Telling your parents...

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  • jenihullett
    jenihullett Posts: 241 Member
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    No one wants someone to point out that whatever they're going to eat is unhealthy. I think your best bet is to help plan and prepare meals.

    This is great advice. Maybe get more involved in your family's meal prep and grocery shopping.
  • reallifealien
    reallifealien Posts: 128 Member
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    just tell them you're watching what you eat? i'm very involved with what my family buys when we go out grocery shopping. it was my parents who encouraged me to start watching what i eat in the first place!
  • tcatcarson
    tcatcarson Posts: 227 Member
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    How do you tell your parents that you dont want to eat something because its unhealthy for dinner?

    Timing is important : speak about this while your parents are planning or buying the food, not when it's cooked and put down in front of you! Get more involved in the whole process and politely show them what you know and how seriously you take it.
  • kayduro
    kayduro Posts: 249 Member
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    Offer to help go grocery shopping and making the menu for the week. Look thru the grocery store flyers to help with the grocery list, Pick out healthy foods, look for buy one get one free offers, help clip coupons. Assist with meal prep. My Mother hated making the menu out for the week. Get involved.!!!!!!!!!!!

    ^^this^^. No need to hurt your moms feelings by telling her her food is unhealthy. Step up and offer to cook healthy dishes for the family. She will be ever so grateful and it will be a win/win!
  • xSophia19
    xSophia19 Posts: 1,536 Member
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    :laugh: ermm, well you just tell them 'i dont want to eat this dinner because its not healthy'

    You are entilted to make your own desicions.. I understand that they have cooked it all for you, but if you dont want it then thats up to you. Im sure they would enjoy 2nd helpings of it anyway :smile:
  • ErinGBragh
    ErinGBragh Posts: 183 Member
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    Show her skinnytaste.com...it has some really tasty meals that are healthy. Maybe tell her you are interested in learning to cook and could we try some recipes on this website for a week and I'll help make them. The good thing too is that they have the calorie count with each recipe, so it's easy to plug them into your MFP. I make those dinners every night for my family (with two kids, 6 and 8) and the whole family loves them!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    My step daughter is only 13 but I would be really happy if she came to me and said she wanted to eat healthier. I'd do anything to aid her. I commend you for doing it now. I often have to have a separate meal as she refuses to eat anything remotely healthy. I try to find ways around it, but it's difficult.

    Have a little chat with her and say could we please incorporate some healthy meals into next weeks shop. I'm, sure she will support you... If you could get a little work on a Saturday If your in school, you could do a little grocery shopping for yourself too. Certainly don't not say anything. What's the worst that can happen?

    Zara x
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    BBCgoodfood is a great website too. Usually tells you calories x
  • Lyssa62
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
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    State that exact sentence.

    yep pretty simple
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    What's unhealthy? Does it have lead paint?
    Is it raw chicken rolled in dirt? Tubs of "bad fat"? Marshmallow pie?

    Very few things are truly unhealthy. It a question of quantify and variety - if you eat giant cheeseburgers evey night - yes unhealthy but mostly due to the quantity not the actual food.

    My daughter tried to tell me that tortilla and avocado soup was "unhealthy" - home made tortillas, tomato stock ... Let's say her education has been improved.

    There are times when parents do prepare poor food choices.

    The place to help make dinner decisions is before we have spent energy and time preparing the food. If you don't participate in the process, you should voice any criticism or dislike with the respect and attention deserved to someone who has worked to put the food before you. You can always say, "thanks you, I appreciate it but this is to much for me." Propose to help.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    What's unhealthy? Does it have lead paint?
    Is it raw chicken rolled in dirt? Tubs of "bad fat"? Marshmallow pie?

    Very few things are truly unhealthy. It a question of quantify and variety - if you eat giant cheeseburgers evey night - yes unhealthy but mostly due to the quantity not the actual food.

    My daughter tried to tell me that tortilla and avocado soup was "unhealthy" - home made tortillas, tomato stock ... Let's say her education has been improved.

    There are times when parents do prepare poor food choices.

    The place to help make dinner decisions is before we have spent energy and time preparing the food. If you don't participate in the process, you should voice any criticism or dislike with the respect and attention deserved to someone who has worked to put the food before you. You can always say, "thanks you, I appreciate it but this is to much for me." Propose to help.

    ^^^ This, pretty much!

    And beware that 'unhealthy' and 'high calorie' can be totally different things, especially if you do choose to cook for the family. If you try feeding 'diet food' to someone who does not want to lose weight, they may leave the table unsatisfied.
  • divacat80
    divacat80 Posts: 299 Member
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    I agree with those who said that helping in the kitchen would be the best idea. Have you tried talking to your family and announcing that you're starting a healthy lifestyle and wanting to commit to it? have you told them what you think about their eating habits? are they willing to accept your lifestyle change?
    if so, and if they're not interested in changing THEIR way of life then your best option would be to help in the kitchen by cooking YOUR OWN meals.
    You need to learn how to cook to eat healthy, and even without a lifestyle change in mind, you DO need to learn how to cook. Given that they don't want you to change their habits, and knowing that whoever is doing the cooking in the family shouldn't get a double workload in the kitchen by making you a separate menu... make your own meals!

    Eating high-calorie food but in the 'right' amount to not to sabotage your calorie intake set for losing weight, can make you feel quite hungry. you would be eating the correct amount of calories but you would go over on the fats, sugar and sodium (possible cholesterol as well).
    So you might need to change your daily menus. It's not necessary to become "orthorexic" to lose weight and be healthy, but you do need to eat more homemade meals.

    You'll learn a new skill, and you'll have the satisfaction of having cooked your own meal, you'll adapt the food flavor to your taste as you get more skilled, and you'll know -almost-exactly what's on your plate.

    Who knows? your family might even follow your footsteps.

    You'll have to be extra strong to not to touch whatever they are eating these days! but you can do it!

    I'm sure your family wants what's best for you, so I bet it would only be a matter of just telling them that you want to be live a healthy life.

    In your first post you sounded like you were afraid they might overreact, I hope I'm wrong :)

    I saw that you posted this on my newsfeed yesterday, but I couldn't find the post since I was using my tablet. So sorry for not replying to this post sooner! :)
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
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    What does your family think of the food that you buy and prepare?
  • MsYanaBanana
    MsYanaBanana Posts: 45
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    When I lived w my fam. I'd offer to cook healthy meals or cook for myself.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
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    Don't talk about it. You don't have to explain anything.
  • obsidianwings
    obsidianwings Posts: 1,237 Member
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    I would try having a general conversation with them about what you are trying to achieve. If it makes no difference then its either time to start sorting out your own food, or just eat smaller portions of what they provide.
  • dukslayer4051
    dukslayer4051 Posts: 66 Member
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    i grew up in a fat family, i am by far the most health concious and slender (but not nearly skinny) in my entire family. as a result, i am having to figure out this whole eating healthy now as an adult...im having to reprogram my body to eat right. make the right choice now, it will last a lifetime!
  • CandyAppleCockers
    CandyAppleCockers Posts: 74 Member
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    I'm an adult.. but I'm back at home after a second round of schooling. I went keto while home around a year ago. I put items I want on the grocery list, try to go with my mother and help her shop.

    I offer to prepare meals and sometimes cook differently for myself at the same time.

    If my Mom cooks she knows I don't eat high carb veggies like corn, and don't take the starch, but I would never say to her her cooking isn't healthy. It just doesn't align with my goals. hen I eat more carbs I feel unwell.
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
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    this is difficult becuase you don't want to hurt them either. if you have money to buy your own food, then maybe it's best just to make your own food.

    one thing that worked at my parent's house before I moved out on my own was asking them if I could do the grocery shopping and cook dinner. They would tell me what they personally needed adn I would cook dinner.
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Just tell them you do not want to eat junk because you're trying to lose weight or something.
    I'm sure they'll understand.
    Please don't use the word "junk" to someone who has just worked to put food on the table! You'll get better results by complementing the healthy food on the table.

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