As Parents, How do you help...

beckyinma

When it comes to dinner, they eat what I cook 6 nights a week, the other night it's make your own dinner, they are 7 and 9, and are able to use the kitchen, microwave, stove and oven with supervision. They will tend to make noodles or ramen, or chicken nuggets, or hot dogs on the free night, but I stipulate that they must have a veggi with it, cucumbers & carrots, apple sauce, green beans, broccoli are their usuals.

Other nights, I'm a hard *kitten*. I eat healthy, therefor everyone in the house eats healthy. Even hubby, he enforces it as hard as I do. If they don't like it, they go to their room so we don't have to hear them complain, and they go hungry. They haven't gone hungry yet, and there haven't been tooo many fights over the last year or so we've really been enforcing it.

Do I have junk in the house? Of coarse. Do they earn dessert? most nights yes. They understand that if we eat late or get home late there may not be time for dessert and their fav. tv show, and those are the breaks.

Sometimes we're on the go and I have to pack a hot thermos for them, and the veggis are on the top. The opening is small enough that they have to eat through the veggis to get to the good stuff underneath.

I don't "hide" good stuff in plain sight, if it's healthy, they know it. If it has spinach in it, they know it, if it has broccoli in it, they know it. If they don't like it, tough luck, bed or eat, their choice.

Do they get input on what's for dinner? absolutely yes.

My 9 year old is learning to read labels and starting to understand portion control and serving size. My 7 year old, 'wants to stay skinny' (he is chronically underweight and small framed, only 41 lb - different story for a different time) but eats healthy with us, and will always get seconds if he asks and is polite about it, and rarely wastes food. He has such a high metabolism that he can pretty much eat anything he wants, but I want him to know that it may not always be like that, and he has to be aware of what he's eating, because someday his metabolism will slow down, and if he's eating crap, he will be unhealthy.

I'll get off my soap box now...

UsedToBeHusky

Why does your child even know what those things are?

You wouldn't call this judgmental?

No, again judgmental would be me saying she is a bad parent for having her child know what they are, asking a question is not judgmental, as no judgment was made. To be judgmental you have to make a judgment.

K. :indifferent: Well maybe you should consider that not everyone perceives your statements as you do.

SERIOUSLY????

Ya know what? Just like not everyone perveives statements as we mean them... not everyone means statements the way you read them. How about just saying, "Sorry, I misunderstood." and move along.

Good lord...

And yes, I'm judging. Deal with it.

Maybe I didn't feel like I owed him an apology. Deal with that!

tolygal

I've been talking a lot to my 4-year old about this stuff (the 2 year old is a little young and my 19 year old doesn't care). We have eaten a lot of processed / easy foods in our house and of course, that's what he gets at school and at daycare and at anyone else's house - or in restauraunts - it's everywhere!!! I'm trying to help him understand that food is about more than taste. It's about nutrition. For example, I'm trying to explain why I'm giving them the heartier whole wheat bread that doesn't "taste as good" as the old so-called 'whole wheat' (light) bread that I used to give them. I'm hoping that in time, he will be able to make good decisions on his own.

Funny (sort of) story. My son is in pre-K and attends 1/2 day school in the morning. He eats breakfast there (yes, I know they serve crap, and I hate it). Well, they were out of white milk apparently. When we picked him up, he was sooo thirsty and he said he wanted something to drink really bad. I asked him why and he said - they only had chocolate milk at school and I didn't get it cuz it has so much sugar. So he's listening!!!! I was very proud!!

havalinaaa

I'm a nanny, not a parent, but one of the mom's I work for started growing fruits and vegetables with her kids in a window box. They grew lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, and beans plus strawberries and attempted blueberries, but they didn't do so well. The kids saw the whole process, they helped start the seeds on wet paper towels, poked holes in the dirt to plant the shoots, helped water and tend the plants all through their growth. Then they helped harvest everything and got really excited about eating what they grew, even though they both hated lettuce before they were more than thrilled to eat the lettuce they grew. Same with the bell peppers. I know this isn't feasible for everything, but it was helpful in getting them interested in trying new foods and learning about where food comes from. They started asking me all the time about the foods I eat (mostly vegetables when I'm at work) and would ask me how they grow. Certainly something I'm keeping in mind for when I have my own!

Also, when I'm making new foods for kids I try to make it look fun, set up their plate so it's a smiley face or looks like a tree with apples on it or something. And whenever I'm with a kid that doesn't like the first bite of something, I tell them 'sometimes when we try something new we are so surprised by how it tastes that we think we don't like it. But if we try it again, already knowing how it will taste, we find we do like it'. It works about 3/4 of the time! Don't let them try something new just once, tell them they need to try it twice before they are sure they don't like it. And even if they still don't like it, try again in a few days/weeks, maybe prepare it differently.

bcattoes

Your child(ren) make better food choices?

My six year old son only wants to eat hot dogs and chips, or any other processed food. I eat pretty good most of the time and hoped my habits would start to encourage better habits in him. (Single Parent - Try my hardest to lead by example!)

I limit the amount of 'junk' food we buy at the store. If we get it I try to show what a serving looks like. I try to explain (without talking a weight) how much you are supposed to eat. I 'eat healthy to be healthy' I explain to him. ( I buy lower sodium/no sugar added stuff... Pretzels instead of chips/ turkey hot dogs... etc.)

So, without forcing or ever buying junk, what have you done, read, seen, hope to do to encourage better habits?

(Websites, books, etc)
**Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors.**
Thanks so much!
Jenn

It is easier to start healthy, then to make changes.

Why does your child even know what those things are? My son is younger but we never introduce any junk (no white bread, no sugar, etc) this way he will not know what he is missing.

You can start hiding veggies in things he likes such as mac and cheese (don't do KD though, make you own), pizza sauce, pasta sauce, etc.

Nope, they won't know what they are missing until they get into the public school system and all their friends start introducing them to it. Then they'll binge on it cause they can't get it at home. My kids don't get deprived of the "fun" foods, but they also don't get them daily. It's one thing to try to encourage them to pick healthy foods on their own, it's another to deprive them of it entirely to the point that they could become monsters in the future.

My hubby was one of 7 kids and they couldn't afford to have soda at home growing up. Now every single one of his siblings and he are addicted to it and can't get enough of it. Most of them have switched to diet, but because that option wasn't there for them for several years, when the availability arose they jumped at it.

Good luck in the future stalking your child to keep him from eating what he wants...

Becoming a junk food junky is a possibility for your children whether you give it to them or not. There are plenty of adults who drink way too much soda and have since they were given it by their parents as a child. Children that are taught good eating habits may rebel from them for a while, or even permenantly. But I believe that children who are taught good eating habits are more likely to practice those habits as adults, especially once they have children of their own.

All you can do is teach your children and hope it sticks. This is true of everything you teach them.

asyouseefit

Easy. Eat what we eat or don't eat at all.

This. And we do have treats every now and then so it's not like we're depriving our son of anything. Most of the time, it's healthy stuff but we have hotdogs and fries too!

StoryGirl9

We are fortunate to have 2 kids that are great eaters! It doesn't hurt that they spent the first 4+ years in an orphanage in Ethiopia, so you ate what you got. However, since they started public school, food is more of an issue. They see all their friends eating crap - soda, chips every day, cookies, etc. We have made a real point of talking about healthy foods and balance (i.e. chips are okay once in a while, but not every day.).

Honestly - you are the best example for your kids and they should eat (within reason) what you eat. We are vegetarians, so lunches are a challenge as PB&J does get old, but I take their input. If they had a soup for dinner that they really liked, then it can go in a thermos for lunch. I ask them if there is something in particular they like and they help shop and pick out healthy foods.

The trap we can all fall into is relying to much on processed foods. I am a child of the 80s and grew up on mac and cheese and watching my mom eat frozen "healthy" meals. I have made a real effort to cook most of our food. If they want pizza, I try and make a whole wheat crust with homemade pesto. If they want fries, I cut up sweet potatoes and drizzle some olive oil and seasoning and bake. That isn't to say, I don't occasionally buy the premade stuff, but I have found that it is cheaper (and healthier) to cook from scratch, but it does require more planning.

Oh, one more thing - I like to sit down with my cookbooks and let them look at the pictures and choose what I should make. Let your kids take ownership and pride over eating healthy. I tell my kids that I want them to eat healthy now so that they want to when they are older.

Lauren8239

Your child(ren) make better food choices?

My six year old son only wants to eat hot dogs and chips, or any other processed food. I eat pretty good most of the time and hoped my habits would start to encourage better habits in him. (Single Parent - Try my hardest to lead by example!)

I limit the amount of 'junk' food we buy at the store. If we get it I try to show what a serving looks like. I try to explain (without talking a weight) how much you are supposed to eat. I 'eat healthy to be healthy' I explain to him. ( I buy lower sodium/no sugar added stuff... Pretzels instead of chips/ turkey hot dogs... etc.)

So, without forcing or ever buying junk, what have you done, read, seen, hope to do to encourage better habits?

(Websites, books, etc)
**Please forgive any spelling or grammar errors.**
Thanks so much!
Jenn

It is easier to start healthy, then to make changes.

Why does your child even know what those things are? My son is younger but we never introduce any junk (no white bread, no sugar, etc) this way he will not know what he is missing.

You can start hiding veggies in things he likes such as mac and cheese (don't do KD though, make you own), pizza sauce, pasta sauce, etc.

Nope, they won't know what they are missing until they get into the public school system and all their friends start introducing them to it. Then they'll binge on it cause they can't get it at home. My kids don't get deprived of the "fun" foods, but they also don't get them daily. It's one thing to try to encourage them to pick healthy foods on their own, it's another to deprive them of it entirely to the point that they could become monsters in the future.

My hubby was one of 7 kids and they couldn't afford to have soda at home growing up. Now every single one of his siblings and he are addicted to it and can't get enough of it. Most of them have switched to diet, but because that option wasn't there for them for several years, when the availability arose they jumped at it.

Good luck in the future stalking your child to keep him from eating what he wants...

Oh yes, I can totally agree with this. I did the same with my daughter.....let her have treats in moderation, and it worked. she rarely eats junk because she was never deprived and understood that it was a treat, not a staple of her diet. Every child is different, and it can be difficult to find the right answer and approach regarding junk food.

wendycori

My daughter is 11 and she not a picky eater. She loves everything! And that's just the trouble. We are constantly having the "talk". I hate doing it and she hates being overweight but on the same hand, you can't turn your back on her if there are any snacks anywhere. I try so hard to buy healthy foods but money is an issue sometimes. I was getting the sugar free popcicles for a while but I came home from school one day and discovered that she had eaten 4 popcicles! ...And exercise..oh my gosh! You think I was killing her! But she is my sweet precious and I never stop trying...she swears if we buy a Wii she would love exercising (haha! if we can't afford food, I don't know how she thinks we are getting a Wii) but she likes playing hop scotch and jumping rope. Roller skating is fun but she says it hurts her back after a while.

So I feel your pain. Trying to curb kids eating habits and encouraging exercise is no small task. Just remember, kids listen to everything you say, even if they look like they are ignoring you. Keep planting the seeds and give it time.

savlyon

School has been so helpful with my daughter. She is learning about sugars and her teeth. She says she doesn't want to drink soda because it has too much sugar and asks how much sugar is in things. If I don't know I just make up a high number, or a number she thinks is high so she gets the idea.
When we go out to eat I give her the healthy options. Do you want apple sauce or oranges? She doesn't know about McDonald's french fries. I ask if she wants chocolate milk or white milk. Occasionally she gets the choice of soda.
Last night she said she didn't want to eat the chicken fajitas we were having. Her option then was to eat nothing. We just got home from vacation with her grandma...which explains the demanding for me to make her something different. I'm a single mom. That is NOT going to happen! She ended up eating half of a whole burrito. She used to whine about eating tilapia and rice and brocolli, but now she requests it. I haven't always fed her like this. While I was in school we were a mac and cheese family. Sometimes several nights a week! We went grocery shopping last night and she showed me the fruit they had for a snack at school and requested it for a bed time snack. How could I deny her that?!?!
My advise is to be consistent and persistent. Don't cater to your child's wants.

Good luck!