People with children....
nataliefamily3
Posts: 189 Member
What steps do y
ou take to ensure.your children dont go down.a path of eating badly and being sedetary?? My son is only 1 1/2 but I already make sure he eats fruit.and veggies daily, drinks lots of water , limit juice to one cup a day, and always play outside...lease include childrens ages in replies!! Change your childs future now!
ou take to ensure.your children dont go down.a path of eating badly and being sedetary?? My son is only 1 1/2 but I already make sure he eats fruit.and veggies daily, drinks lots of water , limit juice to one cup a day, and always play outside...lease include childrens ages in replies!! Change your childs future now!
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Replies
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limit juice to one cip a day,
ahhh ... you mean 1 sippie cup a day or an actual SIP of juice each day???0 -
I have my 4 year old daughter in gymnastics and ballet. She is really beginning to have an interest in exercising like mommy. I am her role model and am very careful with my habits as I know she will probably adapt them one day. (as I adapted my mothers smoking habit which I have kicked in the past couple years)
As far as food goes..she loves candy, cookies etc as much as any other kid but I make sure it's not regular and that she has had a healthy meal first.0 -
My 11 year old is in dance. My 8 year old is in scouts and baseball. My 5 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old are happiest when they play outside. I give them healthy food choices and gently guide them away from unhealthy food choices.0
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I was told by a nutritionist that it's supposed to be 8 ounces of juice a day for young ones. I have a 20 month old daughter, a 5 year old boy, and an 8 year old boy. I do offer healthy things and try not to buy too much junk, although they are children so they are going to want junk every now and then. I have just recently realized that some of the things that i have been buying are seriously not healthy at all. Time to start cutting more things out!
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I think it has a good deal to do with what they see from us the parents. If they see us parents actively exercising, eating healthy then they will in most cases follow that example. My problem when I was growing up, there was always cookies, chips and other junk food in the house, so that it was I ate. I did not eat veggies when I was young either.0
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My son plays sports as well as walking to and from school. We also eat healthy meals, meat and plenty of vegies, or salads etc. He eats a hell of a lot though, sometimes i feel like all my money goes into his stomach!!
He also eats a fruit everyday. I generally buy apples, pears, grapes, mandarins, oranges etc and they all get gobbled up!!0 -
I knew a family that only allowed their children to have sweets and junk food only on the weekends. That way, the kids ate good, health foods over 90%. They didn't mind because they knew they would get their weekend treat.
They also had their kids involved in dance classes and sports.
Don't freak and make it a big deal. Make everything seem "normal" for your family. Integrate in the health habits you want.0 -
You set the rules in your house, so you need to be diligent ! I have 3 "tweenagers" who are reluctant to eating healthy all the time so we try to make small changes. Besides, the older they get the more exposure they have to "choices" outside your control.
I hate to say it but my hubby is part of the negative influence in our household, so get him on board too! Bad habits are hard to change, especially when they get older.
Stay away from McD's ... there's very little to be happy about in those "happy meals"!0 -
My boys are 4 and 5 months. My oldest has been involved in gym classes since he was a year old and is in several sports as well. We go outside every day before dinner to play or walk.
He enjoys fruits and veggies (thankfully!) and does eat very healthily with an occasional treat. My biggest factor though, is asking if his "tummy is full" so he can learn to listen to his body. I never make him finish his plate. I'm terrified of him becoming overweight, which is a large motivating factor in me becoming healthy as well.0 -
I just do my best to get my kids to try new things...and while we do have things like cookies and pudding in our house we have taught them those are treats....not staples of a diet - they know to ask for those items and sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it's no. We keep a lot of fresh fruit and veggies on hand and they know if they are hungry they can have as much fruit and veggies as they want...
We have also taught them about portion control over the years...so yes they can have ice cream - but they get a scoop...not two - not three...
They actually just took a class after school that was about healthy food choices and exercise.
Something I started when they were young was they get a piece of candy a day (things like a hersey kiss, a nugget, a bite of a candy bar if they have one that they got as a gift) - it may seem weird in retrospect BUT it works for us because they don't binge when candy is offered to them - if they get candy or what not at school they don't eat it. I have been in class with them at class parties and some kids get a small bag of candy and poof in 2 minutes it is all gone...mine bring it home and then ask if they can have a piece...I guess for them knowing they at some point during the day are going to get a piece of candy works for them..
Funny thing - one of mine give up candy for lent - the other soda - and so far no cheats...very proud of them (I tried getting the one who choose soda to give up candy since they may get to have a cup of soda about once a week...but she told me she wasn't crazy)0 -
I have a two year old. She eats what we eat, except when she's in school. There, she usually eats her salad and veggies, some whole wheat bread/rolls and not much of anything else. Once she's old enough, she'll be taking swimming lessons and martial arts classes (not optional, especially for girls, IMO). We were pretty active before she was born, and as she is more able to keep up, we'll resume hiking.0
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Lead by example. I still let the kids have the occasional happy meal, but mostly we eat prepared meals at home.
My son and I love to go for bike ride and nature walks for exercise.0 -
My daughter is almost 15. I dont allow her to play video games that do not require her to get up and move. She doesnt watch tv during the week and I limit her junk food snacks to once or twice a week. She is also not allowed soda but once or twice a week. I try not to make a big deal about calories just making a more healthy choice and limiting portions. I dont want to give her a complex. I also take her to the gym with me to lift and we do zumba together. We only eat out two or three times a month otherwise I cook and I dont let her eat school lunches she takes left overs from home.0
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One cup sorry on my phone still getting used to touch.screen.lol.:embarassed:0
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My son is a 1 year old very picky eater. I'm trying real hard to make him eat well and try different things but you know, he's not interested :noway:0
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I have 5 kids- 11,10,7,6,3. They eat what we eat.. We show them what a portion is. My 11 YO likes to go to the gym with me. Programs can be expensive but my oldest 2 will be starting karate soon, my middle 2 baseball and the little one, nothing yet. They are encouraged o drink lots of water, I limit how much juice they get, no soda unless its a treat. We try to buy local healthy meats an explain to them why we make certain choices. Instead of just saying we are doing something I tell them why. They are helping me with our garden. Always have to try things I make, I do not short order cook.
My kids are active, they LOVE veggies, they always try new things without a fuss, They ask me where our food came from. I think they are more knowledgeable about food that I was even as an adult. They aren't denied treats but we ake sure to make it a treat and not a daily thing.0 -
I encourage my children to play outside as much as possible. They see me exercise most days.
They don't have to eat all their food if they are not hungry!! There is always a fruit bowl available for picking as and when they want. Every dinner has got vegetables included. Also, we don't use food as treats, rather give them special days out etc.
Sweets and crisps are mostly limited to a Saturday, there is never any question about it. It's just the way it is.
They are 2 and 6, I have no worries about their health.
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I have two sons ages 10 and 12 and an 18 yr old daughter. My daughter was the one who told me about this site. My kids and I joined the YMCA and they love to go swimming there and work out with me.0
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I pretty much let mine eat whatever they want (2.5 yr old twins) because I don't want to make any food "evil." My mother kind of did that to me and I honesty think it had an impact on me and caused a lot of my over eating issues. I require healthier foods first and then "treats" after. But most importantly I try to put the focus on being active and food moderation (1 piece of candy not 10). I would like for mine to grow up viewing food as fuel for their activities and not as a reward or the focus of all events.0
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Children learn by example. My daughter (4 years old) will reach for a strawberry before she reaches for a candy. She eats what we eat (whole grains, vegetables, lean meat, etc), and we don't cater to her just because she is a child. She know that pizza and candy are treats that you have every once in a while, but not everyday. She loves water and has never had a sip of soda, nor does she care for it, because she doesn't see us drinking it.
On a recent trip, the pilot was brining down the plane very fast due to bad weather. My ears were popping and I felt bad for my daughter, so I offered her a piece of gum. She looked at me and said, "I'm not allowed to have gum." I said, "I know you are not, but this is going to help your ears...I am giving you permission this one time to chew gum." She refused to take the gum. I was cracking up, but felt very proud that she refused to take the gum.0 -
I also want to say my kids take their own lunches as well to school. The school menus are horrendous.0
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My 3 yr old son loves to go outside to the park and play at the kids place in the gym while my wife and I workout. We plan weekend adventures every weekend that take us outside and involve a fair amount of activity. For example last weekend was a 7 mile jog/hike around the lake. Our daughter who is only 7 months loves to play with her brother and they play together everyday. We work to eat healthy, but right now he is a very picky eater and is somewhat underweight being only 32 lbs and 3 years old. Again we are working on him to eat more foods, but so long as he gets all his nutrients we figure he will eventually realize eating more is better.0
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I try to buy healthier choices for their snacks; however, just like me I do buy "junk" (e.g. a pack of cookies, or chips etc). For lunch/snack they're allowed to have something like a sandwhich or equivalent with 1-2 pieces of fruit and one "junk" food option. If it's cookies, I let them have 2-3 depending on the size. Chips are usually in the small individual bags.
Each of them gets to help me cook dinner at night (they take turns). They're learning how to measure out serving sizes and about portion control. I was a proud mama when my 11 year old told me her teacher brought up serving sizes to their classroom one day and she was able to contribute to the conversation! Her teacher was impressed that she knew about reading the nutrion labels etc.
In summary, I'm trying to teach them to eat with moderation. If you want a cookie, you can have a cookie. Just not the entire package. Fruit and veggies (which they love) should be the first choice they make when they want to snack on something. If they're thirsty, they're allowed to drink water (I do have generic Crystal Light for them) and milk. They see where I've ended up making the decisions in my life. They don't want to end up there and are excited learning with me on this journey.
I have 5 children and a granddaughter: 22, 20, 12, 9, 7, 3 (grandbaby). I have 1 son, he's the 9 year old and is the most excited to work out at night with me.0 -
My kids are 4 and 5. If you ask their favorite foods, they'll both tell you tilapia (though they say tapia) and broccoli (which is steamed only, nothing else on it). The know what is healthy and what is not, and if they're not sure, they ask. For a treat, they'll get treats, candy, that sort of thing, and what the rest of my family doesn't seem to understand is that my kids will get ONE starburst, or ONE mini candy bar or something like that. If they're happy with one, why offer more?! They know those things aren't healthy for them, so they're happy to have a bit. They rarely ask for more. For "treats" most of the time, they have yogurt, or fruit, or even pita chips with hummus. Just 2 days ago, my kids at my bag of petite carrots before i could even have one! They said, "Mommy, they're just SOOO YUMMY!"
I'm not perfect, i eat crap, take the kids to the drive-thru, drink pop, etc. BUT, what's important is they know what is good for them and what is not. The know the reason we don't go to McDonalds every time we drive by is because it's not good for us and is a "sometimes" food. And my kids always wanna work out with me. If i'm doing a video, i let them, they usually don't get to come on runs/walks with me as their little legs get worn out too easily!0 -
My daughter currently is almost 19.
But, when she was young, we made it a point never - EVER to have junk food in the house. No juice (she had very bad dermatological problems and urinary problems - even when it was watered down), no junk foods, NO KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE, no preprocessed/prepackaged junk food.. .real food. Every day, real food.
I made a game where we took a really colorful and fun hat and we would create a list of seven new foods (one to try per day).
1.) fruit
2.) vegetable
3.) meat
4.) seafood
5.) Chinese
6.) Mexican The three types of dishes here would change week to week.
7.) Italian
Ariel would pull one piece of paper out of the hat - whatever was on that paper is what we either made or shopped for.
One time she picked lobster. She was VERY excited about this I mean, what kid doesnt love going to see them in the big tank, right?
We steamed up some lobsters, had sliced lemons on the side, made a nice garden salad to go with it, and a cup of vegetable soup on the side.
My daughter tried the lobster meat from the tail and the claw to start. She liked the claw better but, she asked about the 'green' stuff. I told her the truth about what it was (she was age 6 at the time), she asked me if she could try it where it wasnt on the list.. I laughed and told her "absolutely!".. she LIKED IT!!!!!! She had to call up her greatgrandfather to tell him because she knew he eats that. He was giggling so hard and so proud of her too!
Every piece of paper that we tried, we marked on a big calendar. The day we had lobster, that paper was glued to it. She would either put a star for 'LOVED" or a checkmark for "LIKED".. At the end of the week, if she tried each new food/item every day, we would give her a little prize (a new book, a coloring book, new hair accessories), something to acknowledge we were proud of her trying a new item. But the prize had to be non-food related....
Fastforward to almost 19... she still eats very healthy, enjoys exotic foods and dishes (she is a big fan of Takoyaki) and still tries new foods when offered.
You have to start young with them.. and you have to make it fun for them, otherwise it will come off as almost punishment-like...depending on how you approach it of course0 -
Children learn by example. My daughter (4 years old) will reach for a strawberry before she reaches for a candy. She eats what we eat (whole grains, vegetables, lean meat, etc), and we don't cater to her just because she is a child. She know that pizza and candy are treats that you have every once in a while, but not everyday. She loves water and has never had a sip of soda, nor does she care for it, because she doesn't see us drinking it.
On a recent trip, the pilot was brining down the plane very fast due to bad weather. My ears were popping and I felt bad for my daughter, so I offered her a piece of gum. She looked at me and said, "I'm not allowed to have gum." I said, "I know you are not, but this is going to help your ears...I am giving you permission this one time to chew gum." She refused to take the gum. I was cracking up, but felt very proud that she refused to take the gum.
NICE JOB !!!!! 8-)0 -
I have a 7 and 3 year old. We eat healthy meals we make together and stay very active. We also have lots of conversations about making healthy choices, and what's a healthy choice and what is not. I also don't buy juice (except sparkling juice) and if we have juice it is a special occasion. They usually just drink water and almond milk. They watch and join me and DH when we do a exercise video tape or run on treadmill. We go hiking and do lots of outdoor activities. We also have a garden so there are lots of conversations around what we are planting and how it fuels our body. DS#1 plays ice hockey and football as well as lots of other outside things. DS#2 tries to keep up with older brother and is learning to ice Skate. Don't get me wrong we still have candy and pizza is a favorite here but all in moderation. And cooked veggies are not a favorite of the kids but they do love all the raw veggies they can get.
In the end it is up to them how they will decided to live their life, so we will see if any of this helps or hurts...0 -
I knew a family that only allowed their children to have sweets and junk food only on the weekends. That way, the kids ate good, health foods over 90%. They didn't mind because they knew they would get their weekend treat.
When my brothers and I were growing up I don't think we ever had biscuits or fizzy drinks or other junk food in the house, and it never occurred to us to mind. We had it at birthday parties of course, but it wasn't ever part of our normal everyday eating - still isn't, and we're adults now so I reckon it was a good thing.0 -
My daughter is two-three in a couple months and she eats pretty much whatever I eat. She eats really healthy but I also give her chocolates, candy, and cake in moderation. She has an intense love for chips, so I let her have some if we are out to eat, which isn't often. We play outside everyday. Even if its just playing with chalk outside, but we go to the park alot and she is already physically more capable than most kids her age. We are going to put her in a soccer program this summer if we can find one close by. If not I was going to sign her up for (hopefully) a hip-hop or jazz dance class. If not... I guess ballet will do, but I would rather have her in something more fast paced, as she is pretty ADHD.
I already have plans for my 8 month old to be a long distance runner. She seems to have gotten the runner side of my families genetics. I'm probably going to start her pretty young, at about 1 1/2 - 2 or so with going on walks with me and seeing how she likes running and just go from there. When I was pregnant with my first daughter I woulld jog around a track by my house and two days a week there would be 3-8 year olds racing around the track and it was just sooo cute. Which is why I want to start her so early. Gia (2 year old) Doesn't have a good body type to run. She would be better in Volleyball/soccer/softball/martial arts. She is more of a power house type, even at this age.
So yeah, my children will probably always have a balanced diet and love for sports.
*We are also going to start taking our older daughter to do indoor rock climbing because she would enjoy something like that.0 -
THIS. Children mimic example. If your kid's example is bad, then they are mirroring you.I think it has a good deal to do with what they see from us the parents. If they see us parents actively exercising, eating healthy then they will in most cases follow that example. My problem when I was growing up, there was always cookies, chips and other junk food in the house, so that it was I ate. I did not eat veggies when I was young either.
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