Food and Parenting
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seltzermint wrote: »I'm not a parent and have no strong opinions on this tbh - but when I am around my close friends who have young children, those kids will seriously tear down a raw veggie platter like nobody's business...3 yr old twins scarfing broccoli & carrots for days. Not even kidding. Those same kids get *OCCASIONAL* fast food and Oreo truffles and ice cream and fruit snacks. Much like with adults, moderation works.
Yes. Moderation, same as with us. My 3 year old will snack on fruit, and if given the choice between pizza and stir fry, she will choose stir fry. My children can also take or leave food. They will stop when they're full. It doesn't matter what the food is. If they've got chocolate and they're full, they will stop.
I prefer them not to have chocolate often, because it makes them go crazy. It makes me laugh when parents complain about schools not allowing kids to have chocolate and sweets in their packed lunches (we have a healthy schools policy in England). I wouldn't like to teach a class full of hyper 5 years olds who'd just eaten chocolate and haribo for lunch. My kids don't go crazy like that when they eat my homemade cake!0 -
Original_Beauty wrote: »
oh yes chickpeas are highly processed... not.
peanut butter is good for you.
i do not add salt
1/2 choc chips...you say everything on balance yet you are pulling this recipe apart.
did i say there was anything wrong with buying packaged? Gluten free biscuits are a rip off thats why we make our own and we have food allergies. I am not paying $5 for 6 biscuits!!!! Thats why we make our own.
I just...threw up...in my mouth...a little bit.
Please, for the love of all that's holy to NOT try and shovel that down your kid's throat and pass it off as a cookie. When I was a kid I had an aunt who used to try and do carob cookies and various other "healthy" methods. It was the most disgusting crap ever.0 -
Last night, my oldest ate a bowl of vanilla-frosted mini wheats, with (organic) whole milk. That counts as healthy, right? Unprocessed?
I still want to know what is wrong with gogurts and chicken nuggets?0 -
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Judging much? I gave veggies to my kids as soon as they started eating normal food. After months and months of them not eating them, I realized that what's good in theory doesn't always work in practice, and started giving them more 'kid' foods (what I guess you call junk).
Now they have cereal for breakfast (low sugar or not), Gogurt for snacks (what's wrong with that, by the way?), sandwiches and fruit for lunch, little oreos or crackers for snacks (and sometimes a Little Debbie cake, or more fruit), and eat a balanced dinner (some veggies are still a problem, no matter how much I want them to 'love' them). They get fruit snacks once in a while, but I guess that's where I draw the line, as I think they are mostly sugar.
But it's called balance and moderation. My kids don't have a weight problem... I do. Sure, kids (usually) don't let themselves starve, but you're not the one who has to hear them say 'I'm hungry' over and over again after they refused to eat the veggie snack you gave them.
But I'm guessing you don't have kids, so I guess it's easy to judge (not that I advocate giving juice or soda to your kids all day or mac'n cheese for lunch every day, mind you, but Gogurts and Little Debbie snacks once in a while are not going to kill them).
Amen! I appreciate another realistic parent like you! I too, was a "perfect parent" before I had kids! I am a professional chef and there are still some foods I can't get my child to eat! Don't get me wrong, he has a very balanced diet, but yes it contains occasional treats, just like mine does. And no, a granola bar or two isn't going to kill them0 -
scraver2003 wrote: »Last night, my oldest ate a bowl of vanilla-frosted mini wheats, with (organic) whole milk. That counts as healthy, right? Unprocessed?
I still want to know what is wrong with gogurts and chicken nuggets?
You know if you freeze gogurts they are far less messy, like gogurt popsicles. I'm sure the simple fact of freezing them and calling them a popsicle makes them even unhealthier and "less real" in OP's mind.
My kids are weird and also eat frozen peas, still frozen. They like when they have accumulated into big clumps of peas with ice - they call them pea popsicles. By my logic above that's probably unhealthy too...
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
He looks fit, but you can't tell health by looking at someone. That's why we have medical tests.
After your comments regarding autistic children not being healthy, you really need to stop posting in relation to the topic.
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You know if you freeze gogurts they are far less messy, like gogurt popsicles. I'm sure the simple fact of freezing them and calling them a popsicle makes them even unhealthier and "less real" in OP's mind.
My kids are weird and also eat frozen peas, still frozen. They like when they have accumulated into big clumps of peas with ice - they call them pea popsicles. By my logic above that's probably unhealthy too...
I still prefer frozen peas to cooked ones.0 -
I still prefer frozen peas to cooked ones.
I find both of them to be pretty tasteless. It's just funny to me that my kids prefer the bag of freezer burned peas because the clumps are bigger...
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I'll have to take your word for it since it's all I have to go on. One must wonder what would have happened if you'd never tasted a chicken nugget.
Most likely, I'd have fixated on some other texturally-bland and taste-neutral food. Might have been baked chicken breast, that'd always been a staple in our house. That actually would have been worse. Fewer calories in the same volume of food. Less fat, too.0 -
I just wanted to say that I agree with op so much.
I have two kids and one on the way. I like to think that I give them healthy stuff -I mean, I'm sure no one wants to think they give their kid crap lol, but I spend a considerable amount of time on their nutrition. I want them to be healthy and have healthy eating habits and look at me as an example too.
I have seen moms really concerned about what they're eating, and not care about how they're kids eat. I usually assume that they don't have a healthy diet either but are dieting, so they think they're the only ones that need to eat healthy and don't really consider that it isn't just a weight issue. But I try not to judge other moms, no one likes that lol0 -
I still prefer frozen peas to cooked ones.
I love frozen peas. They're sweet!
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i love going to jason's deli and putting their frozen peas on my salad! soooooooo yummy!0
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I'm guilty of buying "junk food" for my kids. However, there are also "defined limits". My oldest daughter loves Paradise Bakery chocolate chip cookies. She can have 1 per day. She saves it for her evening snack.
We keep applesauce, fruit, yogurt, cheese, and other healthy snacks in the house. My youngest daughter (I only have two - the older and the younger - LOL) I swear is going to be a dietician. We came home with spaghetti from Fazoli's one night, and it comes with 2 breadsticks. Megan said, "I'm not eating the breadsticks because they aren't healthy." I explained to her that it's not necessarily that it's unhealthy, but the amount of it may be questionable. It's okay to have a bite or two, but two breadsticks may not be the best choice. And we talk about what other choices could be made instead.
We do this as a family. It's called responsible parenting. Nobody is immune from wanting to have stuff that is not "food journal friendly", but sometimes you can't hide from it. I don't know if you want to call it moderation or perspective or whatever. It's all about making smarter choices, and realizing what those smarter choices are. Teach the kids early enough about healthier options, about not turning to food to deal with emotions, and about keeping active - that goes a long way.
However, it's not my job (or anyone else's) to be the food police of the world.0 -
there is just so much omg in this thread it's unbelievable. well, not really considering it's MFP...but...
I had no idea that being Autistic meant that you were unhealthy....my word....
It's really really hard not to judge someone else parenting, and in all reality i don't mind if people judge mine, because i'm doing the best i can....that said...I want my son to have treats. I don't want him to view certain food as bad (for reasons other than ethics...) I want him to grow up with a healthy understanding of what food is, and learn moderation....I didn't. and I got fat, and insecure, and now i can barely eat in front of people.
Also.....kids will eat, what kids will eat. Their taste buds are super sensitive which is why we have a lot of picky eaters out there. When they don't like something they REALLY don't like it, and to try to force a kid to eat something is wrong, it just is. I remember that....and then i remember promptly puking up my dinner on the table. I didn't like veggies as a child, but i devour them as an adult.
Personally for me, I give my child access to all the foods, and give him what we are eating, he will take a few bites of something, and then decide if he likes it or not and move on to the next thing. I always make sure there is something on his plate that he will eat, and a few things to try. It's important for them to keep tasting new foods in my opinion. Tastes change obviously. but i won't force feed my kid, i don't want to give him food issues later on, lead by example, eat the foods that you want your kid to eat.
but for crying out loud man, cookies are freaking vital to childhood!!!!!0 -
veganbettie wrote: »there is just so much omg in this thread it's unbelievable. well, not really considering it's MFP...but...
I had no idea that being Autistic meant that you were unhealthy....my word....
It's really really hard not to judge someone else parenting, and in all reality i don't mind if people judge mine, because i'm doing the best i can....that said...I want my son to have treats. I don't want him to view certain food as bad (for reasons other than ethics...) I want him to grow up with a healthy understanding of what food is, and learn moderation....I didn't. and I got fat, and insecure, and now i can barely eat in front of people.
Also.....kids will eat, what kids will eat. Their taste buds are super sensitive which is why we have a lot of picky eaters out there. When they don't like something they REALLY don't like it, and to try to force a kid to eat something is wrong, it just is. I remember that....and then i remember promptly puking up my dinner on the table. I didn't like veggies as a child, but i devour them as an adult.
Personally for me, I give my child access to all the foods, and give him what we are eating, he will take a few bites of something, and then decide if he likes it or not and move on to the next thing. I always make sure there is something on his plate that he will eat, and a few things to try. It's important for them to keep tasting new foods in my opinion. Tastes change obviously. but i won't force feed my kid, i don't want to give him food issues later on, lead by example, eat the foods that you want your kid to eat.
but for crying out loud man, cookies are freaking vital to childhood!!!!!
very well written.
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I'm the opposite, I'll splurge and eat crap food myself but my 2 year old son eats very healthy.0
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If you hadn't told us, it would have been obvious that you have no children. I try very hard to make sure that my kids eat balanced meals, but when your kid will either eat a Vienna sausage or nothing, you'll give them the damn sausage and you'll be happy about it.0
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I just wanted to say that I agree with op so much.
I have two kids and one on the way. I like to think that I give them healthy stuff -I mean, I'm sure no one wants to think they give their kid crap lol, but I spend a considerable amount of time on their nutrition. I want them to be healthy and have healthy eating habits and look at me as an example too.
I have seen moms really concerned about what they're eating, and not care about how they're kids eat. I usually assume that they don't have a healthy diet either but are dieting, so they think they're the only ones that need to eat healthy and don't really consider that it isn't just a weight issue. But I try not to judge other moms, no one likes that lol
Mmm hmmm... tell us more about how you are not judging while judging.
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BrownEyedBetty wrote: »I hear this so much and it really boggles my mind. When I hear a parent who is trying to have a more active and heathy life say well I buy those special treats for my kids. So it's ok for your children to eat that crap that is so called food and not you? Don't you want your children to grow up and have a healthy relationship with real food? Gogurt is not a food, little debbie cakes are not food, sugary fruit snack are not food. I want my future kids to love eating vegetables and fruits and have a diverse food palate.
Any thoughts?
I don't buy those treats just for my kid... I buy them for myself too... why? Because I'm teaching my children to enjoy "treats" in moderation and to not to have an unhealthy relationship with food. My child is just as likely to eat green beans, broccoli, apples, and oranges as she is to gravitate towards fruit snacks and little debbies. We go to a little neighborhood market that sells all kinds of dairy products, produce and meat (we go there multiple times a week for milk)... there are cases of ice cream... where does she go to? Where the apples are... that doesn't mean she doesn't enjoy ice cream... because she does... she is always asking for it from the front counter... but she knows it's a treat... and she is only 3.0 -
BrownEyedBetty wrote: »It's not food... It's artificial chemicals and highly processed crap that kills, which is why this current generation is said to have a shorter life span than there parents. What I mean by a diverse diet is a diet with real food... fruits, vegetables, etc.
It's not anymore artificial chemicals and highly processed than anything treat you make in your own home... and no we don't have a shorter life span than our parents.... real food is anything that we can actually eat... "fake food" is what goes into my daughters play kitchen for pretend....
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What differentiates a Quest Bar (something you ate today) from GoGurt?
Would you let your child eat a Quest Bar or would you be concerned with chemicals?
Exactly: Maybe she should be more aware of the food in her OWN food:
Quoted from :http://blog.fooducate.com/2013/12/30/are-quest-bars-really-as-nutritious-as-claimed/
Quest promotes itself as the “#1 Protein Bar” and at first impression the nutrition numbers look very impressive. Take, for example, the Vanilla Almond Crunch Protein Bar. It’s a 200-calorie bar, but only has half a gram of saturated fat. It’s got 20 grams of protein, which is 40% of the recommended daily intake. The fiber count is super high at 18 grams, almost three fourths of the daily requirement. Most Americans lack woefully in fiber intake; here an individual can erase her deficit with a single bar. Quest sells itself as a low sugar, low carb solution, claiming only 2-6 “net carbs”. Indeed, only 22 grams of carbs, of which 18 are fiber, and just 1 gram of sugars. Amazing.
But then you take a look at the ingredient list, and the house of cards comes crumbling down. This product has “gamed” the nutrition facts panel by using food-like ingredients to compose the bar. Let’s have a look at the Ingredient list:
Protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides, almonds, water, natural flavors, sea salt, lo han guo, sucralose.
First the pros: It is a short list.
Now for the problems. The protein sources are not something you can make at home or buy from a farmer. Whey protein isolate milk protein isolates are a byproduct of cheese production. Body builders buy them in powdered form to add to food and drink. In some cases, they may cause digestive problems such as bloating, cramps, and gas.
Next are the isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO), the source of fiber in the bar. It is a syrupy goop that tastes slightly sweet but is not considered a sugar because it is a long chain molecule. Although it is found naturally in fermented foods, it is much cheaper to manufacture it in factories by applying enzymes to various starch sources. The problem with ingesting 18 grams of this IMO, is that it feeds only a small subset of our gut bacteria.
A balanced diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains will provide a much better fiber profile for your digestive system. In our book, IMO is a fake fiber. Incidentally, Quest is being sued now, with the plaintiffs claiming that the actual fiber count is lower than stated in the package.
But we digress.
Whenever we see natural flavors added to a product, we try to imagine what it would taste like without them. Added flavors are made in labs and serve to mask the lack of flavor of the other ingredients in the product. Ask yourself this – do you need to add natural flavors to food you prepare at home?
On to sweeteners.
Lo han guo, also known as monk fruit, is the Chinese equivalent of stevia. Instead of a leaf, this is a fruit. Monk fruit extracts, called mogrosides, can be processed to manufacture a powdered sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that may or may not cause cancer, bowel disease, and DNA alterations in mice. We understand that despite no added sugars, this bar is rather sweet due to the addition of processed and artificial sweeteners.
Bottom line:
This product is engineered to taste good and look like a nutrition powerhouse. In fact, it is a highly processed food-like product that we would not eat.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
He looks fit, but you can't tell health by looking at someone. That's why we have medical tests.
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Exactly: Maybe she should be more aware of the food in her OWN food:
Quoted from :http://blog.fooducate.com/2013/12/30/are-quest-bars-really-as-nutritious-as-claimed/
Quest promotes itself as the “#1 Protein Bar” and at first impression the nutrition numbers look very impressive. Take, for example, the Vanilla Almond Crunch Protein Bar. It’s a 200-calorie bar, but only has half a gram of saturated fat. It’s got 20 grams of protein, which is 40% of the recommended daily intake. The fiber count is super high at 18 grams, almost three fourths of the daily requirement. Most Americans lack woefully in fiber intake; here an individual can erase her deficit with a single bar. Quest sells itself as a low sugar, low carb solution, claiming only 2-6 “net carbs”. Indeed, only 22 grams of carbs, of which 18 are fiber, and just 1 gram of sugars. Amazing.
But then you take a look at the ingredient list, and the house of cards comes crumbling down. This product has “gamed” the nutrition facts panel by using food-like ingredients to compose the bar. Let’s have a look at the Ingredient list:
Protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides, almonds, water, natural flavors, sea salt, lo han guo, sucralose.
First the pros: It is a short list.
Now for the problems. The protein sources are not something you can make at home or buy from a farmer. Whey protein isolate milk protein isolates are a byproduct of cheese production. Body builders buy them in powdered form to add to food and drink. In some cases, they may cause digestive problems such as bloating, cramps, and gas.
Next are the isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO), the source of fiber in the bar. It is a syrupy goop that tastes slightly sweet but is not considered a sugar because it is a long chain molecule. Although it is found naturally in fermented foods, it is much cheaper to manufacture it in factories by applying enzymes to various starch sources. The problem with ingesting 18 grams of this IMO, is that it feeds only a small subset of our gut bacteria.
A balanced diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains will provide a much better fiber profile for your digestive system. In our book, IMO is a fake fiber. Incidentally, Quest is being sued now, with the plaintiffs claiming that the actual fiber count is lower than stated in the package.
But we digress.
Whenever we see natural flavors added to a product, we try to imagine what it would taste like without them. Added flavors are made in labs and serve to mask the lack of flavor of the other ingredients in the product. Ask yourself this – do you need to add natural flavors to food you prepare at home?
On to sweeteners.
Lo han guo, also known as monk fruit, is the Chinese equivalent of stevia. Instead of a leaf, this is a fruit. Monk fruit extracts, called mogrosides, can be processed to manufacture a powdered sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that may or may not cause cancer, bowel disease, and DNA alterations in mice. We understand that despite no added sugars, this bar is rather sweet due to the addition of processed and artificial sweeteners.
Bottom line:
This product is engineered to taste good and look like a nutrition powerhouse. In fact, it is a highly processed food-like product that we would not eat.
If it tastes good and fulfills my nutritional goals... then hell yeah I'm gonna eat it...0 -
I
Quest bars. 0 -
TheVirgoddess wrote: »I Quest bars.
I would like them better if I didn't have to pay $2+ a bar for them...
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Absolutely true. It stings.0 -
Exactly: Maybe she should be more aware of the food in her OWN food:
Quoted from :http://blog.fooducate.com/2013/12/30/are-quest-bars-really-as-nutritious-as-claimed/
Quest promotes itself as the “#1 Protein Bar” and at first impression the nutrition numbers look very impressive. Take, for example, the Vanilla Almond Crunch Protein Bar. It’s a 200-calorie bar, but only has half a gram of saturated fat. It’s got 20 grams of protein, which is 40% of the recommended daily intake. The fiber count is super high at 18 grams, almost three fourths of the daily requirement. Most Americans lack woefully in fiber intake; here an individual can erase her deficit with a single bar. Quest sells itself as a low sugar, low carb solution, claiming only 2-6 “net carbs”. Indeed, only 22 grams of carbs, of which 18 are fiber, and just 1 gram of sugars. Amazing.
But then you take a look at the ingredient list, and the house of cards comes crumbling down. This product has “gamed” the nutrition facts panel by using food-like ingredients to compose the bar. Let’s have a look at the Ingredient list:
Protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides, almonds, water, natural flavors, sea salt, lo han guo, sucralose.
First the pros: It is a short list.
Now for the problems. The protein sources are not something you can make at home or buy from a farmer. Whey protein isolate milk protein isolates are a byproduct of cheese production. Body builders buy them in powdered form to add to food and drink. In some cases, they may cause digestive problems such as bloating, cramps, and gas.
Next are the isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO), the source of fiber in the bar. It is a syrupy goop that tastes slightly sweet but is not considered a sugar because it is a long chain molecule. Although it is found naturally in fermented foods, it is much cheaper to manufacture it in factories by applying enzymes to various starch sources. The problem with ingesting 18 grams of this IMO, is that it feeds only a small subset of our gut bacteria.
A balanced diet with a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains will provide a much better fiber profile for your digestive system. In our book, IMO is a fake fiber. Incidentally, Quest is being sued now, with the plaintiffs claiming that the actual fiber count is lower than stated in the package.
But we digress.
Whenever we see natural flavors added to a product, we try to imagine what it would taste like without them. Added flavors are made in labs and serve to mask the lack of flavor of the other ingredients in the product. Ask yourself this – do you need to add natural flavors to food you prepare at home?
On to sweeteners.
Lo han guo, also known as monk fruit, is the Chinese equivalent of stevia. Instead of a leaf, this is a fruit. Monk fruit extracts, called mogrosides, can be processed to manufacture a powdered sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that may or may not cause cancer, bowel disease, and DNA alterations in mice. We understand that despite no added sugars, this bar is rather sweet due to the addition of processed and artificial sweeteners.
Bottom line:
This product is engineered to taste good and look like a nutrition powerhouse. In fact, it is a highly processed food-like product that we would not eat.
Sorry, but I am actually lolling. This is totally the opposite of what he thinks.0 -
All right I admit it. I let my son (who has extreme sensory issues) eat 1/2 a cookies and cream questbar as a "protien" choice sometimes. Bring out the pitchforks.0
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I wouldn't sweat that, my mom used to let me have tastes of her slimfast shakes and nutrisystem food when that was "the thing" for weight loss. The chocolate pudding was ickymelimomTARDIS wrote: »All right I admit it. I let my son (who has extreme sensory issues) eat 1/2 a cookies and cream questbar as a "protien" choice sometimes. Bring out the pitchforks.
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