Should we teach kids about calories?

melimomTARDIS

I am an adult, and I just learned how to count calories this past year. I knew foods had calories, but I didnt know how many a person should eat, how much we burn, or whatever.

As a parent, would it be helpful to teach our kids about calories? I encourage my kids to be active, eat healthfully, avoid soda/juice, about how junk foods are "sometimes" foods, and to only eat until they are full, not stuffed.

My children are young, so this is just teaching about healthful habits.

I wonder if in their later teens it might be helpful to learn to "budget" calories. Or would this trigger an eating disorder? Is it better to wait and see if a problem develops and then talk about it?

Edited to add- I mean a basic knowledge of calories,as a health tool, like learning to put on a condom or brush and floss teeth.

kinkyslinky16

Great question. Not sure how to answer that one. I have a four year old and we teach him the same things like junk food is an occasional treat, chocolate milk is a rarity (unless you're at grandma's and she doesn't care what we say), etc. I don't know how to approach this one with kids, particularly teenagers who are already pretty vulnerable. Curious to hear responses.

lioness803

Great question. Not sure how to answer that one. I have a four year old and we teach him the same things like junk food is an occasional treat, chocolate milk is a rarity (unless you're at grandma's and she doesn't care what we say), etc. I don't know how to approach this one with kids, particularly teenagers who are already pretty vulnerable. Curious to hear responses.

I love the unless they're at grandma's part, my mom is the same way w/ my kiddo!

To the original question, I would probably say no...I think teaching kids about why they should eat a variety of foods, why eating fruits and veggies is important, why you should eat when you're hungry not because you're bored, etc is important, but I don't think I would really talk about calories. Unless maybe it's a teenager, and you were careful not to demonize food an create an unhealthy relationship with food. Interesting question though.

mom2sons02

Yesterday my 14 year old was talking about how some foods were bad. He had 3 hamburgers last weekend (I didn't serve hamburgers 3 times, he was at a Father's Day Cookout and at a friends and the zoo) I took the opportunity to tell him there aren't bad foods. Moderation in all things. And I KNOW 3 hamburgers isn't moderation, but we eat pretty healthy most of the time. One weekend isn't going to hurt. We didn't talk about calories exactly, but I took this opportunity to talk about demonizing food, and how one slip up isn't going to hurt you, but when you slip up, get back into the healthy mode, don't eat more hamburgers. We went home and had chicken and broccoli.

FrankiesSaysRelax

I was always taught to eat to be "healthy." We always had fresh fruit and veggies cut up in the fridge for snacks and not a lot of junk food. So I was always able to eat whatever I wanted at home, but it was rarely any type of processed food. I enjoyed going out to eat with friends and such, but because of how we ate at home it was always a treat. I've continued to eat that way into adulthood and it has worked out really well for me.

Whtmask

I believe that knowledge is power, and the more a child understands the world and how it works, the more likely they are to be a successful, healthy, happy person. Many of our habits are formed in our childhood, so why not give them healthy eating habits?

However, I think it's important for parents to do the research so that they know the dietary and nutritional needs for their children before teaching them how to measure food, read labels, and count calories.

CMB1979

Yes...and basic economics.

........and everything else that's "teachable."

kaseyr1505

I think that children should be taught about food and nutrition in age appropriate ways. To me, that means a 5 year old should know chips are a sometimes food, and that vegetables etc have vitamins, which help them grow. As they get older (and have more control over their diet), I think more should be added.

TheVirgoddess

Right now we talk about healthy foods and moderation foods. I don't think they need to learn about calories at their ages (mine are 7 and 9), but I do think it's important that they learn about portion sizes and making good choices.

When I feel like it's time, then we'll branch out more.

suremeansyes

When she was little we taught my daughter that there were some foods that were snack foods, and she had to eat a fruit or veggie before snacking. We also told her at dinner she had to have some protein, a grain (or whatever kind of starch we had) and a veggie. If she didn't like the dinner we had, she made herself a turkey sandwich to hit all the essentials.

Now that she's a teenager I taught her how to read labels and to pay attention to servings sizes, but I have never told her how many calories she needs to eat daily or explained macros to her. She has a nice shape, and eats well, she's very active in sports so she eats quite a bit. I have told her that when she's not in sports later on in life that she'll have to ramp down her intake a bit.

If she starts to put on weight and asks for advice, I'll help her, but in the meantime I leave it as is.

melimomTARDIS

Great responses everyone! I know it's a touchy topic, so I appreciate this not turning into a train wreck.

Chieflrg

I don't think calories teaching is needed in most cases.

Stay active, eat when hungry not bored would cover most kids and adults for that matter.

MoosyGoosy

I prefer the always/sometimes/treat way of looking at it, and the healthy plate graph idea.

Kids don't need to be worrying about the numbers. Calories equate food with fat, and can lead to eating disorders in my opinion.
Focus more on getting all the nutrients for growth and health!

techgal128

Well, my mom always made VERY healthy food for me and always made me eat my veggies. She taught me the importance of nutrition and I was thin for awhile. Unfortunately, when I moved out and had freedom, I pigged out on all the food I couldn't have. However, every time I have dinner without a veggie, I hear my mom's voice say "where's your veggies!" so I got that going for me which is nice. lol

I think it's best to teach kids to eat certain foods in moderation and just accept the fact they WILL make their own choices later in life. The goal is to give them enough advice for them to be able to get back on their feet if they make a bad decision (or many). Mistakes are the most efficient way of learning!

chunt87

Mehhh you know, my parents never taught me about calories, and I was an active kid. I turned into a sedentary teen though-- and I think maybe it could have helped to know then about what is in food and its relationship with weight (we rarely had junk in the house and had farmers we got meat from and grew some veggies) so I just ate too much of the healthy stuff.

I dont think I would want to start super young put probably around puberty it would be good to talk to your kids doctor about to help them later in life.

Mr_Knight

Or would this trigger an eating disorder? Is it better to wait and see if a problem develops and then talk about it?

Sure.

Just like it's better to not teach kids to read until they develop a problem from not being able to read.

:noway:

Knowledge doesn't "trigger" anything - there is no reason at all kids shouldn't learn responsible eating patterns, and in the modern world, that includes either watching their weight/body composition or watching their caloric intake. The sooner they have the tools, the better.

balanceandnirvana

No. People don't even really need to count calories. All we really need is to listen to our body's hunger and feed it accordingly but only with healthy things. We should teach them about nutrition and health, but not stress calories.

ponycyndi

I think that children should be taught about food and nutrition in age appropriate ways. To me, that means a 5 year old should know chips are a sometimes food, and that vegetables etc have vitamins, which help them grow. As they get older (and have more control over their diet), I think more should be added.

Agreed. My kids are 7 and 10, read boxes for fun, and ask lots of questions. So when they wanted to know what a calorie was, I explained it was a way to measure how much energy the food would give you. Too much energy means your body saves it for later. They aren't clueless, they know that people come in different sizes. They also learned about making healthy food choices in school, to emphasize the good example at home.

topazeyez

I don't think teaching calorie counts to a child is necessary. If taught at an early age about heathy eating, moderation, and staying active, caloric intake shouldn't be an issue.

bluehydrangeas

No.

ngressman

My obese 6 year old is in a program for his weight. They aren't teaching me or him about counting calories, but instead are teaching him portion control. He eats 5 servings of fruits or veggies, 2-3 servings of lean protein, 6-9 servings of whole grains, and 2-3 servings of dairy. Also he is being taught 5, 2,1, 0. 5 servings of veggies/fruit, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1 hour of exercise and no sugar added drinks. I don't know who came up with this, but it is helping. He knows that with each meal he needs half of his plate to have fruit or veggies. We limit his screen time to 2 hours or less. He chooses what his exercise is. A lot of the time it is riding his bike outside. I think the biggest thing with weight is that kids are sitting down and not doing things. I don't think I will teach him how to count calories, but he will know about healthy fats, fruits, lean protein, and getting enough exercise.