Lucia (or Moms in general) - feeding the family....
nettasaura
Posts: 173 Member
Question - how do you Moms out there approach keeping your children/hubby properly fed too while on your journey?
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Replies
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I did a complete overhaul of our cupboards and fridge. My kids and hubby are not thrilled about not having the junk food in the house. I still buy ice cream, popsicles, pudding, etc just not all the time, maybe a once a week type of snack sort of thing. I was already eating pretty clean beforehand but now it is my whole family.
I will say though my oldest son has Aspergers and is a very picky eater and has lost weight and more than needed so I had to make some changes for him. He is allowed his peanut butter and jelly and strawberry yogurt whenever he is hungry and has tasted what I have made.
When hubby grills out I have him make some chicken or fish for me and the rest of them can have their hamburgers, bratwursts, turkey dogs, etc.
I always try to have fresh fruit and vegetables on hand at all times. I am still a work in progress learning how to eat more protein and decreasing sodium and how to intermix that with my family meals.0 -
I approach it like this:
My kids are worth feeding as well as I'm feeding myself.
The bottom line of my "diet" is that I eat healthier, and I eat less crap. My kids don't need pop tarts of Capt Crunch. They honestly don't need to eat much differently than me at all with the exception of they don't need to count calories. So they can have all the carrots and broccoli and grapes and pears they want. I don't generally buy any crap. I let my kids pick snacks they like that are healthy. I involve my kids in a lot of cooking and they think that's fun.
I've seen this question a lot and I think the key is not thinking that we have to feed our kids differently. My journey has involved thinking about food differently and thinking about food in terms of how it's going to HELP me meet my goals and fuel my day. So I just look at my kids food the same way.
There are things I let them have that I don't eat (mac and cheese being the main thing) that I make healthier (using low fat milk and butter, adding veggies). But I wouldn't eat those things even if I wasn't eating like I eat now.
I've also started talking to my kids about food being good for them or not. We just went to the store and my 8 year old wanted a treat. I agreed and he picked Skittles, and I told him how all that sugar is bad for his teeth and bad for him in general and we looked for a treat that would be "less" bad. Just like I have a day every now and then when I have a glass of wine or a piece of cake, my kids have that too. It's just not daily.0 -
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I always try to have fresh fruit and vegetables on hand at all times. I am still a work in progress learning how to eat more protein and decreasing sodium and how to intermix that with my family meals.
A huge key to decreasing sodium is to not eat packaged foods. A few tricks I've learned this year are to "shop the perimeter of the grocery store" and "don't eat ANYTHING with nutritional claims on the front of the label (or better yet, don't eat food with labels!)"0 -
A few years ago I culled everything out with anything artificial in it so my kids are used to clean eating I guess ...... My 12 year old even reads the labels. I cook from scratch, we haven't had takeaways in over 2 months probably more. But we are lucky in the sense ( close your eyes vegetarians) we eat our own lamb/sheep(the in-named ones...lol) have free range chickens for eggs, my husband goes fishing and hunting for venison and we have a great supply of export quality fillet steak through my husband. In the summer we have a huge vege garden.
But I don't want to sound preachy as I'm lucky I have the time to be allowed to do it. My kids and I are fussy so eating what we can see being prepared helps.
So we eat all the same, my kids see me weigh mine that's the only difference. As my daughter is growing, starting puberty and now is taller than me she needs to fuel her body. I don't want her to become obsessed with weight and I've had talks about how I needed to loses weight to be healthy. She came home the other day telling me she learnt at school that chicken thighs have more iron in them than breasts as they are a darker meat...new to me. Her health classes at school are great in teaching the girls that they all grow differently at different stages. Her 12 yr old friend is 5ft8 and looks so much older than her age, then another friend is sadly suffering from anorexia. I just want to set them up with good modelling about nutrition which i didnt have because my mother never had it either.
Sorry I think this got waffly.
R0 -
I approach it like this:
My kids are worth feeding as well as I'm feeding myself.
The bottom line of my "diet" is that I eat healthier, and I eat less crap. My kids don't need pop tarts of Capt Crunch. They honestly don't need to eat much differently than me at all with the exception of they don't need to count calories. So they can have all the carrots and broccoli and grapes and pears they want. I don't generally buy any crap. I let my kids pick snacks they like that are healthy. I involve my kids in a lot of cooking and they think that's fun.
I've seen this question a lot and I think the key is not thinking that we have to feed our kids differently. My journey has involved thinking about food differently and thinking about food in terms of how it's going to HELP me meet my goals and fuel my day. So I just look at my kids food the same way.
There are things I let them have that I don't eat (mac and cheese being the main thing) that I make healthier (using low fat milk and butter, adding veggies). But I wouldn't eat those things even if I wasn't eating like I eat now.
I've also started talking to my kids about food being good for them or not. We just went to the store and my 8 year old wanted a treat. I agreed and he picked Skittles, and I told him how all that sugar is bad for his teeth and bad for him in general and we looked for a treat that would be "less" bad. Just like I have a day every now and then when I have a glass of wine or a piece of cake, my kids have that too. It's just not daily.
This.
My son is 2 and super picky so he's a work in progress, but my daughter is 4 and is really starting to get it. We've never really had junk food in the house (my problem is just overeating in general, not necessarily junk). We talk about food as fuel, and use descriptors such as green light (fruit, veggies, lean meats, dairies), yellow light (juices, ice cream, non-lean meats), and red light foods (candy, soda etc). She knows green light foods can be had whenever, yellow occasionally, and we really try to avoid red unless its a party or something. She asks for treats still (sometimes daily!) but usually can be happy with an apple or some granola. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but I got this out of a book. Usbourne book I think.
I don't cook multiple meals unless I know it's something they won't like (too spicy for example). They have to taste everything on their plate.
We grow a garden every year, and buy a share of grass-fed beef too. They love the garden, my daughter will just pick spinach and eat it right there.0 -
i buy the groceries and cook the meals. its all edible - and delicious, too! if hubs wants something different, he knows where the safeway is and how to turn on the stove!
haha, i still get him some ice cream though - only now its frozen yogurt!0 -
We have cut out quite a lot of processed food. I have started to enjoy cooking and experimenting. My 3 year has dairy allergies so not a lot of sweets/ice cream etc in our house. I soon learnt that everything in a jar/box has milk in it! so bake myself.
We all eat the same. I buy groceries with meal plans in mind. I hate waste.0 -
We are on a clean whole food meal plan...but I am concerned about the kids (boys 8 and 10, tall for their age groups) actually getting enough without getting too much. I did find one online calculator for calorie intake that included kids on it and according to that, both my boys should be eating right about where I am right now (close to 2,000)....just seems like a lot for kids...but I suppose since they are fairly active and still growing, it's probably right on par. http://www.anaheimpediatricdentistry.com/calories-calculator.html
I don't actually prepare quite that amount of food for the kids, but they ask for food when they are still hungry between or after meals and I let them have healthy snacks like fruit, fresh veggies, nuts, sometimes different types of fruit smoothies for dessert...or extra dinner if there is any leftovers. I figure if they are satisfied and not asking for food, then they have had enough. My oldest is the one with a metabolism like lightning and he's big frame skinny...as in you can count ribs, but he's not a string bean......so when he says he's hungry, he's honestly hungry lol. The youngest one is a bit on the chunkier side....although he's skinnied out here after going "clean whole food" over the last few months. I do make sure to ask that one if he is honestly hungry or just bored, before letting him have food now....he put on the weight last summer because he was eating out of sheer boredom (we had a very wet summer so their activity levels dropped, blech!). If he says he's just bored, I find something for him, or both of us together, to do. Like any mom, I just worry about them getting enough, without getting too much, and getting the proper amount of nutrition too.
Hubby concerns me because I figured out his numbers using Scooby and with his activity level being what it is at work, I am worried that he doesn't eat enough.....he eats what I eat and probably adds just a few hundred more cals to that with his small additions to dinners (being Hispanic, he's always gotta add stuff like hot sauces and other little things). He's supposed to be eating around 3,000+.......and he thinks I'm nuts for telling him that. But sometimes he comes home and tells me he's ravenous....duh...he's not eating enough. :grumble: He's a grown man...I can't force him to eat. :ohwell:0 -
I do all our grocery shopping so I just don't buy the crap food any longer. If my husband wants something, he can go out and get it himself, which he'll normally do.
I will buy sugar cereals every once in awhile when they're on sale as a special treat but other than that, it's mostly clean, healthy stuff.
I also do all the cooking so they'll generally eat whatever I make. I've been cutting back on making pasta with dinner....instead making sweet potatoes for me and regular potatoes for the kids and hubby.
I put a bowl of fresh fruit on our kitchen table and now with fruit more accessible to them, they'll eat that often in between meals. We've also been going to the farmers market where they can sample all the fresh fruit and veggies....they've discovered how much they love peaches and plums and other things they wouldn't have tried normally.0 -
I buy healthy natural food and snacks too. So no one is deprived. I always tell everyone to check my diary because I indulge in things I love every single day. I have so many cals that I can fit things in nicely. This is a life long journey so I will enjoy life during the process. I get my protein in and my yummies too. Because I enjoy things now in moderation I don't binge anymore....love it!0
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My family eats what I cook. Or what my husband cooks.
And we all eat relatively healthy with a few treats here and there.
I feel like if I am eating healthy, my kids should too. It isn't a punishment. It's the right thing to do.
Growing up we always had tons of junk in the house and I could choose what I wanted to eat....obviously I picked the cookies. So if I don't have it in the house or offer it up then my kids enjoy the healthy snacks that we should all be eating. I am trying to instill healthy behaviours in my children that weren't instilled in me growing up.
We definitely have treats...every day in fact. Today I had a slice of cake but the whole rest of my day was healthy. My DD my get a popsicle for one snack but her other snack will be fruit and cheese then. I think it's important to find balance for ourselves and then to teach our little ones the importance of balance as well and that this is not a diet.0 -
I'm also one that just feeds my kiddos what I'm eating myself. The exception would be that since I run a daycare, sometimes I do need that quick convenient food that I wouldn't normally make. I try really really hard to limit that though. I've talked a lot with my son about foods that make him "big and strong" and foods that are okay now and then but "won't help you be big and strong." I don't go into it much more than that because he's four. I've never obsessed over what he does or doesn't eat. I lay out the food, usually healthy and well-balanced (protein of some sort, fresh veggies - usually steamed, fruit, milk or other beverage), and he chooses what to eat. He LOVES veggies and will consume them like they're going out of style. I feel really lucky that he eats them so well. I do have some picky eaters in my daycare, so I realize how good I have it that he eats as well as he does. Also, I don't shy away from flavors. If my pasta is full of garlic and onions, that's what the kids eat too. I don't feel the need to do anything different to make it "child friendly", unless I'm making something spicy.
We have treats and ice cream, but it's not every day, just when one of us really wants something. Sometimes my son will request oreos or something terrible from the store and I don't mind treating him now and then. I want him to know that it's okay to include those "awful" things now and then.0 -
Okay...I guess I should have been a little more specific. I was wanting to know how you make sure that everyone else is getting the right amount of calories.0
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Same here-my family was always used to clean eating. It's just me eating moreA few years ago I culled everything out with anything artificial in it so my kids are used to clean eating I guess ...... My 12 year old even reads the labels. I cook from scratch, we haven't had takeaways in over 2 months probably more. But we are lucky in the sense ( close your eyes vegetarians) we eat our own lamb/sheep(the in-named ones...lol) have free range chickens for eggs, my husband goes fishing and hunting for venison and we have a great supply of export quality fillet steak through my husband. In the summer we have a huge vege garden.
But I don't want to sound preachy as I'm lucky I have the time to be allowed to do it. My kids and I are fussy so eating what we can see being prepared helps.
So we eat all the same, my kids see me weigh mine that's the only difference. As my daughter is growing, starting puberty and now is taller than me she needs to fuel her body. I don't want her to become obsessed with weight and I've had talks about how I needed to loses weight to be healthy. She came home the other day telling me she learnt at school that chicken thighs have more iron in them than breasts as they are a darker meat...new to me. Her health classes at school are great in teaching the girls that they all grow differently at different stages. Her 12 yr old friend is 5ft8 and looks so much older than her age, then another friend is sadly suffering from anorexia. I just want to set them up with good modelling about nutrition which i didnt have because my mother never had it either.
Sorry I think this got waffly.
R
No processed food, almost no take-aways etc.
I wished we would have our own live stock-my dream would be to be able to produce what we need ourselves. But here in the UK (especially where we are-close to London) land is so unbelievably expensive, that I am afraid it will stay just a dream for a while longer0 -
I don't buy or keep junk in the house. We still have pizza, tacos, and everything else kids and hubbies love, I jest make then a but differently. We even have dessert! I love Clean Eating mag...get so many ideas there. I never make seperate meals and its all about being a while lifestyle change for the whole family. We are all better off for it!! There are since great recipe blogs out there, just got to dig a little!
Just adding a little here....it is so important to me that my kids and especially my girls see new approach this with balance. Coming from an ED past, I never want to get into discussions with my kids about dieting, etc. They know I was very unhealthy at my high weight, and I needed to lose that to be a better mom. I hope to instill good eating habits into my lugs so they get how important it its, to fuel your body. But I will never encourage them to count calories or weigh food, etc. Its ask about choosing the very best food to keep our body working hard for us!0 -
Okay...I guess I should have been a little more specific. I was wanting to know how you make sure that everyone else is getting the right amount of calories.
I don't worry so much about they're calories, just try to make sure they have frequent meals and snacks and they are balanced.0 -
Okay...I guess I should have been a little more specific. I was wanting to know how you make sure that everyone else is getting the right amount of calories.
I don't worry so much about they're calories, just try to make sure they have frequent meals and snacks and they are balanced.
This, unless they need to gain or lose weight, I don't think it's really important to track calories for kids. Just make sure they are getiing good, wholesome food. Kids have different requirements and most will usually eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. There are times with my 12 yo that I've told him he's had enough, but it's a tough call because he is growing so much and is very active in sports and he needs the fuel.0 -
Yep...the only kid I worry about is the younger one because he's never been a skin and bones kind of kid (10lb baby), unlike his older brother....and he was getting downright chubby very early this year. Good things come in groups though and not only did we start eating clean whole food (with me cooking everything from scratch), but both boys got into an everyday after school program called Move60 at the same time that lasted for about 2 and a half months. Even the older one lost a few pounds we didn't realize he was carrying with the double whammy.....but the younger one lost enough to be able to squeeze (squeeze being the operative word) back into his skinny jeans...he hadn't been able to get them over his knees since Thanksgiving. He still has a few pounds to go to be optimally healthy for his height and age, but I bet that's all going to come off over the summer because I intend to make sure that they are both still active for at least an hour a day, if not more.0
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Activity is very important for kids!!!! I'm a huge advocate, as you would see with my kids who play soccer, baseball, wrestle, ski and as much as I shove them outside to play. They need to have fun and not think of it as work. My 12 yo would be overweight if it were not for all the sports he's in. He's always been big, off the charts at the doctors, he's currently 5'7" and weighs 156 lbs. He's still carrying a bit of baby fat, but he is pretty much all muscle. His dad was overweight growing up and I know our son would be the same way if not for the constanst exercise and our more healthy eating then my hubby did when he was younger. We talk about the importance of balance. It's OK to have some chips once in a while, but be sure to get a balance of proteins with veggies/fruits and carbs at every meal. Now my 5 year old could stand to gain a few lbs, so we treat him differently when it comes to food and they all know that as well.
Sounds like you have them off to a good start. I'm sure it will all balance out if you continue the path you have them on. Good luck.0 -
I don't worry about anyone's calories but my own. My DH is overweight but he is an adult and when he is ready to do something about it he will. My kids are both very healthy and do not have any weight issues (both are very skinny). My DD eats when she is hungry and stops when she is full (DS is only 7 months old so not too worried about him right now) lol.
I also make sure she gets outside a lot to play and swim, bike, run etc.0
