Balancing family's nutritional needs, how?

samntha14

Something on my mind today is figuring out how to balance the nutritional needs of everyone in the family, without breaking the bank. My husband is a professional cyclist, mostly local, but he rides all disciplines. He averages 4000 calories on regular training days (which is pretty much everyday) and up to 8000 on heavy training days. Or I should say that's what he is supposed to hit. Frankly he has trouble just consuming the 4000 and I can't afford to feed him more. As I learn more about the nutritional needs of endurance athletes, I am discovering that his diet plan is very different from my own, and we are doing a poor job of keeping him properly fueled . He needs fast acting carbs and I need more slow burning protein for the strength training that I am doing. My diet averages 2000 calories a day as well. Added to that he's a very strict vegetarian, former vegan. I have some guilt about the increased animal protein I am eating as a former vegetarian myself. Adding fuel to fire is what I need to feed my two growing boys, 8 and 5. They are both very thin and yet very muscular for their age. Now my 8-yer-old is mountain biking and starting gymnastics.


Things we already eat regularly: Greek yogurt, fruit (kids love it) some veggies like broccoli, beans, asparagus, peppers, tofu, meat substitute products like Boca, Quorn and Morning star. We also live off of protein shakes, cyctomax and protein bars. I eat more cheese than anyone else in the family and the boys eat basic kid snack food like granola bars, full fat yogurt, pop tarts, fruit snacks popcorn etc. My husband would live off of the Greek salads from Saladworks if given that option LOL.

I'm a little panicked and just looking for ideas. Food is our family's biggest expense after rent, and it doesn't help that we were raised old school: Mom makes 1 meal, everybody eats it or you go hungry.

IveLanded

Well, logistically, if I were in your shoes, I would think about it in terms of your husband needs a separate meal plan than the rest of you. Your kids can eat what you eat.

I'm on the same boat........my grocery expense is my biggest bill aside from rent. I've gotten into a lot of couponing, using my club card a LOT at my grocery store, hitting up the grocery outlet when I can, getting stuff at the farmers market. Honestly, cutting junk out of my diet really did help with that bill. My kids snack on fruit, not snacks most often, that helps too. I mean....you and your husband know the importance of properly fueling your bodies in a healthy way.......show that to your kids. Pop tarts, IMHO, have no place in anyones home. That's purely junk, wasted calories. For the money you spend on pop tarts and granola bars (which are usually just junk too) you can buy a TON of fruit, dried fruit, or, hell, pretzels if they need something "snacky". AND you can find some awesome HEALTHY home made granola and bar recipes too!!!! Bottom line, your kids do not need to be eating separately from you and you are not really doing them any favors by buying them junk food. My sons like yogurt too..........they eat the same reduced fat stuff I do. They never noticed the difference.

samntha14

Don't laugh but my kids are too skinny. I worry more about them being underweight than anything else. And you're right hubby needs his own meals, like back in the vegan days.

IveLanded

I get it. My kids are the same way. Personally, I think doctors and the internet have us moms freaking out needlessly about our kids weights and sizes. I was a small kid. Their dad was a small kid. My kids are small and skinny. My 4 year old has no butt and my 13 year old can still wear size 8 clothes. I'm not gonna get hung up on it, they are healthy, active, normal kids.

And that's honestly no excuse to feed your kids pop tarts. I mean...........come on.

Your kids still need to eat HEALTHY. And, hell, if you want to bulk them up.....then put them on the same diet as your husband. Spend your $$$ on things that will fuel your husband, and those kind of snacks will double as snacks for your kids as well.

samntha14

So I learned today That I need to eat 40/30/30 for heavy lifting and my husband needs to eat 60/25/15 for endurance training. The nutritionist recommended making 1 meal and just adjusting our portions accordingly. And to buy a rice cooker LOL.

thrld

A good tip for rice -- make the whole darn bag & then freeze portions of it. You can re-heat in the microwave.