Pickin' Off My Child's Plate

that is so hard not to do! (I love your pic, BTW) This is where real will power comes in. You just have to not do it. part of our routine became every child is responsible for clearing their plate from the table. that way I didn't have to handle their plate and have the urge to snack on their left overs. When they get up from the table, they take their plate with them and scrape in the garbage or what ever you do with your left overs. helped me

I've never eaten healthier than I did when I was a kid. My mom was VERY strict with me (which is probably why I got so fat when I moved out!) and I ate what she gave me. She made my baby food when I was little, and I lived off of veggies and lean meats and fruits.

Have you thought about making your own spaghetti sauce that's healthier and freezing it? Maybe mix it with the jarred sauce at first til the kids get used to it?

I'm not a mom ... but I know if you only have one option for food, at some point you eat it. Good luck!!

My niece does this really well with her kids (ages 5 and 7). They help her make healthy dinners (turkey, chicken and fish mostly) and snacks - like cookies and frozen sorbets. Get them into the kitchen - regardless whether they are boys or girls!

My mom used to make separate meals for my nieces and nephews and it would drive me crazy! It was so much extra work for her. Maybe you can try making a menu for the week and getting your kids' input. Ask for one meal they would like and try to make the healthy version of it. I know he's not a kid, but I do this with my husband and he is really liking the new spin on recipes. He is even trying to eat a little healthier himself. Sometimes, people I have over have no idea how healthy some of these recipes actually are.

I don't have any kids, but we have close friends with kids.

Yep, old school, finish the plate, because someone starving in 3rd world country. My mom preached that to me all the time.
Now if the meal is too big, or if we go out for dinner. I make sure and split up my dinner and have a doggie bag ( If the food taste great, it will taste great when it's reheated later or for next day's lunch.

If the kids won't eat all their dinner, put it in tupperware or something and can be reheated later, or reheated for lunch the next day. Nibbling on kids foods will obviously make you eat more calories than you were expecting to that day.

Some kids will not eat all their dinner for many reasons. They know there's better food in the house, or they already wrecked their appetite with junk food prior to dinner or they know that a good dessert is going to be served.

But I see this all the time. Kids don't want something their parents cooked and the parent has to cook up something seperately, or give in to fast food. The kids know that if they whine long enough for chicken nuggets or french fries that the parents will break.

Just don't do it.
Who's the boss? I see a lot of families, where you can tell the parents aren't always the boss.
Are we supposed to eat the childs unhealthy sugary carb loaded food, or they supposed to eat our healthy food that we are teaching them to eat.
Good luck.

I'm a mom of five and know how tempting that can be. And as much as it may not be popular on this thread...I'm one of those moms who requires her kids to clean their plates 99% of the time anyway. I don't like going to all that work of cooking food and then seeing them take two bites, turn up their nose, and then leave the rest. We like to have them dish out their own food, so they know when they dish it out that they are required to eat it all. And we tell them to start with small helpings because if they like the food, they can always have seconds. Veggies are required as well....even if it's two bites.

But I'd say the most important thing is to show them by example the lifestyle of healthy eating....and I don't even eat that exceptionally healthy. I have a big sweet tooth that I'm having to conquer, especially with children following in my footsteps.

Keep up the good example, and lots of these suggestions sound wonderful...I may even try them myself. Although the spinach in the brownies sounds a bit..umm, interesting. :happy:

On the note of eating off their plates....if you know you will do this anyway, maybe you should quick add 100-200cals for the day. I do this simply for mistakes I may have made in measurements since alot of my food is homemade and not always measured to the n'ht degree. just a suggestion.....

My sons are 8 and 11--the little one is pretty picky and has gagging issues w/ food he doesn't like (I was the same way as a kid). Here are some things that have worked for me:
1) start with ridiculously small portions. Like joke portions. Nothing is more overwhelming for my little one than 12 bites of meat he may not love on a plate--four or five he can wrap his head around. So we do tiny scoops/bites of everything, even the stuff he likes, and then once he has eaten his tiny bites of everything, he can have more of whatever he likes the best. This eliminates the wasted food issue, too.
2) If you are introducing new foods or things you know your kids probably won't embrace, cook it with at least one food they already like, then work the above program. Keeps you from feeling you should cook a separate dinner or they'll starve.
3) In the summer, we do the B Family Chef Project. One night a week, each kid is responsible for planning and cooking a whole menu--must have a protein, starch, and fresh fruit or veggie, and we all always have milk with our meal. Obviously, I do most of the actual cooking, but they are "in charge" of the kitchen, including making the brother be their slave sous chef if they want. They learn some good cooking skills this way, choose foods they like and will eat within healthy guidelines, and feel ownership over the meal. Then of course praise the meal lavishly and make a big deal over the fact that the kid cooked it.
4) Learn ways to make the unhealthy favorites at home. I do an awesome whole grain pizza from scratch that my kids actually prefer to takeout, not that I don't still hit Papa Murphy's sometimes. Baked oven fries and baked breaded (make the coating from scratch with whole wheat flour and cornmeal and seasonings--it's delish) chicken strips are terrific.
5) Main thing: remember you are the captain of the ship. Your kids don't drive to McDonald's or buy the crap cereal--that's on us parents. My mom (an absolutely wonderful woman) was a scared young mom who cooked me separate meals because she was afraid I wouldn't like the healthy stuff they ate and would starve. I was really skinny growing up but my eating habits were atrocious and paved the way for my adult weight problem. Do your kids a favor and coach them to them a leaner, healthier palate. Good luck!!

As a mum to 4 kids (9-16), I don't serve substantially different meals to myself than I do to my kids. And I have some fussy kids. I have one "pasta-tarian", one with a bizarre eating issue (likes food that either have no calories or things are nearly without any nutrients ~ a perfect meal for her would be a naked salad with fritos), one who loves meat and soda, and only one who is just happy that someone cooked something hot for him.

When I cook, there are minimums. I don't overload the plate but you have to eat everything placed on your plate. You can go for seconds of what you like best, AFTER, you've eaten the minimums. We eat vegetarian as a family about 10 or 11 meals a week. I always make vegetarian options for the pasta-tarian. The bizarre eating child who thinks vegetarian means no calories often joins him in these choices. Three of my kids are super slender and very athletic, so their veggies have a drizzle of butter or oil olive and they can carbo load with some extra bread or potatoes after their minimums. They get Stoneyfield full fat yogurt when I'm buying the Greek style yogurt.

But you are the boss. And since being on this diet, ahem, lifestyle change, I'm using less and less convenience food. (Pretty much what is left is frozen pizzas, ravioli, and pierogi.)

Also, "out food" has so much salt; it is really making our children accustom to way more sodium than is healthy.

My favorite rule from the "Food Rules" book is "If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry."

So I would agree that giving kids the ridiculously small portions to begin with is an excellent idea. Having a plate be properly balanced for the age and activity of the person getting the plate makes sense too.

For example, old lady me has a plate of half veggies, 1/4 whole grain carbo, 1/4 lean protein with a small glass of skim milk. However my athletic 92 pound growth spurting 13 year old boy, has the same thing but goes back for seconds of the carbo and lean protein and has whole milk instead. If a much younger cousin was visiting, they would get a sample plate of what was being offered.

I had my 6-year-old niece visit recently, and she asked me for a cream cheese sandwich. I told her we don’t have cream cheese regularly in the house. She said “Auntie, you could drive to McDonalds.” After laughing, I told her that her choices were a hummus and cheese sandwich or a nutella and peanut butter sandwich. She picked the peanut butter sandwich with nutella even though she had never had nutella before.