To All the Parents Out There

My children are still quite young, but thanks for the motivation I hope to instill healthy values in my kids!

ill be honest and say my daughter who is 5 does not know anything about calorie counting. she knows what is healthier and what she should not eat too much of, but i certainly dont want her to be conserned about calories this young in her life. i also dont weigh my food around them as im worried this could lead to a form of eating disorder when she is older. its not easy to know what is good or bad

How nice to have someone thank you for guiding your children---they surely never do. I always watched how much my kids were eating, and made sure they were active. When necessary I cut back on buying sweets without telling them. I considered it my job as a parent to keep them healthy and in good physical shape.
Another note, my kids ate at McDonalds occasionally, and had alot of treats. It just never got out of control.

usmcmp wrote: »

My kids know that McDonalds is a sometimes thing. They know that fruits, vegetables and lean meats are an all the time thing. The appreciate the times where we do go have McDonalds because it doesn't happen all the time.

My parents never let us have candy or go out to eat for fast food. As soon as we could drive and had our own money that's all we ate. Balance and education outweighs restriction in the long run.

Yep, exactly--my mom forbade fast food, junk food, etc., which meant as soon as I was away at college and could buy it, I ate McDonald's and Wendy's all the time. Same with drinking soda. Obviously, I've learned moderation since then, but adding that thrill of doing something forbidden doesn't mold the mind very well when it comes to food.

I think there is a line that can be crossed. Positive encouragement from parents is fantastic. Learning about how healthy foods effect the body from parents is great way for children to develop healthy eating habits.
That being said, as someone who was mentally, verbally and physically abused by her mentally ill mother, I know that parents can destroy that healthy relationship with food. I remember once when I was 14, a virgin, and about 15 lbs underweight for my height, my mother decided I must be pregnant because I looked too fat to her. She would not let me have money for lunch at school and she would not let me eat dinner with the rest of my family. This lasted for about 5 days and I had to beg food off my friends at school.
It's important to teach kids healthy eating habits, but it can cross the line when diet is used as a way to control the child.

I was lucky to have a mum who cooked everything from scratch, made us eat wholemeal bread and never got take away and never took us to McDonald's.

I have 3 kids..5, 3 and 10 months...and they eat pretty well. I don't take them to Mcdonalds, KFC etc, we cook healthy meals, they eat fruit and veg and have an understanding of what's healthy. The other day they refused to eat white bread because it's yucky and not healthy. My baby has never had food from a jar, it's all homemade puréed stuff. They only drink water or milk, homemade smoothie or a babyccino hot chocolate when we're out.

They do have treats though (they love my homemade chocolate cake, and an ice cream on the seafront) and I want them to eat stuff in moderation so they don't go crazy when they see chocolate or sweets.

Obviously I have no idea what they'll be like as teenagers but I really hope they'll carry on being healthy. I never went crazy with junk food when I left home to go to university, so there's hope!

I also think it's important to teach them about exercise. My children are very active, and I hope they stay that way.

want2behappy31 wrote: »

I have 2 girls ages 8 & 5. I admit my 5 year old loves junk food and for her age is in the "chubby zone" and is 45 lbs although for a 5 year old I don't think any child should be called to fat. I admit I haven't been the best role model since I'm obese myself however I am on a life style change and the rest of my family is with me.

45lbs isn't that bad for a 5 year old, unless she's really short. My son will be 6 in June and he's about 41lbs, but he's tall, I have to get him some age 7 trousers for length. He's definitely not fat. My nearly 4 year old daughter is around 35lbs and she's nowhere near fat. Again, she's quite tall. My baby is 10 months and in 12-18 months clothes as she's also tall. I'm only 5'6!