Teaching children about weight and nutrition

WendyTerry420

She said to google it and I did.

http://catchusa.org/documents/misc/GSW_with Intro_reduced format_English.pdf

It doesn't look so bad to me. As she said, nothing is off-limits. Just some things should be eaten with more moderation. And higher fat means higher calories.

I think whole milk, butter, and meat are dietary staples regardless of their calorie content -- not "whoa" foods to be avoided. Perhaps if people ate more of them they wouldn't be prone to overeating in the first place. I think it's terrible to be teaching that nonsense to kids.

Butter is good, but a "dietary staple"?

And the "whoa" foods are not "foods to be avoided." They're "foods to eat in moderation."

Butter is a staple in my house, along with bread, milk, eggs, flour, and sugar/Stevia. If any of those things are missing, it's time to go to the store. :laugh:

jr235

Its good to know that everyone thinks if I lead by example my little one will follow along. Right now she's 2 and wants to do everything I do. She sees me going out for a run she wants to go out for a run too. She likes to help me 'cook' now and can name many spices by smell. Mostly I just try to keep a healthy lifestyle in place so its not even a question. For some time I don't think it will even occur to her that she could have junk for lunch or skip meals because that's just not the way we role. She is incredibly active and next year I will start enrolling her in sports.

I have a bit of a messed up relationship with food because I started eating out of boredom when I was fairly young. My parents divorced and mostly checked out of hte whole parenting thing to go live their own lives. No one was around to teach me healthy habits. In some ways that was good for me and in some ways bad. I learned to cook at a young age because otherwise I would have been eating nothing but ramen. All in all I have no idea if leading by example is enough, but I certainly hope it is because there's not much else I can do!

rml_16

All in all I have no idea if leading by example is enough, but I certainly hope it is because there's not much else I can do!

It's the best way to help her have a healthy relationship with food. If you start harping on weight (even mentioning it, really), it can and probably will lead to all sorts of issues you don't want.

There's no guarantee she won't become overweight or anything like that, but it's more important that she love herself, don't you think?

jr235

I never had any intentions of harping on her about her weight. The idea was giving her the tools to manage her own weight when she gets to the stage where she is more in control of her food and habits.

All in all I'm not a big fan of 'making' my kid do anything in terms of lifestyle choices. I can't 'make' her choose a particular religion, 'make' her study a certain subject, 'make' her like to read, anything really. All I can do is put the materials out there and watch her grow into a well informed all around awesome adult.

rml_16

The idea was giving her the tools to manage her own weight when she gets to the stage where she is more in control of her food and habits.

This is not something you want to do with an adolescent. Modeling healthy behavior and making healthy foods the staple in your household are important, but don't even mention "managing" her weight. Please do not do this to your child.

If at some point she does seem to be getting out of control, talk to her doctor about it. But don't create a problem.

Peachygirl14

Not bad having weighing scale. It's good from time to time to heck it as long as she is not obsessed about her weight. It's a good tool to help measure BMI

baldmitch

I forgot...

If you can, garden.

Include the kids and make it fun.

Compare a squash, green bean or a cucumber you grow in the garden to the sickly things they sell at the grocery store and fast food restaurants. We did this when our kid was 5. Couldn't get him to eat green beans from a can, but let him "pick dinner" from the garden and also see how mama cooks the veggies (steam, boil, or sautee in EVOO), and bingo!

DawnieB1977

Lots of parents have a growth scale or mark on the door where their children have grown to. If you had the same with a weight, they wouldn't think it strange when they became teenagers - and it would be pretty easy to figure out a healthy range for them to stay in. They key is healthy _range_ because that will remind them that sometimes they need to put on weight too.

No. No. No.

No, just no. I rarely weigh my kids. I can tell they're a healthy weight just by looking at them. They're both tall for their ages, and slim.

I reiterate - teach by example and keep active. Young kids are full of energy. If they get used to running about and being active with their parents at a young age, hopefully they'll carry on being active.

I don't remember my parents ever specifically talking to us about nutrition, yet all 3 of us know how to eat healthily. I never go to McDonald's or anywhere, which I never did as a child, I cook my own food and don't rely on microwave meals, I prefer to walk most places (I live in England), and I like being active. This is how I grew up.

LVCeltGirl

What's working for me as my son gets older, is that I started getting him hooked on veggies and fruits when he was younger.

He's currently 8 and yes, if given the choice would have fast food (McDonald's, Burger King, etc.) for dinner every day. But also if given the choice and we're eating out, he'll choose the soup and salad place (Sweet Tomatoes). He thinks that cooked but room temperature green beans with nothing more than a bit of a Cajun seasoning is a great snack. He loves broccoli, cooked or raw without a ton of "crap" on it (so not much on dip, or cheese on his broccoli).

I believe that a lot of the battle for teaching children about nutrition, weight and body image is to be a good role model. Teach your child the struggle of staying fit, or in my case, getting fit. Take them out to do things even if it's just playing with them in the park (that teaches that exercise is better than sitting in front of a TV or computer). Lead by example as best you can. I'd love to say that my weight loss is all about me but after having my son, part of it is for him. I don't want him to go through the struggle I've gone through. So I use MFP as a teaching tool for him too. Mom's got to log her dinner, mom's got to log her exercise. Or even bribe him to get his homework done before I pick him up from after school care by saying that we'll go to the gym that night.

My son knows that mom can't go to McDonald's (or other fast food place) often because the high fat, high grease food makes mom "blow up", and he now knows it means that it makes mom gain weight so it's a funny that mom would "blow up". And he does know it's because I don't want to choose a salad at a place like that. So we plan those trips out, like if mom has gone and spent over an hour at the gym on the weekend, we can go to McDonald's but only if we go play at the park afterward to get some more exercise in. I even allow him on the scale at home and I praise him that he's in a healthy weight range.

So now that I've babbled on. It's my firm belief that you start them young, do what you can to help create that healthy lifestyle and body image before they are making the choices themselves and teach them that all foods are okay if done in moderation. Get them active so that they want to stay active all before the technology of today encourages them to become inactive. It's up to us as their parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents or even the friends that are family to teach them early.

JustSomeEm

I have two sons, a 12 year old and a 9 year old. My 12 year old has a little more fat on him than he should, not much, but enough that you can see it when he isn't wearing a shirt. I spent the first 10 years of his life modeling crappy eating behavior for him, and I think that has taken its toll. He likes carbs a little too much and doesn't like to eat his veggies at meal times. He'd prefer his snacks be things like chips and cookies, even though I have ALWAYS made him have something healthier than chips for a snack with the occassional exception. I don't make my boys clear their plates at meal times, but I DO make them eat most of their vegetables. I make it clear that if they're still hungry after a meal they can have seconds - not some high calorie/low nutrient 'snack' food. Six months ago, I started making healthier food choices - modelling better eating habits for my boys. Just from watching me, they are making healthier choices as well, and asking for the lower nutrient foods less. We still have them in the house, we just don't eat htem as often, and the boys want them less often. We DO talk about nutrition, but like most of you guys, I don't want to give my kids a fitness complex. I truly think that the best way to teach your kids about healthy nutrition and fitness is to model it for them. YES, talk to them. Explain why you won't let them have cookies for a snack this time - because they are a sometimes food and THIS time they should be having something healthier. But for the most part, SHOWING them healthy habits is what they need. SHOWING my oldest the right things to consume and having a non-accusatory dialog has seemed to help. He's making smarter choices, and is slimming down a little.

abickford82

I have four kids. 3 from my previous marriage (boys), and I only get them in the summers and at holidays since we live in a separate state. I always had them exercise with me, but their food habits are bad since they're dad is obese and does not care to take care of his health, and fitness doesn't even come close to existing for him. My (step) daughter is 11, and kind of on the cusp of becoming overweight. Her dad and I have been married for less than 2 years so it's a whole new world for her though she does run, and we have her working out 3x per week. We live in a "church culture" so we're always battling since "church food" is always a big part of our lives. I don't push anything on her, but I do set the example. She's 110lbs. at 11 years old so it's something we're keeping a close eye on since I was 115lbs. when I was 18, and we have the same body frame -- though she's not mine biologically there is a lot of similarities in our body type that I can relate with. I just have a lot of "cleaning" up to do since lots of bad food habits were introduced to her from very early on in life from her biological mom.

rml_16

I have four kids. 3 from my previous marriage (boys), and I only get them in the summers and at holidays since we live in a separate state. I always had them exercise with me, but their food habits are bad since they're dad is obese and does not care to take care of his health, and fitness doesn't even come close to existing for him. My (step) daughter is 11, and kind of on the cusp of becoming overweight. Her dad and I have been married for less than 2 years so it's a whole new world for her though she does run, and we have her working out 3x per week. We live in a "church culture" so we're always battling since "church food" is always a big part of our lives. I don't push anything on her, but I do set the example. She's 110lbs. at 11 years old so it's something we're keeping a close eye on since I was 115lbs. when I was 18, and we have the same body frame -- though she's not mine biologically there is a lot of similarities in our body type that I can relate with. I just have a lot of "cleaning" up to do since lots of bad food habits were introduced to her from very early on in life from her biological mom.

How tall is she?

I had reached my full adult height by 11 years old, so 110 pounds at that age (and I have a small frame) wasn't a big deal.

I hit puberty way before most of my classmates, so I was bigger than all of them up to about that point.

DawnieB1977

I have four kids. 3 from my previous marriage (boys), and I only get them in the summers and at holidays since we live in a separate state. I always had them exercise with me, but their food habits are bad since they're dad is obese and does not care to take care of his health, and fitness doesn't even come close to existing for him. My (step) daughter is 11, and kind of on the cusp of becoming overweight. Her dad and I have been married for less than 2 years so it's a whole new world for her though she does run, and we have her working out 3x per week. We live in a "church culture" so we're always battling since "church food" is always a big part of our lives. I don't push anything on her, but I do set the example. She's 110lbs. at 11 years old so it's something we're keeping a close eye on since I was 115lbs. when I was 18, and we have the same body frame -- though she's not mine biologically there is a lot of similarities in our body type that I can relate with. I just have a lot of "cleaning" up to do since lots of bad food habits were introduced to her from very early on in life from her biological mom.

How tall is she?

I had reached my full adult height by 11 years old, so 110 pounds at that age (and I have a small frame) wasn't a big deal.

I hit puberty way before most of my classmates, so I was bigger than all of them up to about that point.

Same. 110lbs for someone who's say 5'4 is perfectly fine.

WhiteRabbit1313

I think it's a slippery slope, personally. If a kid knows too much about nutrition, they might start obsessing about what's healthy, being too fat etc... I think it's much healthier to teach everything in moderation and just give a good example (like saying no, you can't have another cookie, those are special treats, instead of 'those are bad for you'). The last thing I want is my 5yo to start demonizing food.

I do wonder though if seeing their mom weigh their food all the time is not just going to do just that though.

^^Yep. I have a 2.5 year old. We eat at the dinner table, without TV, usually home-prepared, well-balanced meals. She loves veggies, which is great! She's a big eater, which makes me happy, but also concerns me, too. I try very hard to be nonchalant about her meals and not attach too much emotion with eating, but I do ask her if she enjoyed dinner, like I would any other activity. I NEVER make her eat everything on her plate, because I was forced to do that and have had to learn to leave the food on my plate if I'm no longer hungry, or don't like it. If she eats 2 bites, I'm fine with that, and she knows "kitchen's closed" after dinner, and I do NOT let her eat out of boredom, which she has tried to do in the past month, or so. I tell her she's fine and that it's not meal/snack time, yet. I pack fresh fruit for her daily snacks at school to balance some of the garbage they feed her (and the other kids) while there, but I also am sensitive to the fact that she sees that they get something different, so I allow her to have a little of what they offer the other kids, too. She's allowed milk at meal times, but water, otherwise. All of what I've tried to teach her, through habit, and example, has been in the most natural manner I can muster. I try desperately not to freak out that she's always been 30th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. The first six months of her life she was 100% breastfed, so, I figure she's the way she's "supposed" to be. However, for all of my genuine concern for her health and happiness, I DO wonder if my diligence is obvious to her and that it could be just as damaging to her. I am in the process of trying to relax more about it all, for her, and in my own life. I don't want it to be a big issue, either way...just a lifestyle she's accustomed to.

Balance. It's hard to have it and even harder to teach it. :ohwell:

WhiteRabbit1313

But I think my friends on the whole must be pretty extreme with their kids because they do not give them pudding cups, frozen chicken nuggets, etc...and they would never allow full-size chocolate bars unless it was a special occasion - and definitely not for a 3 yr old, ever. Are my friends that unusual in this?

If so, then, I'm unusual, also. My daughter (2.5 years old) only gets frozen chicken nuggets at school (go sucky daycares in Texas--I can't find a single one that doesn't serve frozen garbage, and they all think corn is a veggie. *facepalm*). We don't serve that type of stuff at home (although, we're not perfect, either--we DO try to cook most nights) and she certainly doesn't eat entire pudding cups or full-size chocolate bars ever. She's allowed sweets, in small portions. At birthday parties, she's totally allowed to have cake and pizza, that sort of thing, but she still has water with her meal. So, yeah, if that's weird; count me in.

waldo56

The idea was giving her the tools to manage her own weight when she gets to the stage where she is more in control of her food and habits.

This is not something you want to do with an adolescent. Modeling healthy behavior and making healthy foods the staple in your household are important, but don't even mention "managing" her weight. Please do not do this to your child.

If at some point she does seem to be getting out of control, talk to her doctor about it. But don't create a problem.

Everyone at some point needs to learn to manage their weight. It is a basic life skill. It is not something to be feared, not something to shelter kids from. Anyone who ever plays weight class sports gets a basic intro to this.

Managing weight does not mean get as thin as possible and then some. That is a body image issue and really has nothing to do with weight management.

The nuts and bolts of how to increase and decrease one's body weight (and by proxy fat and muscle mass), and the impact that water has on it, are basic life skills that everyone should know. As important as how to cook, how to drive a car, and how to manage one's money.

rml_16

The idea was giving her the tools to manage her own weight when she gets to the stage where she is more in control of her food and habits.

This is not something you want to do with an adolescent. Modeling healthy behavior and making healthy foods the staple in your household are important, but don't even mention "managing" her weight. Please do not do this to your child.

If at some point she does seem to be getting out of control, talk to her doctor about it. But don't create a problem.

Everyone at some point needs to learn to manage their weight. It is a basic life skill. It is not something to be feared, not something to shelter kids from. Anyone who ever plays weight class sports gets a basic intro to this.

Managing weight does not mean get as thin as possible and then some. That is a body image issue and really has nothing to do with weight management.

The nuts and bolts of how to increase and decrease one's body weight (and by proxy fat and muscle mass), and the impact that water has on it, are basic life skills that everyone should know. As important as how to cook, how to drive a car, and how to manage one's money.

I'm sorry, but no. I'm all for people having differing opinions, but this is wrong. Period. End of story. Wrong.

lisalsd1

I have a 5 and 3 year old. I wasn't an overweight kid, but an overweight tween/teen. I think nutrition is extremely important to teach kids. We don't keep "junk food" in the house. So, the kids don't have access on a normal basis.

I think the most important thing is to lead by example. My husband and I eat very well. We select a balanced diet for ourselves and discuss which foods have what nutrients and what those nutrients do for the body with our 5 year old.

We also take the kids to the gym with us (obviously, they stay in the gym daycare at this point), but we are showing them that exercise is just a part of a healthy lifestyle.

I try VERY hard not to bring up my weight in front of the kids or weighing myself in front of the kids. I bring it up sometimes, but I plan to stop. I try to focus on discussing fitness in front of the kids, like what I did at the gym, how much weight I used, what machines, etc.

If a parent makes it about WEIGHT from the beginning, I think you are really setting the kids up for a rough time. If the kids are health conscious, their weight will fall in line and never become a problem for them.

abickford82

The idea was giving her the tools to manage her own weight when she gets to the stage where she is more in control of her food and habits.

This is not something you want to do with an adolescent. Modeling healthy behavior and making healthy foods the staple in your household are important, but don't even mention "managing" her weight. Please do not do this to your child.

If at some point she does seem to be getting out of control, talk to her doctor about it. But don't create a problem.

Everyone at some point needs to learn to manage their weight. It is a basic life skill. It is not something to be feared, not something to shelter kids from. Anyone who ever plays weight class sports gets a basic intro to this.

Managing weight does not mean get as thin as possible and then some. That is a body image issue and really has nothing to do with weight management.

The nuts and bolts of how to increase and decrease one's body weight (and by proxy fat and muscle mass), and the impact that water has on it, are basic life skills that everyone should know. As important as how to cook, how to drive a car, and how to manage one's money.

I'm sorry, but no. I'm all for people having differing opinions, but this is wrong. Period. End of story. Wrong.

From all your replies, you seem pretty bent out of shape about or towards anyone who has a differing opinion than yours...and quite defensive.

All due respect but...It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children about right food choices, bodily exercise, and over all health. Leading by example should be #1 and never letting your child use the "fat" word but this world is waaay too full of obese people, and I feel it's my responsibility to teach my child about this. I was allowed to eat an entire bag of chips and soda for a snack and was told it was acceptable. It's not...because though I was a thin teenager by the time I was 20...I was almost 200lbs., and had high blood pressure, cholesterol, and was near being diabetic. No one taught me, and over the past 10 years I realize how much easier thing would have been on me had someone showed me "the way". I'm proud of my 100lb. weight loss, and the fact I have a passion for fitness but as long as my kids live in my house they'll live our way. Still plenty of time for other fun activities but so as long as I buy the food...they'll eat what they're given. Why wouldn't anyone want that for their child?

ldrosophila

i think having a scale in the house is fine. It's like any measuring device you use it to track and trend. Perfect time to introduce anatomy and physiology to your daugter you talk about how the body fluctuates and how it grows. I'm not saying to set some sort of schedule, but if she wants to get on the scale you talk about it.

She'll be weighed at the doctor and they will plot her growth when she gets old enough show her the chart explain what it means.

As far as food there is no such thing as bad food or good food. Food can only be healthful and certain elements (once again another great biology and chemistry lesson) combine to make the body healthy.