PARENTS ONLY: keeping family & kids healthy & well

kapoorpk
kapoorpk Posts: 244 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I think, its not only important for us to keep ourselves as healthy and well as possible for ourselves but also for our family. But, I also think with all the knowledge, experience and successes we acquire during our lifespan, we ought to create a life long gift of health and wellness as part of our family and especially our kids lifestyle from very young age. So, weight issues or unhealthy habits that many of us have to overcome in our older years are avoided or at least minimized to begin with.

We must instill a culture of health and wellness without compromising the fun factor for our kids. I wonder how, if any other parents, are balancing creating a family culture of healthy lifestyles for their kids and families without making it too tedious or boring for them.

For us, we are trying to introduce the yummiest healthy choices for them to chose from, teaching them portion control, knowledge around good and bad foods and enticing 60 minutes of physical activity.

Please share your experiences.
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Replies

  • kat3a1
    kat3a1 Posts: 10 Member
    That is so wonderful for your kids. My youngest has Asperger's and will basically only eat "White foods" for the most part and refuses any meat or green veggies. He is a HUGE challenge. What I've noticed lately, is that the more I support my teenager with sports at school the more he looks forward to it and is excited to work his bottom off. We as parents are the examples, just their seeing us eat healthy can naturally rub off. I noticed this week that my entire bag of raw spinach is GONE. Seems as though he decided it was his food of choice this week. I almost fainted, lol. My point is that I realized it's because he has been watching me. It was a great feeling!
  • kapoorpk
    kapoorpk Posts: 244 Member
    That is so wonderful for your kids. My youngest has Asperger's and will basically only eat "White foods" for the most part and refuses any meat or green veggies. He is a HUGE challenge. What I've noticed lately, is that the more I support my teenager with sports at school the more he looks forward to it and is excited to work his bottom off. We as parents are the examples, just their seeing us eat healthy can naturally rub off. I noticed this week that my entire bag of raw spinach is GONE. Seems as though he decided it was his food of choice this week. I almost fainted, lol. My point is that I realized it's because he has been watching me. It was a great feeling!

    Thanks for sharing. I think you make a very good point about us as parents simply leading our kids behaviors by example. No substitute for that. Your daily diaries look very well balanced and healthy. Your kids ought be proud of you.

    Thanks again for sharing and feel free to continue to converse as we all live and learn new things all the time.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    They did healthy month at school. Now my 5yo know what's healthy and what isn't.

    We try to limit the junk we give. We have healthy dinners. The worst snacks in our house are goldfish and sometimes cookies (oatmeal). I try to push fruit instead (which they love). We switched to low sugar cereal. When they start kindergarten we'll walk there (20 minutes). I still take them to McDonald's once a week though.
  • aseymour13
    aseymour13 Posts: 767 Member
    My kids are 19 and 21 and both are great about their food choices. My youngest never battled her weight but my oldest did. As a family , we were always very active - soccer, skiing, cycling and hiking. My focus with my oldest when she was 14 was about being fit and healthy not about how thin one was. There can be so much pressure on young girls to be thin which most times has little to do with being healthy. She took it to heart and by her sophomore year had lost 20 lbs (all on her own eating healthy and exercising) . She made the Varsity soccer team that year. I think we as parents have to lead by example in all aspects.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    I've raised 3 healthy, fit kids (one is a U.S. Marine!) and now have 4 grandkids.
    What I've learned over the years is that you HAVE to get your kids away from technology and OUTSIDE. Take family hiking trips, go to a park, etc. Take them camping, play ball, do yard work together and make it fun!
    Have the kids help you garden. They can help plant seeds, water and harvest healthy veggies and fruits. Then bring them in the house and have them help you wash and prepare some. Little kids loveee to help in the kitchen and they are more apt to try a new veggie if they see you 'working' with it and they get to help. My little 3 & 2 year old grandsons eat more vegetables than most adults I know.
    Expose the kids to healthy vegetables & fruits at a young age and keep doing it! Set an example by preparing and eating them yourself daily. Pick colors of the rainbow and let them know that the brighter they are (or greener) the healthier they are. Tell them WHY we need to eat healthy foods. Show them the difference and tell them what each item can do for their body. It does take homework but it's so worth it! Even a 2 year old understands what the word 'strong' means. Eat something and tell him/her that it will help make them strong and show them your muscles. Do whatever it takes. lol
    Keep the processed junk out of the house. Trust me, they get enough of it elsewhere.
    As for keeping them well, a multi-vitamin can't hurt and hand washing often is a must.
    Enjoy those little ones, make healthy, active memories together as a family and remember that teaching them good eating/exercise habits is a VERY, VERY important part of raising them!
  • zacoli
    zacoli Posts: 3
    I have 3 children. Ever since they were babies I made sure everything they put in there mouths was healthy. I made their baby purees and would only give them healthy choices. They know how to eat healthy(thank god).I was kinda obsessed because I wasn't taught what was good to eat.I grew up on diet coke. I have trouble drinking water, eating fruit and veggies.So I promised myself I would not do this to my kids.They have only heathy choices for snacks(sugar free fruit sauce,fresh fruit or yogurt).We do have junk food but it's movie night. I make homemade pizza, serve it with a serving of chips,fruit/veggie platter and popcorn without butter. Every week my daughter whines when we don't buy enough fruit and veggies. My daughter is a healthy weight, my 2 sons are not but they are not fat they just look like football players. My kids are 11(boy) 8(girl) 3(boy).....They only drink water or milk.They have a real fruit juice box for lunch at school. When the weather is nice I am at the park for at least an hour. My son plays hockey and baseball, and the 2 youngest do dance classes. Next year the 3 yr will also play hockey.
    I believe it's the parents responsibility to teach our kids to eat healthy.That it's ok to eat junk but in moderation.
  • auzziecawth66
    auzziecawth66 Posts: 476 Member
    I've got two of the pickiest eaters (the older one is starting to grow out of it a bit now). Even though I made baby food myself I have a hard time getting them to eat anything healthy. Especially the little one, its hard trying to teach them healthy habits when he turns up his nose at everything says ewe gross and refuses to eat it :(... *sigh*. Trying to find new ways to sneak veggies and even meat in such a way he will eat it but running out of ideas, won't stop trying though!!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It took us 4 years to get them to eat veggies! And we bribe with dessert (trying to make it small though).

    I don't believe in giving them healthy food all the time though - don't want them to piggy out on all the stuff they've missed when they are older.
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
    They did healthy month at school. Now my 5yo know what's healthy and what isn't.

    We try to limit the junk we give. We have healthy dinners. The worst snacks in our house are goldfish and sometimes cookies (oatmeal). I try to push fruit instead (which they love). We switched to low sugar cereal. When they start kindergarten we'll walk there (20 minutes). I still take them to McDonald's once a week though.

    Watch the dyes in cereals and snacks. They are worse than the sugar. Also watch the chemicals.
  • PurpleTina
    PurpleTina Posts: 390 Member
    We were lucky enough as a family to take part in a publicly funded Family Health Challenge a couple of years ago, as our kids were of qualifying age and we had concerns about one of them in particular and her weight. It was great for us all to take part in activities like shopping (being label detectives), and cooking together, as well as trying out new exercise ideas. I truly believe that we can only lead by example.

    Two years on and we are all healthy and active, making better food choices, and the daughter we were concerned about plays underwater hockey and goes to the gym twice a week. Oh, and next week we are taking part in a mountain navigation challenge of 10 miles, at her instigation!

    We do still eat 'less healthy' food sometimes, as I do not feel that deprivation is a good thing, but these are now informed choices, rather than just mindless stuffing of our faces.
  • veggiehottie
    veggiehottie Posts: 590 Member
    I totally agree and have always tried to feed my son the healthiest foods, and get him out exercising with me when we have time. I am proud to say we have not visited a McDonalds for over 4 years. :)

    It gets harder as they get older, though. My son is 9 and for the last year or so has been embarrassed of the healthy school lunches I pack for him. He won't eat hardboiled eggs at school anymore because a kid made fun of them. (He LOVES them at home.) and he asks why I won't pack him the junk that every other kid seems to have. His best friend brings Oreos AND Doritos to school almost every day... And I get asked all the time why I won't do the same.

    I start to wonder if I go too far in this? My own parents NEVER let me have junk growing up... I was the kid at school who had to bring rice cakes... And this was long before all the flavored ones... Lol... And sometimes I wonder if that was one of the reasons I later had obesity and binge eating issues.
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    We have NEVER had a clean plate rule, but we do implement a "you have to try a bite of everything" rule. I want my kids to try things that they would not normally like. We have followed this with all three kids and 2 of the 3 will eat anything you put in front of them. My oldest is not big on meat. She doesn't like the texture. But they will all eat veggies of any sort ~ our faves are broccoli and brussels sprouts :)

    I just want them to understand that there are different ways to try different things. Just because I hate raw or steamed cauliflower doesn't mean I don't like it mashed as a mashed potato substitute or in potato soup as an "extender".

    ETA: my kids are 13, 10 and 7.

    I have been trying really hard to keep sweet stuffs out of the house. That is where we struggle :(
  • kapoorpk
    kapoorpk Posts: 244 Member
    Thank you fellow parents..a ton of very good practical advice and years of wisdom!! I greatly appreciate you sharing!!
  • kmm7309
    kmm7309 Posts: 802 Member
    I only have my step sons every other weekend, which sucks. When they are with their mother, they live off frozen foods and junk. But when they are at my house, we go for a walk every night as a family and we play tennis and badminton outside in the summer (even though they are 15&16).

    I try to home cook all of our meals during the weekend. I hide vegetables everywhere in my cooking. I hide carrots and spinach and broccoli and tomatoes in everything. I try to frequently cook a vegetable as a side and convince them to try it. My oldest now likes cooked spinach because of that. I always cook breakfast at least once during the weekend.

    It's difficult to undo the diet they have with their mother, but I hope that one day they'll come to me for recipes because their mother can't cook!
  • MelanieBrainerd
    MelanieBrainerd Posts: 2 Member
    LOVE this topic! I was the FAT kid my entire life and at 45 I am finally getting a handle on life long change!! So I want to teach my kids NOW what eating CLEAN means and building a healthy FIT lifestyle everyday!! I honestly believe GOD brought ViSalus and the 90 Day Challenge into my life - its been a blessings! 2 simple shakes a day - 2 healthy snacks - 1 healthy meal - its FAST and easy for me!! So I'm down 35 lbs and going for 15 more!! The BEST part - is I give my kids a shake a day too - they get FULL spectrum protein-based nutrition - all in a Snickers Shake. Or Butterfinger Vi-shake. So I'm feeding my kids GOOD stuff - now we get FREE shakes so its like feeding my kids for FREE - they are learning to make healthy choices and my son (age 8 he's already 100 lbs) is losing weight!! This family is making great changes and I feel like a "Hero Mom" ... all because of a simple shake!!
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    You know, we let our daughter (3) eat junk (I don't keep much in my house, but grandma does at her's) -- but I try very hard to provide her balanced meal and encourage activity. She works out (mostly dances around) with me and her dad and she is very good about eating fruit and veggies, so I am totally fine with a candy bar or cupcake.

    I also try to model a healthy relationship with body I think not talking about how fat you are or how you wish your body was different in front of your children is just as important. We're aware of diet and exercise and it's important but we careful not to get carried away because so many other factor go into health aside from weight.
  • runzalot81
    runzalot81 Posts: 782 Member
    My little boy loves fitness. He wants to be strong like Mommy :heart:

    However, it is very difficult to get him to eat healthy food. He loves fruit and meat but corn is the only vegetable he'll eat. I introduce a little bit here and there but it's a struggle. He told me he'll eat vegetables when he's grown up :huh:
  • MorganLeighRN
    MorganLeighRN Posts: 411 Member
    My 8 y/o is a great eater! He used to be soooo picky and it drove me and my husband nuts. Now this kid eats veggies like nobody's business! They are usually the first thing to be eaten on his plate and he always asks for 2nds and sometimes 3rds. At restaurants he will choose fruit over fries every time! Don't get me wrong, we do allow him to have pizza, ice cream, burgers etc. but not all the time. He loves to run and play basketball and is allowed to play the Wii when all of his homework and chores are done.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I have 2 kids - a son who will be 4 in June and a daughter who'll be 2 in May. They're both very different, and my son has always eaten very little and had to be bribed to eat, and my daughter is the complete opposite and will run down the hallway in excitement when I tell her dinner is ready.

    I weaned them both at 6 months, and i've always made their food myself. The only time my son had food from jars was when my MIL bought it, and my daughter has never once had food from a jar.

    They naturally seem to like healthy food and I guess they just learn from seeing us eat. We always cook from scratch. My son seems to really like things like eggs, chicken, tuna...protein. They both like fruit, and my daughter will eat pretty much anything you put in front of her. They've never been to Mcdonalds/KFC etc. I don't make separate meals for them, they just have what we do.

    They always stop eating when they're full and I never force them to finish their meal if they can't.

    Of course they have unhealthy things from time to time. They like crisps, but I usually buy Walkers Baked ones, or the Organix ones. Occasionally they have biscuits. And from time to time they get a bit of chocolate. I just buy something like chocolate discs, and they get 1 or 2. I'd never give them a whole chocolate bar. Usually we prefer to bake our own treats, like little cakes or something.

    They both love exercise. We live by the sea and we take them out on their scooters a lot on the promenade. We go out every day i'm not at work (i work part time). My son does gymnastics lessons.
  • hadlam83
    hadlam83 Posts: 140
    I agree with OP wholrheartedly. I am lucky my children are 3 years od and 5 months as they are still at an age where they are establishing their likes and dislikes. Since joinin MFP my son ha had a very "monkey see, monkey do" approach.

    Since starting with MFP we have fresh fruit and veg in the house which he loves to snack on now, coz its what I now turn to first when i'm hungry between my main meals. We now sit at the table to eat dinner which 90% of the time is packed full of veggies and he eats most of it. He also loves helping to prepare dinner, and choose veggies from our newly put in veggie garden.

    On our days off together we regularly go for a walk to the local playground or for the occasional treat to Mc D's rather than drive. He even likes to do the 30 DS with me :) But i think the best thing that has come out of MFP and the changes that have affected my kids, is I play WITH them. Not sit and watch!!!!!!

    Al this is what inspires me to keep going!!

    Helen

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