How do your kids eat?

My kids get one treat a day. If they complain they are hungry in between meals they can have healthy options like apple sclices carrots or cheese sticks.

Growing up, we ate what our parents ate, no exceptions. And if we didn't finish out plate, no dessert, which didn't phase me one bit since I didn't have a sweet tooth. My brother on the other hand would sit at the dinner table for almost 3 hours poking at cold green beans because he was bound and determined to get dessert lol.

When we have kids, we're going to introduce them to healthier stuff right off the bat so they don't get spoiled with the junk food. My husband doesn't care what food is in the house so long as he can still have his double stuffed oreos, so I guess that's a fair compromise And the occassional treats like birthday cake won't hurt anything and will be seen as something to look forward to (my friend would get excited to come to our house because we had sodas and that was the only time she'd allow herself one).

My kids eat what's made. My youngest and I used to have battles over noodles vs. veggies when he was a toddler, but that didn't last too long. They get mostly healthy but being kids, I don't deprive them of treats. Of course, sometimes, a "treat" to my kids is a carrot. My 11 year old begged for pickled okra all weekend - that was HIS treat. Seafood is another big one, especially crab legs. So, it depends on how you define "treat". Junk food is infrequent but far from absent (assuming you mean ding dongs and not hot dogs). They definitely take a back, back, back seat to the healthy stuff though.

my kids are older (18 & 14) but my 18 yr old is a picky eater (unfortunately due to my choices as a young mom back when) - but they eat what I make, and I try to take into consideration what everyone likes while introducing new things with old favorites.

Growing up, we ate what our parents ate, no exceptions. And if we didn't finish out plate, no dessert, which didn't phase me one bit since I didn't have a sweet tooth. My brother on the other hand would sit at the dinner table for almost 3 hours poking at cold green beans because he was bound and determined to get dessert lol.

When we have kids, we're going to introduce them to healthier stuff right off the bat so they don't get spoiled with the junk food. My husband doesn't care what food is in the house so long as he can still have his double stuffed oreos, so I guess that's a fair compromise And the occassional treats like birthday cake won't hurt anything and will be seen as something to look forward to (my friend would get excited to come to our house because we had sodas and that was the only time she'd allow herself one).

This is exactly how it should be done!! Veggies for first foods - NOT FRUIT!! Otherwise they get spoiled for the sweet stuff. :-) I really think this is how I won with not having any major pickiness. There's some genuine dislikes (my younger genuinely doesn't like tomatoes, potatoes and bell peppers; my older genuinely dislikes cooked bell peppers and cooked tomatos and he's just recently started eating tomatos raw & mushrooms) - but some of that will change as they grow and tastebuds alter.

My 3 year old does not always eat what I eat. He has gotten very picky over time. He will eat a lot of the same foods I eat, aside from salad and veggies and he does love certain fruits. Usually if I know he won't eat what I'm eating, I'll make him something that's similar. I always offer it to him though. As far as snacks, pretty much everything in my house is 100 calorie or sugar free. I buy a lot of low fat/low sodium foods...all whole grain bread & pasta and he doesn't know the difference. He does love the occasional happy meal though!

We keep a good range of healthy and junk in our house. I dont deprived them. I have serious weight issues due to being deprived as a child. My mom wouldnt even allow us to use salt because it was bad for us. I'm teaching my kids healthy eating habits by teaching them moderation techniques early. I do this so they have a healthy relationship with food. They know what junk food is and how too much of a "good thing" is bad. My 6 year old doesnt even like chocolate and when asked if she wants juice she prefers plain water.
I wish I was taught to have a healthy relationship with food young. As a teenager I was the one sneaking super sized meals at McDonalds because I wanted too much to make up for not having it at all. Dessert was also used as a reward which seriously backfired too. "Eat all your dinner and you can have dessert". What mom failed to realize was that if I was full I should be using my body's cues to stop eating, not to continue to pack the food down JUST to get dessert in the end which was what I did. Anything for that dessert!
Right now in order to lose weight I tend to deprive myself, then give into temptation and over indulge. One day I may figure it out but luckily my kids will learn it young.

I have much better choices for my children then myself, until recently. My 4 year old even got a funny sideways glance from an older woman in the grocery store one day when he asked if we could get more broccoli (he loves the stuff--I tolerate it). I do not deny them sweets. With that said, they rarely ask for them, so once in a while is fine. Just like for me, if I deny too long, then I gorge when I do eat it , so I take the same philosophy with them.

My daughter eats what I eat but I also know she is a growing toddler and I never discuss dieting or counting calories with her. I would like to think that she will develop life long healthy eating habits by following a good example set by me. That is part of the reason why we all do this right? For our health and to live longer fuller lives. This is what we want for our children also. It was also important to me to educate myself on what my children really need for their growing bodies. Their needs are very different from mine so i accommodate them.

I only have healthy foods around the house. Fresh fruits and veggies especially and I rarely have "goodies" or "treats" around the house. Only for special occasions. I never used candy for potty training either. Kids get enough treats when they are with friends, daycare, preschool or birthday parties that I just don't feel like I should add to that at home.

I think its easier to teach children the correct way to eat then it is for them as grown adults to have to learn for themselves.

They would eat with their hands, if I let them :oP

My kids still lean towards sugars, because I would unintentionally praise them before "Mmmmm. This is SO good!" BUT... since I've taken most sweets out of the house, they eat a lot of berries, bananas and apples, which I let them have a lot of, although I even limit those sugars for myself. Nowadays, when we go out to eat though, I say "water for me and the boys" and even if the drink comes with the kids meal, we do water. I find the water more valuable anyhow. I DID give them candy for V-day today, but it was a small amount by comparison to what I would have given them in the past. I feel like it's okay in moderation, as long as we're all eating healthier, in general, at meal/snack times.

It was actually harder to get my husband on board then it was to get our 4 kids!

Amen to this!!!

Our kids eat what we eat, with some exceptions. We like spicy food but they're not really old enough for that yet, so I'll make them something else on those nights. They also won't eat soup, so I'll either scoop out the solids or make them something else. Otherwise, they eat what we eat. I do let them have treats though -- fruit snacks, canned mandarins, graham crackers, etc. I limit that stuff to two small portions a day, because otherwise they'll just wait for snack and not eat their healthy foods. But mostly they eat what we eat. They've been good about trying new things since we started a rule that they had to try at least one bite, and they haven't hated anything that I've given them yet. They even loved roasted asparagus.

Ooh.. one of the things I noticed with my 2nd (I was a little more rigid with my 1st - not uncommon) is that kids WILL self-regulate so long as they aren't bieng forced nor is whatever sweet is around all the time. My now 8 year old can serve himself a big bowl of ice cream and he'll only eat 1/4 of it. Not the best idea for learning to SERVE portion control, but really.. I'm not going to stress if he doesn't eat all his ice cream. I think the biggest treats he'll abuse are chocolate candy, gum and suckers.