How do I keep my son healthy??

nowic

I would love some advice on how to keep my son healthy. Unfortunately he has learned some of my bad habits. He is 9. My issues are: He doesnt like fruits and veggies except apples and green beans and he gets very bored of them quickly. Also he eats until he is sick. I limit what he eats now but I am afraid this will turn into "control issues" or "closet eating". I have talked to him about being healthy and making good choices, he says he wants to, but then when he's eating its a different story. We are trying to be better examples to him but it doesnt seem to matter too much to him. It is hard for me because my mom controlled my eating and I was a closet eater, so I dont want to make the same mistakes, but I dont want him to eat himself to death either. If you have any thoughts please help!

iamanne

The best thing to do is keep as many healthy options in the house as possible and ban the unhealthy choices except for the occaisional treat. Be consistent. Set good expamples now eventually his eating habits will likely improve. This has been what works in my house since we have had some similar issues.

Hope that helps. Hang tough! Being mom is a tough job.

VCStarr

First thing you should do is set a good example.
Do not purchase foods he should not be eating.
Dress up the foods he should be eating to get him used to them. Food coloring...mixing them with other foods...flavoring them different..
Change the rules...you have to at least try what you are served...you have to eat this many bites...you have to go to bed if you don't eat your meal...desert only comes after eating the good stuff...food is not a reward for good behavior...
teach him about nutrition...find a kid way of doing it...special class or videos or something...
There's always the way of asking the pediatrician...
It's a start. I had a war with my oldest about eating all together...he was starving himself and I had to find a way around it...I got creative. he's 16 now...6 feet tall...still skinny as a rail...but he eats ALOT (mostly healthy) of food...

CoryIda

My son is 8 and is a little on the chunky side. Wanting to set a good example was actually the #1 motivator for me to get serious about getting healthy. I am fortunate that he likes most veggies (including broccoli, which is something not many kids enjoy) but he loves pizza and chips and hot dogs and, if you don't physically remove him from the food, he will keep going well beyond what is healthy.
What the other people said is absolutely key - you have to set a good example for him. If you only bring healthy options into the house, the temptation will be less (for you AND him).
If he wants a snack, give him an apple or some carrots - if he doesn't want it, he clearly isn't hungry. I have found with my son that he will tell me he is STARVING but when I offer him a snack of fruit or veggies (which he likes), he will suddenly not be so hungry anymore.
I've been working on this for about a month with my son and he's starting to get it - if he really is hungry, he can have a healthy snack. If he's not really hungry, he doesn't need to eat. I've also started putting less on our plates, and even less on his. I was feeding him like an adult for so long but then I realized that he is still a kid and a kid-sized body does not need an adult-sized portion! If he says he's still hungry when he's done, I tell him to wait 20 minutes and then, if he's still not full (once the food has hit his tummy), he can have either more veggies or a piece of fruit. I don't bring chips into the house, don't cook greasy foods, and don't dole out dessert every day anymore. We also almost never eat out. It's a special treat and is usually just a peanut butter and banana smoothie made with almond milk, ice, and a little hershey's chocolate - under 200 calories and he thinks it is just as yummy as a milkshake.
A friend of mine with a picky kid who hated veggies started hiding them - she would blend up carrots and spinach in her tomato sauce, dice veggies REALLLLLLY small and hide them in the food, etc - slowly they got used to the taste until, when she presented the veggies in visible form, they didn't mind them as much.