Using a food scale in front of your kids
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My kids grew up with a food scale. Its just easier to prepare recipes using gm/oz vs measuring cups. Not a big deal to them. Except they had to learn using measuring cups in their home-ec classes at school...lol....no scale there.0
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I've stopped using my food scale in front of my daughter. She is 6 and is already very concerned about calories and fears gaining weight. I want her to learn to make healthy food choices but I don't think a 6 year old should be so concerned about calories that she wants to weigh her food!0
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I get that there is an "up" side to accurately tracking nutrition. However, knowing how easy it is for some female teens to slip into obsessions, I would be a little concerned, also. I would downplay it, actually.0
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The first time I saw a kitchen scale ever was when my friend started Weight Watchers back in the early 90s. Just an ordinary $5 scale (not digital). I found it interesting, but not odd or disordered.
I don't know many people who have a kitchen scale, but then again, I don't go snooping through people's cupboards.
I just don't get what all the angst is over using it in front of kids...it's not like your 5 year old caught you using something from the adult toy store or anything...0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
We did do that in one of my high school health classes! We had to keep a food journal for 2 weeks and record as accurately as possible what and how much we were eating.0 -
ckspores1018 wrote: »lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
While I agree it isn't as common to see weights in US recipes as in the UK and Europe, the idea that American kitchens don't have scales and using them for proper portion control is viewed as disordered eating is ridiculous.
I agree. I've never even heard of someone in the U.S. thinking it odd to have a scale. That said, I grew up with a scale in the kitchen. We didn't use it for a lot, but we had one in case we needed it.
I never owned a kitchen scale until I was 60 yrs old and only because of MFP. I once weighed something when someone else could see me doing it and I was criticized for it. That person can *** my *** but that is the way people think.
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kamakazeekim wrote: »I've stopped using my food scale in front of my daughter. She is 6 and is already very concerned about calories and fears gaining weight. I want her to learn to make healthy food choices but I don't think a 6 year old should be so concerned about calories that she wants to weigh her food!
Did you tell her that it was for weight loss and counting calories?0 -
I use mine in front of the kids all the time. As a matter of fact, my daughter, who is soon to be 8 years old, also uses it.
They spent a lot of time talking about calories and nutrition in her 2nd grade class this year. She's started reading labels (huzzah at such a young age!) and, after dumping a huge bowl of Cocoa Puffs (don't hate, I love 'em too) she stated, "There's 100 calories in a bowl." -- the common misconception of "1 bowl = 1 serving" rather than "27 grams = one serving" (No, I cannot remember what the volume measure is). I asked her if she really believed that and to re-read the nutrition label.
"It says 1 cup, daddy."
"What other way does it measure how much you should have?"
"It also says 27 grams."
So, teaching moment in hand, we measured out 27 grams. Not a whole bowl and she was surprised by how little it was. But we didn't stop there. We talked about how it's OK to have more than one serving, if she wanted, and most importantly she should understand how much she was eating. What she had put in the bowl was closer to 2 servings and, since she doesn't like to drown her cereal in milk, I told her that was probably OK.
She has since started measuring more things when she eats them -- cereals in the morning, cheez-its for snacks, things like that. Sometimes she'll measure the grapes or blueberries she has for a snack. I don't stress it and I don't force it, but she's slowly getting more consistent at doing it.
Personally, I'm OCD about it, I measure every damned thing, mostly because that's what got me from my 340 pound self down to something relatively fit. But if I can plant the seeds in my kids at a young age to be both diligent and aware...I think I'm winning.0 -
I've lived in Italy for 30 yrs now (born and raised in Minnesota). Everyone here has a scale--and knows how to use it. We're on the metric system, so I had to switch over long ago. When I joined MFP, weighing my food was just natural and logical. I am always amused at the posts where people resist weighing their foods (but are usually weighing "themselves" fanatically), and "can't wait until I don't have to weigh my food anymore". It's just a habit here. No one even thinks about what their children would think. Best.
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Think it is great to teach children about correct portion sizes! Install good habits when they are young. Nothing to do with bad body image if you make it into a positive teaching experience and explain it is for overall health, not only weight. Plus learning weight conversions is great for future classes like chemistry and math.I_Will_End_You wrote: »This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
So agree, nutrition classes were always just a quick bs class in my high school. It was only half a semester and never learned anything from it
Wish they make it more of a priority. If I knew about weighing food back then it would have solved a lot of weight issues for me.
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I've been using my food scale daily for the past 1.5 years and my kids see what I do. No shame in it. They know I do it to keep myself in check. I would think it would be worse if I weighed my food out in public, but that just me. I also think if my kids saw me eating like a bird or never eating that would be worse than weighing my food.0
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ckspores1018 wrote: »lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
While I agree it isn't as common to see weights in US recipes as in the UK and Europe, the idea that American kitchens don't have scales and using them for proper portion control is viewed as disordered eating is ridiculous.
I agree. I've never even heard of someone in the U.S. thinking it odd to have a scale. That said, I grew up with a scale in the kitchen. We didn't use it for a lot, but we had one in case we needed it.
I grew up with a food scale in the kitchen too. I even saw my mother and sister use it from time to time when they were on one of their many weight loss kicks. But I learned more about cooking from my dad. His style of cooking was to start throwing stuff together until it turned into something. If you weren't sure about something, you might pull out a cookbook and measure out a few things, but those were just suggestions.0 -
My 6 year old daughter is an avid competition dancer. She regularly has 7-12 hours per week of dance classes/rehearsals. From a very early age I have taught her that she needs to eat properly to give her body the energy and fuel it needs to do what she loves. So, when she questions food related activities, such as weighing, I simply tell her I am making sure I get the right amount of energy for my exercise. She understands completely. It also helps with the conversations around "why can't I have another cookie, why can't I have cupcakes for breakfast, etc." We are an IIFYM household, we all eat what we enjoy, and we moderate and guage it based on current goals.0
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I_Will_End_You wrote: »This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
One of my son's high school teachers did this. It was in his conditioning/weight training class. The teacher had them record everything they ate for a week and all of their activities. The following week, they looked up the calorie and nutritional info and estimated what they burned. We had some really interesting discussions at home after this project. The teacher was great - he never condemned any food groups, but wanted the students to pay attention to what they eat and consider how that will help them meet their own goals. I really liked his approach, unfortunately he retired a few years ago.0 -
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
I agree 100%. We live in a calorie-surplus environment. If you just eat to satiety the commonly-available foods that you find tasty and convenient, you are almost guaranteed to eat a surplus. We should be counting calories from a young age before we get overweight.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
I think that's a great idea.
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I_Will_End_You wrote: »This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wish schools would have kids log calories and weigh food as a project in high school health class for a week. Teach them about macros and their role in our bodies, what a reasonable portion of food looks like, how much they should consume for their size and activity level, how much protein they should get, etc.. It seems like one of the most important things you can teach teens as far as health is concerned.
^^^^^This!0 -
Maintenance. Making sure you stay healthy?0
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hollydubs85 wrote: »kamakazeekim wrote: »I've stopped using my food scale in front of my daughter. She is 6 and is already very concerned about calories and fears gaining weight. I want her to learn to make healthy food choices but I don't think a 6 year old should be so concerned about calories that she wants to weigh her food!
Did you tell her that it was for weight loss and counting calories?
I told her it was so I eat the right amount of food. I've lost about 140 in the past year in a half so she knows I control my food pretty tightly.0 -
My appetite is not properly tuned to allow me to eat the amounts of food that will keep me at the place I want to be, so I use a scale to correct the faults in my appetite. As far as I'm concerned it's comparable to wearing glasses. My 4 and 6 year olds already understand that.0
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asflatasapancake wrote: »Yeah, I was wondering how to approach that with my 5 year old daughter. She asked me why I was doing what I was doing. I said, 'It's something that daddy does'.
Bake a cake with her - a real one from scratch. To get it right, you should weigh all the ingredients, not measure them. Explain that to her while you make the cake, and how if you have too much of one ingredient or not enough of another, it will be floppy or thick or crumbly.
If it comes up again when you're using the scale (or if you just want to throw it in while you're baking) tell her you use the scale on your dinner for the same reason, to make sure you have the right mix of ingredients. Leave it at that til she's older.
My son is 12, and he's just always seen me using it, but I use it for everything, baking, full recipes, or just making my own lunch. He just associates it as another kitchen tool, one he uses, too, when he helps in the kitchen.0 -
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I have two daughters and it's a non-issue, just like having a bathroom scale out in the open is a non-issue
My oldest daughter has asked why I weigh my food and it was a great discussion-I showed her how nutritional labels work, how food has servings sizes etc. It was actually a pretty neat life lesson moment 0 -
I don't see a problem with my kids watching me use the kitchen scale. I want to model a healthy relationship with food to them and part of that is knowing how much is enough. I can't prevent them from having body issues... I think every woman in the world does... But what I can do is show them how to be the healthiest they can be. And sometimes that means weighing food to make sure you are eating the right amount of things. I grew up always watching my mom exercise and I credit that to the reason it is easy for me to workout now. Maybe if she had also modeled the correct portion size for a brownie or cookie, I'd have an easier time with that, too.0
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
You're using the wrong recipes.lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
Nearly every cookbook and recipe I've come across..uses measuring cups and spoons, here in the US.
This-I do a LOT of baking and I have hundreds of recipes that I've printed off from online recipe sites. They all use measuring cups/spoons for measuring, I've never seen a recipe that goes by weight for an ingredient.0 -
Thanks for the advice, I think the recipe advice is a good one.
I guess I've just spent so much time stressing how much I love my body and how important it is to love your body and feel confident in it, that I feel, I don't know, like I'd have to admit that I'm not as happy with it as I've been saying. Does that make sense?
Balance. It's fine to communicate the idea that we should strive for good health and to be happy with our appearance. What we don't want to communicate is that our self-worth is somehow tied to that. If you feel that way, you're likely communicating it in ways other than using a food scale.0 -
why would you not want your children to know it's important to be mindful of what you eat?0
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Sarasmaintaining wrote: »DeguelloTex wrote: »
You're using the wrong recipes.lthames0810 wrote: »DemoraFairy wrote: »Whenever I cooked with my mum we always used scales, how else do you accurately follow a recipe? Also used scales in cookery classes at school.
In the US, recipes don't have weights, but rather measuring cups and spoons. We don't commonly have scales in our kitchens. The vast majority of people don't weight their food for the purpose of limiting portions, so it is often viewed as eccentric or disordered behavior.
Nearly every cookbook and recipe I've come across..uses measuring cups and spoons, here in the US.
This-I do a LOT of baking and I have hundreds of recipes that I've printed off from online recipe sites. They all use measuring cups/spoons for measuring, I've never seen a recipe that goes by weight for an ingredient.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/
They all have the options for ounces and grams, and cover pretty much any baked good you'd ever want to use.0 -
I just show my son/sisters/friends the grams measurement on the side of food packaging. Grams...I cannot eyeball a gram. Gram is a weight. this item is meant to be weighed.
I like to know what I'm eating. I don't wish to have too much of anything or too little of anything. Its like a cake too much or too little with have it turn out wrong.0 -
asflatasapancake wrote: »Yeah, I was wondering how to approach that with my 5 year old daughter. She asked me why I was doing what I was doing. I said, 'It's something that daddy does'.
Good heavens, the way some people go about this make it seem naughty in some way.
What's wrong with just saying the truth: "I weigh my food so I make sure I eat the right amount to be healthy?"
*shakes head*
exactly.0
This discussion has been closed.
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