting enough to eat of enjoyable and nourishing food. Even though ecSatter says nothing at all about what or how much to eat or what to weigh, people who are Eating Competent (EC) have better diets, lower BMIs, superior metabolic profiles, and more-positive quality of life indicators. Eating competence is measured by the validated ecSI 2.0 TM.^{2, 3}

EC show superior diets

People who are Eating Competent have nutritionally adequate diets of high nutrition quality. They eat more fruits and vegetables and have better food resource management skills.^{2, 4-10} Instead of going by what and how much to eat, people who are Eating Competent depend on their own natural food preference, personal maturation, and diversity-seeking processes to ensure dietary variety and therefore nutritional quality.

EC show superior wellness, medical nutrition therapy measures

People who are Eating Competent show superior wellness and metabolic indicators, are less likely to have metabolic syndrome, have lower insulin resistance and lower incidence of unidentified type 2 diabetes. ^{2, 7, 8, 10-15} They achieve these positive indicators without following prescriptive diets, e.g they do not go by guidelines of what and how much to eat.

EC show lower BMI

ecSatter is weight-neutral. It defines desirable weight as stable BMI at any level, and does not encourage in any way striving for weight loss. Correlation and intervention studies show that people who are Eating Competent have the same or lower BMIs.^{2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14-16}

EC show superior quality of life indicators

ecSatter correlates with lower drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction and less restrained eating and disinhibited eating. Also correlated are more positive sleep and activity patterns and indicators of social and emotional well-being: lower interpersonal distrust, impulsivity, ineffectiveness, maturity fears, and social insecurity.^{2, 7, 8, 10-15}

EC show better parenting with food

EC mothers of 2-6 year-olds show the highest fdSI scores (pre-validation precursor to sDOR.2-6y^TM), are likely divide feeding responsibilities,^{18, 19} view their child’s eating positively,¹⁸ and show low restriction.¹⁹

To keep up with the ecSatter evidence as it emerges, see Evidence-base of Satter Eating Competence Model.