On the topic of children and nutrition...

michellekicks

I was just reading another thread about passing on good healthy habits to our children. I noticed some comments from someone whose profile says they eat paleo. It got me thinking...

If you eat a specific diet i.e. paleo, low carb, vegan or whatever, is that how your child/ren eat(s) too?

I have a friend who is kosher and obviously her kids are too. I've never thought about how it would be to feed my child a special diet.

bokodasu

If it's what you eat, feeding it to your children isn't giving them a "special diet," it's just feeding them. My friend's kid was recently diagnosed with celiac disease - *he* needs a special diet, and it's been a huge adjustment and she needs to be constantly vigilant to keep him in good health. My kids are just vegetarian because I am and that's what I cook for them.

mamamc03

My daughter eats what we eat. If we eat spaghetti squash with no meat, she eats spaghetti squash with no meat. If we eat grilled fish, she eats grilled fish. If we go out for a hamburger, so does she. She is learning that anything is acceptable with moderation. Her only other option is not to eat. I will NOT fix my child chicken nuggets just because she doesn't like what was made. That being said, I had this policy before I changed my eating habits.

michellekicks

My daughter eats what we eat. If we eat spaghetti squash with no meat, she eats spaghetti squash with no meat. If we eat grilled fish, she eats grilled fish. If we go out for a hamburger, so does she. She is learning that anything is acceptable with moderation. Her only other option is not to eat. I will NOT fix my child chicken nuggets just because she doesn't like what was made. That being said, I had this policy before I changed my eating habits.

That's like how we do it, so that seems normal to me.

I guess my question is more for, like, if say Mom or Dad had celiac and so both parents ate gluten-free... would they just feed their kids a gluten-free diet. I don't suppose people do this because it would just be limiting for no reason (and expensive) but maybe I'm wrong. I'm just mostly curious.

... like are there children out there eating a strict paleo diet for instance?

sunsnstatheart

Our kids follow our basic diet as the poster above mentioned but with some exceptions. They do eat more sweets than we do though they are limited and they get a bit more fat. I eat egg substitute for, example, a few times a week in place of eggs, as I will never feed that to them. They need the eggs. They also eat syrup on their pancakes and I eat my pancakes plain. I'd rather they have the sugar, full fat foods and whatnot and slowly learn to make good decisions than to force it on them. Don't get me wrong I have had the candy talk with my 7 year old as she does love the hard candy but its more "this is a sometimes food" not an "anytime food" and I explain to her why. Let's be honest, at 7 she spends time away from us at school and with her friends and grandmother. We have to teach her how to make good decisions as we won't always be there.

Edit to add: I guess I do this in some respects because I grew up on a low-salt, low-flavor diet due to my parent's diet and healthy issues. I did learn how to eat healthy from that but it was pretty unpleasant and I don't want to go that far with my own kids.

wyodawn

My daughter was vegetarian (and for awhile vegan) with me. She did protest a little in preschool when the other kids' chicken nuggets looked different than the ones I sent for her, but mostly she didn't care. When she started to care, I relaxed the diet but I don't cook meat. Don't know how, don't want to. I bought her tuna fish & lunch meat and let her order it when we went out. She usually chose vegetarian options on her own and still does at age 18, living on her own. But my new husband is a HUGE meat eater, and if he grills steak, she is all over it.

My sister is on a strict, doctor-supervised diet and has been for most of the last 2 years. She does make her husband and kids a different dinner than she eats, because she knows they wouldn't eat a pile of yam pasta and cabbage and whatever else she's allowed to eat that day.

Firefox7275

That's like how we do it, so that seems normal to me.

I guess my question is more for, like, if say Mom or Dad had celiac and so both parents ate gluten-free... would they just feed their kids a gluten-free diet. I don't suppose people do this because it would just be limiting for no reason (and expensive) but maybe I'm wrong. I'm just mostly curious.

... like are there children out there eating a strict paleo diet for instance?

If both parents were coeliac it would be far easier and perhaps safer for the whole family if the children were also because there is a genetic component to coeliac disease. Being gluten free at home is not any more limiting than being vegetarian or Muslim, there are numerous carbs that can replace wheat, rye and barley - beans and lentils, corn, rice, root vegetables for example none of which are expensive. It's not even a whole food group that is being avoided: it becomes expensive if you try to 'ape' processed wheat products by relying on gluten free bread and pasta.

Some do feed their children highly restrictive diets, just like some try to make their cats and dogs vegetarian.

angelicasmommy

I have been gluten free for 2 years this coming April. My daughter had just turned 1 when I found out. I still feed her stuff with gluten in it like crackers and regular bread because it's cheaper, but I can understand people who only buy gluten free foods for the whole household, because of the chance of cross contamination. I'm pretty sure I have accidentally gotten gluten in my food while preparing two meals at once. Sometimes when we have spaghetti, I will cook a pot with regular noodles, and one with my rice noodles. It's a huge pita. Sometimes I say forget it and just cook us both the rice noodles.
I stopped eating meat about a month ago and I don't buy it, so she doesn't eat it. She goes to my dads every weekend so she eats meat there, and she does eat meat at daycare too. I was vegan for a few weeks but decided to just go vegetarian for now until I get used to it then make the switch to vegan, but I debated switching her to vegan aswell and decided against it.

JennW130

My daughter eats what we eat. If we eat spaghetti squash with no meat, she eats spaghetti squash with no meat. If we eat grilled fish, she eats grilled fish. If we go out for a hamburger, so does she. She is learning that anything is acceptable with moderation. Her only other option is not to eat. I will NOT fix my child chicken nuggets just because she doesn't like what was made. That being said, I had this policy before I changed my eating habits.

This is how I was raised and this is what I do with my kids. Although I was raised to clean my plate, and I will not do that with my kids.

XFitMojoMom

I just try to give them healthy choices. I have one child who follows a healthy plan, she loves her lean proteins, vegs & fruits , dislikes white potato/rice/pasta & cakes. The other child will not eat it unless it's dipped in chocolate or smothered in nutella. frustrating, but I also don't want them to get it in their heads about diets. One of my daughters peers at cheer is just 12 and is not eating her lunches this makes me sad.

kaseysospacey

I give my kids healthy choices. I dont make them eat low carb like me. I do give them whole grains and rather healthy fare but they get the occasional ice cream too.