Do you cook differently for your family?

supertracylynn

I have been cooking a different meal the most nights for over 3 years now. It doesn't bother any of the people in my family.
What really matters is whether you eat your (potentially different) meals together.

ETA: Pasta and bread do not agree with me, and since my kids are healthy (as well as healthy weights and Strong), I do not place limitations on them. Also, I did about 6 months as pescatarian for personal reasons but still cooked pig, cow, and chicken for my kids.

MrGarciasWifey

When I was growing up you ate what was on the table, you cooked for yourself or you went to be hungry. My mom would tell me... "This isn't a restaurant." Yes, I could offer suggestions of what we might have during the week and she never made anything that I hated and forced me to eat it, but she didn't just make me something different because I wanted junk. Now, as an adult, I make one meal and my husband eats what I make. My son (1 year old), eats what I give him. I think it is a parents responsibility to teach their children how to eat and make healthy choices.

londaknight

I usually don't cook differently for my family, but I may add something extra to my husband's portions or for the kids. I'm the only person in my house who can cook, so it's pretty much a "Eat what I cook" dictatorship so to speak. My husband is free to TRY and cook something else, but since he's hopeless in the kitchen,, he usually gives in. I stopped cooking greasy fried foods, and roast, grill, or bake almost every meat staple, but I may dip their portions in BBQ sauce or gravy, and add extra pasta and grab a smaller serving for myself. I also have a free day each week where someone else in the house decides what's for dinner. It works for them, and for me because it's the one day to give in and just eat (though still in moderation). Also I keep snacks for them I wouldn't touch such as Reese's cookies (I'm allergic to peanuts) and jello and fruit snacks.

Halleeon

My situation is that I have two picky teens who don't like most of the foods I make for myself. They complain 'there's no food in the house' when they look in the refrigerator. They like a lot of kid-food--pizza, mac & cheese, fettuccini alfredo, fries, burritos, potato chips, taco chips and salsa, veggie versions of chik'n nuggets, cheese burgers, etc. So, I end up buying and/or making those things for them.

Usually, I resist, but in weak moments, I can get pulled into eating these rich foods, and see red in my food diary.

Maybe it's time for the teens to learn how to cook?? I'm not being sarcastic, it was just a thought.

You can make healthier, lower calorie versions of many of those foods. Maybe not the potato chips or alfredo. I have made healthier mac and cheese, but it's not low cal.

I'm always surprised by how many people on MFP say no to chips and salsa. That is a go to healthy snack for me when I was something crunchy. Burritos and burgers are easy though if you use lean meat and reduced fat cheese. Shredded chicken / bean burritos and nachos are yummy!

And just to add to this...just because its "kid food" doesn't make it good. If they wanted to harm their bodies in other ways, would you enable them? Probably not. Teaching your children about nutrition and ways to enjoy the foods properly, in my opinion, is part of your job as a parent. They don't have to embrace it at first, just work with them, like you would teach them any new thing...and they will be the better for it. Heh, otherwise, they might end up on MFP in 10-15 years posting "HELP ME!!!" topics on the forums. Just some food for thought.

Eureka175

I make one meal - but take into consideration what everyone else enjoys and make healthy versions. I made slow changes - whole wheat spaghetti - after a few times, no one noticed anymore and ate it no questions asked - then moved onto brown rice, added in some quinoa, chicken & bean burgers (husband complained, but kids didn't notice difference), etc. I puree veggies into things such as pasta sauce (and make a large pot of homemade sauce once a month & freeze). For my family slow and steady changes worked best. When we eat out (which isn't very often) - they can order whatever they want.

JenD2Vivi

My husband eats what I eat. If it doesn't satisfy him then he makes himself a snack. Unfortunately, I can barely get my 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old to eat the same. I try, but they don't eat it most of the time. So it ends up being mac n cheese, pizzas, & pb&j's for them. I hate it, but I need them to eat something! The good news is that my daughter LOVES broccoli (yay). Hopefully when they are a little older I can get them to eat the good stuff. And if anyone has suggestions on healthy eating for kids, please let me know! ))

rexzmumu

i cook seperate. mine are for the most part cooked a head of time and prepackaged for easy grab and nuke. my bf wouldnt care what he ate as long as there was enough, our roommate however is picky. groceries and cooking is my "rent" so... yea

_VoV

My situation is that I have two picky teens who don't like most of the foods I make for myself. They complain 'there's no food in the house' when they look in the refrigerator. They like a lot of kid-food--pizza, mac & cheese, fettuccini alfredo, fries, burritos, potato chips, taco chips and salsa, veggie versions of chik'n nuggets, cheese burgers, etc. So, I end up buying and/or making those things for them.

Usually, I resist, but in weak moments, I can get pulled into eating these rich foods, and see red in my food diary.

Please don't take this the wrong way because I'm truly not trying to be judgmental, just asking you to maybe reevaluate some things. You are here to lose weight and probably something which is more important: make yourself healthier? I would think about the way your kids eat. Do you really want them to be in your shoes? I know that I don't want my kids to ever feel they way I feel about myself, or have to have any concern about their health due to eating habits. They're in their teens now, and will likely be out of the house in a short time. If they are making bad choices like that already, imagine the choices they will make when they leave. If I were in your shoes, I'd put my foot down. You don't need to deprive them of everything, but they need to understand a balanced diet that they can carry on for when they live on their owns and make their OWN dinners.

I appreciate your take on this. Lately, my children are starting to cook for themselves, but mostly versions of the things I mentioned previously. They are night-owls, so much of this cooking is happening in the late evening--my toughest part of the day to resist temptation. Right now, they are proud of their creations and want me to try them. I do, to encourage them, but sometimes it's hard to stop at one bite. So, perhaps, this will be a transitional thing.

I'd love it if they could join me in eating whole food vegan--fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, and nuts. They won't even touch nuts. Who doesn't like nuts?

TheArmadillo

We all eat the same meal in the evening - though I sometimes do several side dishes so everyone picks and mixes as to their preference (e.g. I'm the only one who likes mushrooms and there is no way I am giving them up).

At lunch times (weekends and holidays mostly) we tend to all have different meals and then they'd have something they like but I don't or is not nice enough for me to be prepared to fit it in. It also means I can have the stuff they hate.

I want my kids to have a healthy diet as well as me. My son used to have extreme eating issues and eating together as a family, round a table, definitely helps a lot. Plus I often have little time in the evening and I am not juggling cooking several different meals. However I do take into account everyone's dislikes (including my husband).

jmrock3

I make my choices strategically... take out ground beef and put in ground turkey or chicken... switch to low fat cheese in stead of full fat... As long as you don't do it all at once, you won't upset them too much.. most of the time I don't even tell them I'm using something other than what the recipe calls for... I have a 16 and 7 y/o at home, they don't even know the difference anymore...

AllonsYtotheTardis

My husband is just happy that he doesn't have to cook - he'll gladly eat whatever I make. The kids are a little more picky, but that's normal for kids. They have two options at meal time - eat what I just cooked, or eat leftovers from earlier in the week.

I'm not just doing this healthy eating for me alone - I'm doing for them too.


Does that mean they NEVER get to eat stuff I don't eat? No - we're just trying to make smarter choices over all. We all get 'treats' in moderation. (BTW - McDo has become a dirty word in our household, and thankfully - the kids don't really mind that much)

lilangel317

No I cook the same for everyone. I just have smaller portions than they do and if a higher calorie/fat meal keep the portion small and add fruit or veggie.

This is what I do. I plan ahead and make sure that my portions are within my calorie budget. My family can eat anything and not gain an ounce however they are very supportive of my goals and eat what I make. Besides It's too costly to make meals to fit everyones individual's diet.

impyimpyaj

My family wants foods I know I shouldn't have because once I start eating them, I can't stop.

I can't (and don't want to be) a total food dictator in the kitchen. Any ideas to make this a little easier on myself?

I don't cook differently for my kids. The only exception is that they don't like to eat soups and salads, so if the main dish is soup, they'll get something else, and I just make a different side dish on nights that we have salad with dinner.

They still get "treats" from time to time. We'll go out for pizza or whatever. We have cake on birthdays. But the way I see it, treats should be just that, and you don't have treats every day or else they're no longer special. I make good food that happens to be healthy. They eat fruit for most snacks. They drink water for most of their hydration needs. And that's a GOOD thing. Because I want them to learn to love healthy foods, and they have. While my kids don't eat salads, they do now ask for lettuce if we have chicken tacos, and my son will eat baby spinach raw. They've learned to try new foods, and to try them repeatedly, and now they like those "yucky" things they didn't like before, because the fear of the new has worn off.

Do yourself and your kids a favor and expose them to healthy foods. You shouldn't have to cook two meals, and THEY shouldn't have to break a lifetime of not-as-healthy eating habits when they get older. Give them the right start. You don't have to be a kitchen dictator to get your family to eat healthier.

sunshineshica

Can you make both stuff that you can have and stuff you can't have? I'm a picky eater so it makes it easy for me to make things that I can't have that I also don't like. Maybe by adding something you don't like into something you shouldn't have it should make it easier to avoid that. I try to do that when I bring treats to work. I bring stuff that I don't like anyways and so it's easy to avoid it.

I do this. Im allergic to shellfish but my hubby and son aren't. So when I'm trying to keep myself from eating stuff I shouldn't eat I make that. I'd also say to eat before you make dinner for them or eat smaller portions of what you're making. Portion control helps.

cbevan1229

It's just me and my husband. He's not a picky eater at all, and I just give him a bigger portion of whatever I'm having for dinner. He gets his junk food quota through snacking.

Mommagoose4

We all the eat the same most of the time.
I just make sure I take a small serving of potatoes & large serving of veggies - or if they want pasta I make a yummy salad & put it on my plate first to take up a lot of space so that I take a smaller serving size. Or if they want taco's I will have taco salad - just omit the shells.
I have been a huge influence on my family eating better - they want to too. But they still get snacks - like chips candy pop & what not I just don't par take in it. Or I use a smaller sized bowl for myself.

kittyhug1986

I will usually make a meal that my husband wants, but I will usually set aside parts that I would eat. For example, he really likes having boxed fetticini so I will make chicken to go over that, and just eat the chicken but not the fetticini.

paulaviki

I don't have kids, but I do tend too cook slightly different food for my husband. For example if I have salad and boiled potatoes I might still do him fries and mushrooms. We'll still have the same meat. I've always cooked like that because we have very different tastes in food and it really doesn't bother me! Plus he is very slim and has a fast metabolism so can have more calories than me anyway without it doing him any harm.

marathon64

I thin if you want to encourage them then encouragement them by your example. Let them know you prefer not to try those foods because they are not part of your diet. Let them know that you used to eat like that but you find you feel better when you make vegan choices. For me I have found I no longer even want that stuff. If it's a trigger for you then just say no and DO NOT feel bad for not "encouraging them" to eat the crappy food hehe They will do it anyhow-no worries!

AllonsYtotheTardis

I make my choices strategically... take out ground beef and put in ground turkey or chicken... switch to low fat cheese in stead of full fat... As long as you don't do it all at once, you won't upset them too much.. most of the time I don't even tell them I'm using something other than what the recipe calls for... I have a 16 and 7 y/o at home, they don't even know the difference anymore...

I'm doing a lot of this too - small changes to our favorite foods can make a BIG difference!