Using a food scale in front of your kids
Options
Replies
-
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 don't think this is a bad idea. It's a healthy and responsible way of teaching children about proper nutrition and the science of the human body and how we fuel it.
0 -
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.
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?
Yes. Having raised children myself and talked to them about this as adults, I can tell you that it's more what you do and your attitude than what you say. I think most people would say I did a lot of things wrong. I constantly called myself fat, even though I was far from being overweight. I called cookies and ice cream and chips and other food "junk" and "bad", even though we still ate it as treats.
None of my kids were ever overweight or underweight or had/have any eating disorders. They exercise and eat right and enjoy treats. Because that's what I did. That's what I taught by example. I may have done a lot of things wrong, but I raised successful healthy decent adults.0 -
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.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*0 -
Many of Alton Brown's and others use weight and they're easy enough to convert.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.
0 -
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.
And that's only because the publishers force them to put quantities on stuff.0 -
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.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.0 -
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
0 -
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.
0 -
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.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 388 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 917 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions