Changing Childrens eating habits

preslyann50

Any tips? My husband and I are making changes to our food and with that brings changes with our children's food. I feel though they have become too dependent on chick-fil-a and carbs.
I am making small changes like more fruits with dinner and if I am buying something that is packaged I stay away from preservatives and all that jazz.
Lunch is hard because my kids are at a nut free preschool so no PB&J that they love and I was giving them lunchables but
not anymore. I try turkey sandwhiches or yogurt but they don't really like it.
I have done a lot of reading on line but I swear a lot of these articles are written by someone who either a has no children or b
has a child that never questions authority lol. Plus the articles don't say what do to if your child doesn't do the routine haha
So I figured I'd ask the parents on MFP what you do. My boys are young and I want them to have healthy eating habits.
Any recipes, ideas, suggestions, etc?

reddcat

bump. Could use all the suggestions you get too!

evileen99

There's a product called Sunbutter that's made from sunflower seeds; you might see if your kids like it as it's the only spread that's nut-free and this would allow them to still have something close to their favorite sandwich.

Do they like hummus? Some brands come in single serve containers that they could put on whole grain crackers or carrot sticks. Dried fruit was popular in my house, but if you're worried about sugar content then check labels as some dried fruits have added sugar. Mango is usually very sweet on it's own so I can easily find dried mango without added sugar.

jacquelyndraper

Hi there, I also am trying to teach my children healthy eating habits, I try to keep it balanced. So an example of this would be turkey and cheese on whole grain bread w/ cut up strawberries and a chocolate chip granola bar with milk. I also will pack them warm options in their thermos like chicken soup w/ crackers, cut up fruit, and a milk. I agree that's it difficult to come up with things and I always tend to pack the same things. I would love to hear what other parents put in their childrens lunch boxes for new ideas

daisiemae123

If they like lunchables, try making your own. Cut the turkey and cheese into fun shapes, use whole grain crackers, and get some fun little containers to put it all in. I have also seen neat ideas on some bento box sites for kids healthy lunch ideas.

aakokopelli7

I have three little boys. When it came time to change our eating habits, it was like a war broke out. No body wanted what I made, they got mad because I didn't buy the same snacks. But.... after about two weeks, they forgot all about the old stuff they used to like. I did use a few tricks though. Shaping their lunches with cookies cutters, putting little eyes or hearts on fruits they didn't "like". That made it more fun I guess. Believe me Mama, it will be harder on you than it will be on them, and a little bit of tough love goes a long way when these changes come about.
Also, check out Hungry Girl. She has a lot of very healthy kid food ideas, that turn out to be big hits at my house. For example the home made chicken nuggets coated in bran instead of batter or bread crumbs. You can make them before hand and put them in their lunch boxes the next day.

Chief_Rocka

It's quite easy, since kids don't typically have their own money.

sunsnstatheart

Kids will eventually follow what you do and eat what you eat. If you are changing then you need to be patient but firm. My kids always have eaten "adult" foods and vegetables.

hdlb

We've completely changed our kids diets twice, The first time we changed their diet was to combat some serious attitude issues with my oldest. We got rid of all the overly processed, sugary heavy, nutritional junky foods and replaced them with whole wheat crackers, fruits and veggies, rice cakes real cheddar cheese, , homemade muffins and granola bars, apple sauce.... They kids (mainly our oldest) really fought it, but when there is no other choice, they adapt.

The second time we changed everything was when the kids, our son especially, was diagnosed with gluten issues. As of right now our cupboards ahve rice crackers, rice cakes, Sun Rype fruit bars and individual apple sauce cups. Our fridge is full of beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, pre-cut veggies, hard boiled eggs, yogurt for my oldest, and we have tons of fruit. I try and keep something baked, right now we have GF apple "cake". The kids never say they can't find something to eat.

Last year when the kids were still eating gluten, lunches would include jam sandwiches on whole wheat, (PB free school) ham or turkey sandwiches (ham, cheddar, lettuce, whole wheat bread) salads with ham or chicken, wraps, crackers and cheese, baked tortilla chips and salsa, fruit, muffins, mini bagel with cream cheese, Yogurt, apple sauce, fruit, veggies, leftover rice in a thermos.

This year we're homeschooling and I don't have to make any lunches to-go, but when we have to pack snacks we pack jerky, applesauce, GF muffins, granola bars. For lunch my little ones usually have a protein (hard boiled egg, jerky, pepperoni, leftover chicken or deli meat), fruit or berries and either crackers or a rice cake with honey or jam.

I know there are tons of other ideas out there, but we're a gluten free, dairy free (except the oldest) corn free, nut free house....I'm limited in ideas outside of those restrictions.

Honestly though, the kids won't starve. Get rid of the foods you don't want them having, replace them with the foods that they do like, and tell them thats what they have to choose from. I also have picky kids, so I'm not coming from a point of view where my kids will eat anything and change is easy. My middle child has never put a vegetable in her mouth. Shes 5 next week.

www.100daysofrealfood.com has some great recipes, and some great information on changing kids diets. www.weelicious.com has tons of recipes too.

tatertotfishstick

We are incorporating a change for the kids as well. I use a magnectic dry erase chore chart from target (only because it already has chart on it) to use for our food pyramid. I looked up the fruit/veg/meat/dairy/carb servings for her age and she gets a magnetic star when she eats her serving... then at the end of the day we see what she still needs to have to fullfill her nutritional needs. If she gets a sweet in her lunch box at school then she only gets fruit after dinner. She looks at it as a game, so it's fun right now. But after a few weeks, we just start to get into the routine of healthier choices. It really helps me when packing lunch and planning dinner. I incorporate a lot of fresh fruit in school lunches and snack time. I send for lunch (1 cheese stick, fresh watermelon or frozen grapes, water (I use a refillable water bottle and she only gets water at school, this cuts a ton of sugar out. She used to take 1 or 2 juice boxes to school each day). Carrot or celery sticks with fun dips (pinterest is great for ideas) and a sandwich or pasta salad (again I use pinterest to keep it new). The "Pioneer Woman" has a great "pioneer sushi" recipe that is a big hit. It's turkey roll up with lots of veggies and sliced like sushi. I also cut her sandwich up in fun shapes (using sandwich shape cutters)... she will eat it more likely if it looks fun and the other kids are impressed. We also do the Go-Gurt yogurt tubes and I freeze them. They thaw out in time for lunch and second as a cool pack for the other food. I am "Tatertot Fishstick" on Pinterest and you can look under my "lunchbox ideas" for recipes. Hope this helps.

note: our school last year was peanut-free but we could still use alternative butters (sunflower butter, cashew butter, etc). just let the teacher know that it's not peanut butter.

Tw1zzler

I put healthy food in front of my kid. No bribes. I do ask that he take a small bite of each item and if he hates it he doesn't have to eat it. I read somewhere that if you try a food several times you will either eventually like it or will never like it. My son will now eat broccoli and a few other veggies using that method. It took a while you have to be patient. He loves broccoli, carrots, apples, grapes, watermelon & pineapple. I give him lots of the healthy foods he does like. I limit him to one small soda/ day and one sweet treat.

Here are some ideas if you have a little time...

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/bento-lunch-boxes don't have to get that fancy.

My son gets a sandwich, grapes or carrots and a small bag of his favorite chips for lunch. Sometimes he gets a thermos of soup. He plays hockey 4x per week and a few chips won't hurt him.

tatertotfishstick

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/05/tortilla-rollups/

here's the link for prairie sushi

BexNeighbors

Way to go! My daughter is four and we've been vegetarian at home ever since she was born so that has helped a lot. Eating out is more difficult because restaurants only offer kids carbs and sugar. Often, we'll get her a special drink that she wants (smoothie/virgin drink in fun glass or something), then she can share off of our healthier adult plates. We're working at weaning her off of desserts though! Those bad habits start SO early...

As for lunchboxes, my little one LOVES edemame and they even sell single serving kids packs featuring Sponge Bob on the front! But, they're fun to eat anyway because they're so interactive to get the beans out of the pods. Sesame Street has some healthy waffles, pancakes and other breakfast items with their faces on the boxes (make sure your kiddos see them before you pack them for the lunch). Dips are great for any veggies-- ranch, guacamole, hummus, cream cheese, liquid cheese dip. Just give it some time. They'll eat when they're hungry enough and once their bodies start getting the amazing nutrients from the healthier food they'll start to crave it rather than the junk. Bodies crave what they eat (be it junk or health).

wwk10

Some things I do:

Soda is a problem for one of my children. So I buy the more expensive 6oz cans. I give him a six pack on Monday and say this is it for the week. He cant drink them after 4pm but other than that it is up to him. He is accountable. I went from 7/week to 4/week and surprisingy he is OK with it.

The will eat raw veggies carrots and broccoli with light ranch on the side. So they get that a lot.

They will eat iceberg and ranch salads. This is not so nutritional, but it gets them in the veggie habit. Also I toss the salad in a big bowl bc it uses less dressing than individual bowls.

Sometimes I serve food I know they will not eat. BUT they have to keep it on their plate. I read this somewhere and thought it was hokey, but I think it helps.

They see the benefits of my eating healthy.

The family happened to watch part of Biggest Loser. We dont normally watch. After it was over my son said "Next Saturday, I think I will run with you."

I dont want kids to count calories but I am thinking about a 450 calories of junk per day rule. Basically they can have one bow of chips, one soda and one sweet. Even this is excessive but it teaches them to be aware.

Bethane2

My son hates peanut butter, so I use either cream cheese or butter- health fats are actually beneficial to kids, especially if they are not featured in high amounts elsewhere in their diet. We eat lean meats, so not a lot of animal fats.
I'll make lunches of homemade chicken nuggets with organic ketchup, along with things like yogurt, ham & cheese.

We transitioned to "real" food, leaving GMO's and preservatives in the dust. My son is very sensitive to artificial food dye so we eliminated that too.
Amazon has lots of options for organic snacks (Annies, Nature's path) that resemble the generic junk that most kids have. They haven't complained, and actually like the organic pop-tarts and cereal bars, because they taste like fruit, not sugary syrup.
He has always been a big veggie eater, preferring broccoli to french fries, so 1 sugary snack a day, i figure is OK.

OkieinMinny

I put healthy food in front of my kid. No bribes. I do ask that he take a small bite of each item and if he hates it he doesn't have to eat it. I read somewhere that if you try a food several times you will either eventually like it or will never like it. My son will now eat broccoli and a few other veggies using that method. It took a while you have to be patient. He loves broccoli, carrots, apples, grapes, watermelon & pineapple. I give him lots of the healthy foods he does like. I limit him to one small soda/ day and one sweet treat.

I 100% agree with this - keep offering it up and encourage them to try at least one bite - PLUS it sounds like your kids are little - their taste buds will change over time - my oldest (now 11) used to NEVER eat any meat - he now loves most of it - be patient and consistent - I also have a rule that I do not make a "special" meal for them, they eat what we eat.

GBOGH_5

There are actually nut-free "peanut butter" products that are safe to send with them. One I know off the top of my head is WOWButter. My nephew eats it and doesn't complain. He doesn't know it's not real peanut butter though! http://www.soybutter.com/

preslyann50

Thanks everyone for the advice/tips. Is there anyway to bookmark a topic on here? I want to be able to come back to this. I know I can bookmark on my computer but wanted to see if there is an option here.

Also the apple "cake" do you have a recipe for that? And thanks everyone for the nut free "peanut" butter suggestions. I was asking around to people and I kept getting other nut replacement butters. The class is nut free so they weren't options.

It's going to be a battle but better do it now while they are healthy versus later when they have horrible habits and might be over weight.

PikaKnight

Not a parent, but all I can say is just do it. Don't make a big deal out of it and act like it is like they've always eaten. That's how my parents did it if they introduced something new. Then again, they were pretty strict and my brother and I knew that what they said went without question..lol.

OkieTink

I try turkey sandwhiches or yogurt but they don't really like it.

Eventually, they'll get hungry enough that they'll eat what you give them. They won't starve. Promise

With my own (who are still alive despite their claims of "just starving" 24/7) I did modify a little. I added a *little* cheese on top of broccoli. A *little* ranch with their raw veggies. After awhile they no longer required it.

Check out weelicious.com, there are some healthy lunchbox ideas on there.

LoraF83

If they like lunchables, try making your own. Cut the turkey and cheese into fun shapes, use whole grain crackers, and get some fun little containers to put it all in. I have also seen neat ideas on some bento box sites for kids healthy lunch ideas.

This is a good idea.

I'm a mom, and when I started trying to lose weight, I incorporated more veggies, fruit and homecooked meals into our family diet. However, nothing is off-limits completely. I don't want my daughter to be "afraid" of food. She's learned that some things are "sometimes" foods and other things are "any time" foods. She's four, and if she wants a snack, 9 times out of 10, she asks for an apple or a banana. So, I don't care if she gets a cookie the 10th time.
I was careful not to make it into too big of a deal. She started making better choices based on what she saw me doing and what was offered to her.

Also, don't make your kids scared of carbs. Carbs aren't evil - they are a good source of energy, especially for active people. Your kids need them. You can always substitute whole grain for white (although, read your labels....a lot of things marked "wheat" aren't any better than the white version). My daughter actually prefers whole grain pasta.

Maybe whole grain ravioli for lunch? Celery spread with cream cheese and wrapped in proscuitto or ham? Cut up fruits and veggies? Cottage cheese? Roast beef roll-ups with swiss cheese? Carrots and hummus? Roasted chickpeas (seasoned however they like)? Tortillas filled with black beans, diced peppers and cheese?