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Give them a food complex or teach them a value of a calorie?
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Super nanny demonstrated a similar concept. Each child got their personalized snack jar, and they could pick out their allotted portion for the day in to the jar. Once the jar was empty, snacks were done for the day.1
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I kept a copy of the Canada Food guide on the fridge. I didn't deprive my children anything and kept plenty of fruits and veggies around. When they hit their teens I also kept plenty of Ichiban noodles and baked beans around. Neither child had a weight problem.2
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My mom talked about calories all the time. It was one of her focuses.
We are not close to her.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Personally, I think they're just going to end up with food hangups...
As a family, we eat pretty healthy...we teach our kids the value of good nutrition and the kids are allowed treats at our discretion. We're active as a family and my wife and I set the tone in regards to the importance of fitness to an overall healthy way of living. My kids see regular exercise and just being out and being active as totally normal.
Really, at my kid's ages (7 & 4), they don't really need to get all worked up and obsess about calories...they're active and as a family we eat well most of the time...they understand the value of that and the value of having treats here and there but that those things shouldn't be their primary source of food.
IDK..maybe it's because I haven't counted calories in years and one of the reasons I stopped was that I was starting to get consumed and hung up with the numbers...I just don't think it's a very good idea.
Did you teach them about having a budget for money and expenses?3 -
I think this is a brilliant idea. Having this budgetary mindset is tremendous at an early age. The only thing I do with my kids is show how much by comparison I can eat and how much they can eat at 3, 6, and 9yo. Truly amazing how many calories are required in growing kids.
I have already introduced financial budgeting - set age appropriate. I pay each child enough for their toiletries and necessities, then a bit left over for entertainment, so they pick out their personal toothpaste, soap, etc. We bring them in on the household budget so they know how much internet costs, mortgage, etc.0 -
I think it's a fine introduction to budgeting and nutrition. It obviously isn't the end-all-be-all, but it's a good start. As they get older and are able to understand more, you can introduce more concepts. As long as it doesn't become problematic - which you'll have to judge - it should be OK.
One question, though - why 150 Cals? That seems like it might be a little low, depending on how active they are - especially with summer vacation coming up.0 -
No children, but I can say I wish my mother had taught me about calories when I was young. My mom has been a lifelong yo-yo dieter, and the whole time I was a child she would wail about how deprived she felt and how some day I would suffer from a slowed down metabolism like hers. Meanwhile she would pile my plate and her own with five times a normal serving of food. When my husband first ate with my family he was shocked at how much food he was offered, and said he wasn't hungry so could he please have less spaghetti. So she gave him half the amount she gave everyone else, and he ate a third of it. I thought at the time he ate like a bird, but have later realized his amount is the normal one.
It wasn't until years later living on my own that I learned things like - oh my gosh French fries have a billion calories, I probably should not eat a large Wendy's fry every day! Or that the peasant bread and olive oil they serve you while waiting at Macaroni Grill adds up to more calories than you should eat at a sitting, even before your food gets there.
I'm kind of a math wonk, but I like counting calories. I like the power it gives me to make informed decisions. For me at least it's not true that "just eating healthy foods" and not counting calories will work out, because all my instincts about how much to eat are permanently screwed up. I need to know that if I put avocado and cheese and craisins and oil on my salad it will go over my limit, so cut everything in half, or pick which ones you want and have the others another time. I had to acquire the tools I need to make decisions myself, after I had gotten fat and learned a lifetime of bad eating habits. It would have been better to have learned what 100 calories looks like as a child.
I agree that using food as a reward is a bad idea, but it doesn't sound like this is a case of that, more of setting appropriate limits and letting the child make some decisions about how to fill them.1 -
I think it's a fine introduction to budgeting and nutrition. It obviously isn't the end-all-be-all, but it's a good start. As they get older and are able to understand more, you can introduce more concepts. As long as it doesn't become problematic - which you'll have to judge - it should be OK.
One question, though - why 150 Cals? That seems like it might be a little low, depending on how active they are - especially with summer vacation coming up.
Kids ages 4-8 need 1200-2000 calories a day as a guideline. 150 calories of "junk food" is about 10% of total calories, which is reasonable. Plus I'd guess they get some additional "treat" calories at friend's, parties, and other summer activities.
They can get additional calories from veggies, whole fruits, etc if they are more active in summer.
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I think it's a bad idea unless your kids overeat or are overweight. If they have a normal attitude towards food then knowing too much about calories and dieting at 7/8 might make them obsessed. Modern kids that age get the weirdest obsessions and are starting to become much more aware of their bodies than previous generations - you don't want to start an eating disorder!0
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heiliskrimsli wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Personally, I think they're just going to end up with food hangups...
As a family, we eat pretty healthy...we teach our kids the value of good nutrition and the kids are allowed treats at our discretion. We're active as a family and my wife and I set the tone in regards to the importance of fitness to an overall healthy way of living. My kids see regular exercise and just being out and being active as totally normal.
Really, at my kid's ages (7 & 4), they don't really need to get all worked up and obsess about calories...they're active and as a family we eat well most of the time...they understand the value of that and the value of having treats here and there but that those things shouldn't be their primary source of food.
IDK..maybe it's because I haven't counted calories in years and one of the reasons I stopped was that I was starting to get consumed and hung up with the numbers...I just don't think it's a very good idea.
Did you teach them about having a budget for money and expenses?
They are 7 and 4 and learning about budgeting with their allowances...we have a spend jar, save jar, and charity jar. Personally, while I think anecdotal comparisons between budget and calories on a sit like this can be beneficial, in real life I don't particularly see them as the same thing.
Most lean, healthy, and fit people I know don't keep a calorie "budget"...and guess what? They're lean, healthy, and fit...because they do the things that lean, healthy, and fit people do. We are teaching our kids how to live a healthy life overall...I don't think they need to start obsessing about calories and numbers at 7 & 4...that's how eating disorders can develop pretty easily.
Calorie counting and whatnot is "normal" on MFP...it's not really "normal" anywhere else. It's quite possible to maintain a healthy weight and whatnot without knowing exactly this many calories or that many calories...people do it all the friggin' time.3 -
I think this is a brilliant idea. Having this budgetary mindset is tremendous at an early age. The only thing I do with my kids is show how much by comparison I can eat and how much they can eat at 3, 6, and 9yo. Truly amazing how many calories are required in growing kids.
I have already introduced financial budgeting - set age appropriate. I pay each child enough for their toiletries and necessities, then a bit left over for entertainment, so they pick out their personal toothpaste, soap, etc. We bring them in on the household budget so they know how much internet costs, mortgage, etc.
Thats really smart! When I hit 16 my parents started letting me learn money and food management by giving me a budget and letting me purchase our food for our packed lunches for the week. I quickly learned how to make healthy, filling, and fun lunches for relatively cheap! It helped me learn my way around a wallet and a grocery store at the same time. It gave me a lot of freedom to try new foods too and learn the prices of things which can sometimes be overlooked by children until they're on their own.2 -
IDK about the calorie counting thing, but this summer we are teaching our teenage daughter how to create a meal plan and workout schedule, and monitor weight change over time (she's a teenager, so she won't be losing any weight) and calibrate diet accordingly. She may or may not choose to use those skills later in life, but at least we'll have taught her everything she needs to know to gain/lose/maintain weight effectively, and demonstrated to her conclusively that she is 100% in control of her body composition.0
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amusedmonkey wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Personally, I think they're just going to end up with food hangups...
As a family, we eat pretty healthy...we teach our kids the value of good nutrition and the kids are allowed treats at our discretion. We're active as a family and my wife and I set the tone in regards to the importance of fitness to an overall healthy way of living. My kids see regular exercise and just being out and being active as totally normal.
Really, at my kid's ages (7 & 4), they don't really need to get all worked up and obsess about calories...they're active and as a family we eat well most of the time...they understand the value of that and the value of having treats here and there but that those things shouldn't be their primary source of food.
IDK..maybe it's because I haven't counted calories in years and one of the reasons I stopped was that I was starting to get consumed and hung up with the numbers...I just don't think it's a very good idea.
I got fat (very fat) eating healthy and being on the volleyball team. My family generally ate healthy because most of our home cooked meals are nutritious and we always cooked. I was about 9 years old when I learned about calories, and it has not created any negative impact for me. Had I been exposed to the practical application of calories at home and not just playing games with it in school, food control may have been higher on my list of priorities, who knows.
She isn't having them count every single morsel of food or intimidating them into being afraid of high calorie foods, she is simply exposing them to tools that could prove helpful for weight management, and it's only once a week, not a daily obsession. If at some point they need to use this tool they would know that if they are having a slightly heavier dinner but find themselves in the shop wanting a snack, they would just look at the calories on the package to pick something fitting instead of heading directly to a higher calorie snack of nuts just because it's healthy.
We treat children like little adults with comparable life baggage and hangups, but they're in fact eager to learn and don't usually read too much into things unless there are other factors at play.
I know a 12 year old girl with eating disorders because her mom is obsessed with calories and forced that *kitten* down her kid's throat...
There are lots and lots and lots of people who aren't particularly calorie aware who do just fine...most of my friends are fitness folks and healthy and lean and fit and not a single one counts calories or anything...
I'm sure at some point I'll introduce the concept of calories and energy to my kids, but I think it's a bit much at 4 & 7...particularly when they already have good eating habits, their own internal portion control, and are very active kids...it aint broke, so there's nothing to fix. At this point I think we're just fine focusing on solid nutrition and regular exercise.3 -
I have split custody of my kids with my ex who teaches them that certain foods are unhealthy. I don't want them to JUST eat treats but I also want them to learn that they can incorporate them into a healthy diet.
For a precious poster that asked about whether or not I do this with money they also get 10.00/week to spend how they wish at the flea market or on Pokemon cards etc. It's not a perfect system but it seems to be in good fun for now.0 -
I don't think it's a bad idea at all. However, i think most of us would be better off teaching our kids (by example) how to healthily manage our emotions. Many of us are taught to suppress our feelings (e.g. boys shouldn't cry, girls should be nice), which in my case resulted in overeating instead of using healthier coping mechanisms (e.g. exercise, talking, writing, art etc.) for life's many stressful events. I feel like teaching my kid about calories is helpful, but teaching him that it is more than ok to cry & acknowledge emotional pain is more useful in the long term!4
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cwolfman13 wrote: »heiliskrimsli wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Personally, I think they're just going to end up with food hangups...
As a family, we eat pretty healthy...we teach our kids the value of good nutrition and the kids are allowed treats at our discretion. We're active as a family and my wife and I set the tone in regards to the importance of fitness to an overall healthy way of living. My kids see regular exercise and just being out and being active as totally normal.
Really, at my kid's ages (7 & 4), they don't really need to get all worked up and obsess about calories...they're active and as a family we eat well most of the time...they understand the value of that and the value of having treats here and there but that those things shouldn't be their primary source of food.
IDK..maybe it's because I haven't counted calories in years and one of the reasons I stopped was that I was starting to get consumed and hung up with the numbers...I just don't think it's a very good idea.
Did you teach them about having a budget for money and expenses?
They are 7 and 4 and learning about budgeting with their allowances...we have a spend jar, save jar, and charity jar. Personally, while I think anecdotal comparisons between budget and calories on a sit like this can be beneficial, in real life I don't particularly see them as the same thing.
Most lean, healthy, and fit people I know don't keep a calorie "budget"...and guess what? They're lean, healthy, and fit...because they do the things that lean, healthy, and fit people do. We are teaching our kids how to live a healthy life overall...I don't think they need to start obsessing about calories and numbers at 7 & 4...that's how eating disorders can develop pretty easily.
Calorie counting and whatnot is "normal" on MFP...it's not really "normal" anywhere else. It's quite possible to maintain a healthy weight and whatnot without knowing exactly this many calories or that many calories...people do it all the friggin' time.
It is absolutely absurd to me that anyone thinks knowing how much they're eating is somehow weird, problematic or a sign of an eating disorder.
A fundamental part of good nutrition is consuming the proper amount for one's age, sex and activity level. Given the rate of overweight and obesity as well as the fact that both are increasing, it is asinine to place all the worry on eating disorders so as to eschew such a basic part of nutrition. Kind of like worrying that it's raining and you've got no umbrella when you're on a sinking ship.4 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Personally, I think they're just going to end up with food hangups...
As a family, we eat pretty healthy...we teach our kids the value of good nutrition and the kids are allowed treats at our discretion. We're active as a family and my wife and I set the tone in regards to the importance of fitness to an overall healthy way of living. My kids see regular exercise and just being out and being active as totally normal.
Really, at my kid's ages (7 & 4), they don't really need to get all worked up and obsess about calories...they're active and as a family we eat well most of the time...they understand the value of that and the value of having treats here and there but that those things shouldn't be their primary source of food.
IDK..maybe it's because I haven't counted calories in years and one of the reasons I stopped was that I was starting to get consumed and hung up with the numbers...I just don't think it's a very good idea.
I got fat (very fat) eating healthy and being on the volleyball team. My family generally ate healthy because most of our home cooked meals are nutritious and we always cooked. I was about 9 years old when I learned about calories, and it has not created any negative impact for me. Had I been exposed to the practical application of calories at home and not just playing games with it in school, food control may have been higher on my list of priorities, who knows.
She isn't having them count every single morsel of food or intimidating them into being afraid of high calorie foods, she is simply exposing them to tools that could prove helpful for weight management, and it's only once a week, not a daily obsession. If at some point they need to use this tool they would know that if they are having a slightly heavier dinner but find themselves in the shop wanting a snack, they would just look at the calories on the package to pick something fitting instead of heading directly to a higher calorie snack of nuts just because it's healthy.
We treat children like little adults with comparable life baggage and hangups, but they're in fact eager to learn and don't usually read too much into things unless there are other factors at play.
I know a 12 year old girl with eating disorders because her mom is obsessed with calories and forced that *kitten* down her kid's throat...
There are lots and lots and lots of people who aren't particularly calorie aware who do just fine...most of my friends are fitness folks and healthy and lean and fit and not a single one counts calories or anything...
I'm sure at some point I'll introduce the concept of calories and energy to my kids, but I think it's a bit much at 4 & 7...particularly when they already have good eating habits, their own internal portion control, and are very active kids...it aint broke, so there's nothing to fix. At this point I think we're just fine focusing on solid nutrition and regular exercise.
There is a big difference between forcing obsessions on children and teaching them something in a reasonable manner. An obsessed healthy eater can lead their child to orthorexia. An exerciser obsessed in a bad way could lead their child to exercise bulimia or create complete aversion to exercise. Someone with extreme obsessions about money budgeting could create psychological issues around money for their kids...etc
When you choose to teach a child something is up to the parent, and there is nothing wrong with waiting, but there's also nothing wrong with starting early using age appropriate methods. I'm pretty sure a parent who cares about their child more than they do about the topic at hand (which seems to be the case here) will have the ability to change strategies on the fly at the first negative sign.2 -
I'm not American, therefore sorry for being rough. But I'd never let my kids think that chips and artificial sweets are their treats. They should eat good real healthy food, not that garbage. Dark chocolate, fruits, dried fruits, even real deserts like macaroon or fruit tarts are much better. But not that garbage and especially presented as "treats", which creates a wrong image in their minds for their whole life.
I know it's popular on the MFP to make it all about calories. But calories counting is only to control your weight, which kids don't really need. What they do need is to learn to choose good quality food to live long and healthy life, and not making food their life priority and obsession.3 -
I'm not American, therefore sorry for being rough. But I'd never let my kids think that chips and artificial sweets are their treats. They should eat good real healthy food, not that garbage. Dark chocolate, fruits, dried fruits, even real deserts like macaroon or fruit tarts are much better. But not that garbage and especially presented as "treats", which creates a wrong image in their minds for their whole life.
I know it's popular on the MFP to make it all about calories. But calories counting is only to control your weight, which kids don't really need. What they do need is to learn to choose good quality food to live long and healthy life, and not making food their life priority and obsession.
Do you have kids? I'm not American either, yet there are just as many overweight/obese people where I live. What country/planet are you from where there is no access to refined products & children only eat healthy snacks?
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Europe.
1 kid.
Obviously kids don't want to eat broccoli as a treat. But a macaroon, pineapple, gelato or frozen yogurt or a strawberry tart is so much better then this trashy fried stuff made from chemicals and I don't know what else.
We in general have culture of enjoying good quality food and beautiful life, and fried chemicals are not a part of it.2
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