What do your kids eat?
DianaElena76
Posts: 1,241 Member
Some of you may already know that I have 4 kids--a teenager, a 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 10-month-old. For the past few months I've noticed a few things. My 2-year-old's poop smells like ammonia or something, and my 3-year-old doesn't want to eat anything but carbs and fruit. In researching what can lead to ammonia smell in stools, I read that it is likely due to overgrowth of certain gut bacteria and that, for many people, avoiding high carb foods can help reestablish the right balance of gut bacteria. So I'm trying to get the girls to eat less cereal, bread, crackers, etc., to which I'm ashamed to say they have become quite accustomed. My concern is that the medical community tells me that while grains are important for young children. Also they are resistant to dietary changes, refusing to eat if I do not offer something they like. For example, I made scrambled eggs with cheese for them this morning and promised them if they ate what I gave them they could then have a banana, apple, and/or yogurt, all of which they love. But they did not eat, and I did not give in, so they have now gone without breakfast.
So what do you feed your toddler and preschool aged children? Have you had to change their diet, and how did you deal with their resistance? Did they eventually just get hungry enough that they ate what you put in front of them?
I know this is a bit off topic, but I'm essentially asking for lower carb advice from lower carb experts, some of whom I assume also feed your children a lower carb diet.
So what do you feed your toddler and preschool aged children? Have you had to change their diet, and how did you deal with their resistance? Did they eventually just get hungry enough that they ate what you put in front of them?
I know this is a bit off topic, but I'm essentially asking for lower carb advice from lower carb experts, some of whom I assume also feed your children a lower carb diet.
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I am having the exact same issue. My 2.5 year old has poo that has a bleach or amonia smell. My 4.5 year old had the exact same issue at the same age which is bizarre!
I noticed that any grains in bread just go right through her and remain intact at the other end, and I use cloth nappies so it's quite 'fun' to wash that off.
My kids are quite addicted to carb heavy foods, so I have been slowly weaning them off to a lower carb amount recently. My 2.5 year old likes meat, butter and cheese a lot, but the 4.5 year old only likes chicken breast and only covered in tomato sauce (ketchup?). I have refused to buy sauce this week and he has reluctantly eaten some meat without it.
We've gotten rid of sugar and all fruits bar the odd apple. They have half as much bread as they used to and no lollies/cakes/biscuits/juice etc. No pancakes either.
I'm making it a slow process so they don't rebel. This morning they had an avocado each, some cream cheese and an egg for breakfast. They have a hot chocolate that is now milk, cream, plain cocoa powder and a smidge of stevia. It used to be a sugary drink.0 -
I'm a strong believer in "they will eat when they are hungry." I know it doesn't always feel fun, but they will resist and throw tantrums, but if you stick with it and force your husband to do the same, it won't take that long and they will switch. Just like us, they will go for the high of carbs when they can, because they are "good" but they are young enough they just need repetition to change the habits, but you will have to be as strict with sweets and fruit and grains as you are with yourself...0
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I'm not strict my kid's carbs. They are both tall and thin.
Breakfast is either eggs on toast, fruit and yoghurt or oatmeal with a fruit juice or milk.
Lunch - Either meat, eggs or cheese, maybe some salad (my daughter hates salad), fruit or a sandwich.
Dinner - Whatever I'm cooking. Sometimes I add in some rice or potato for them.
I'm not strict with eating foods they don't like. As long as they try it. Sometimes they're surprised and finish it off, other times they'd rather not. I don't bother cooking foods they don't like. eg The only vegetables my daughter eats are broccoli and green peas. So I cook broccoli and green peas. Do a batch, they keep in the fridge for a few days and then just microwave them to heat. Easy. No fuss. She also doesn't like sauces so if I'm doing a stir fry I just keep some of the meat aside before I add the sauce and spices, put some broccoli/peas with it and there's dinner.
My son learnt the food pyramid last year (again) for HPE and it recommended 12 servings of carbs per day for a teen. Obviously they're not having even close to that. Carbs aren't an issue for every body. Stick with natural foods and limit the processed stuff is my motto.
My husband. He's an adult. He gets his own lunch and breakfast and eats what I cook for dinner. He eats carbs but that's his choice. His body.0 -
My kids (8,10,12) are pretty lean but I am constantly pushing them to eat more meats and fats.
My oldest would live on fruit, raw veggies and pig if he could.
My second child is the pickiest. He eats beige... bananas, potato, bread, potato, crackers, potato, chicken, yogurt, nuts, and potato. I make him a lot of fruit smoothies fortified with protein powder and fats.
My youngest is a fairly well rounded eater.
I limit my kids' bread consumption to 1 slice per day. We have celiac disease in the family and gluten-freef products tend to be higher in sugar, lower in fibre, and cost twice as much as normal food. A loaf of bread, usually smaller than other loaves costs $6-7. Four hamburger buns is $6. Ouch.
They have pancakes (coconut flour, flax, chia) almost every day, and two of them eat a lot of bacon.
They could eat better, but it could be worse too.
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I can't get these kids to eat meat or vegetables. But I'm like @KnitOrMiss. I just haven't done this until now to make my life easier, meaning I was picking my battles. But the more I become aware of the impact food has on every aspect of life, the more I feel I'm shortchanging my babies by allowing them to "eat beige" (that's the perfect way to describe my kids). I need to start using my slow cooker more, because if I don't get home until after 5 and have to cook for everyone, that's when we make poor choices.0
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My baby boy will eat any table food. He turned his nose up at baby food starting at 8 months, but I wasn't feeding him any baby food with more than 5g sugar in it, so basically all vegetable blends. He loves meat and fat, but often pushes veggies away. I give him apple slices from time to time. The grandparents load him up with carbs. He still nurses, but he also drinks Enfamil when away from me. I refuse to pump anymore, it's just too much of a pain for too little output. After 3 kids, my body can tell the difference between the baby and the pump and it won't let go of the milk for the latter.
My husband and I are diligently limiting sugary treats to no more than one per day, which sounds easy until you factor in that school and church and others are often coaxing them with treats. Holiday candy gets thrown in the trash after the holiday.
Breakfast has been oatmeal with cinnamon and honey, the smallest amount they'll tolerate, for months now. I am trying to steer them toward bacon and eggs, which take longer to make, so part of it is my problem, I admit. When I offer them eggs first and tell them to finish the eggs to get the oatmeal, they do eat all of the eggs (about one each, usually). My husband started a pancakes-on-Saturday routine, but other than that, nothing special.
For lunches, they eat berries or other fruit, quesadillas, PBJ (yet another thing I want to steer them away from), and carrots, celery or cucumber with peanut butter, ranch dressing or hummus for dipping. They go through phases with nuts and boiled eggs. I can cut up cheese for them and they'll almost always eat it. They love cut up hotdogs.
Dinners are whatever we eat. If they don't like the vegetable, I'll often offer something else like canned green beans, broccoli with butter, steamed carrots or fresh cut up veggies. My middle child loves roasted shredded Brussels sprouts. My oldest is the pickiest eater, generally.0 -
Funny thing is I'm sure my hubby would not be on board with these changes had I not linked it directly to Gabby's super stinky make-your-eyes-water poop!0
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My kids eat what I give them I'll never make them eat a food they don't like, but they HAVE to try everything on their plate. Palate can change and I always tell them the story how I hated salmon. Would almost like at the smell of it and one day I loved it.
Typically my kids eat like this:
Breakfast: bacon and eggs or cereal or oatmeal or scrambled eggs
Lunch: eggs (scrambled, fried, omelette etc) or chopped up meat with veggies or leftovers from the night before.
Dinner: always some sort of meat and veggies. Right now its a lot of Zucchini, swiss chard, carrots, brocolli, kale, salad which are all growing like mad in the garden. Sometimes I'll add a baked potato, mashed potato, rice or quinoa for them and substitute something similar for me like cauliflower "fauxtato" or caulirice.
Snacks most of the time they choose an apple and peanut butter, a protein shake, veggies and dip, popcorn, pepperoni.
I do buy some junky foods for a little splurge but not a lot. Maybe once a week they'll get a bowl of chips for a movie or whatever. Halloween they get to binge on candy for a couple of days and then they sell their candy to dad so he can take it all to work. For holidays such as easter and Christmas I've had to ask family to please please please cut down on the candy they give the boys. It was getting ridiculous. My mom would give the kids 3 or 4 tubs of candy. Ack!0 -
My daughter eats eggs, bread, butter, peanut butter, fruit preserves, fruit, most meats(usually 'needing' ketchup unless its deli sliced), shrimp, bacon is a new thing, sometimes rice and potatoes but not really, she isn't a fan of cheese unless its polly-o string cheese, doesn't really like milk, she is slowing down on veggies which I usually bake, she now likes the 'crunchy part of lettuce' (but HATES ALL dressings), hot dogs, and pizza...oh and dark chocolate
Not a complete list but a general idea. Her diet is diverse and I try not to give her too much of one thing. I will also give her a food that she is lacking on any given day
Like if she has bread, butter, and strawberries in the morning I will make her a ham and cheese sandwich with cashews, a few raisins, and maybe a couple cheetos or veggie sticks and then dinner will be chicken, asparagus cooked with bacon, and some lettuce0 -
Remember, too, that with kids, presentation is everything. Fun shapes out of veggies or display (zucchini boats), etc. make a lot of difference. Snuck in pureed form into meatloaf and burgers, or mixed into a sauce, etc. But, also, something that shocked me was that a child can take up to 60 times of trying something to develop a liking for it.
Also, side note - preparation is key to texture for some kiddos. My daughter couldn't stand canned peas - it would take her hours of "chewing" due to the texture...but frozen peas, good to go. The canned peas processing used something that altered the "shell" around the pea and just - ugh... My former SIL used to try to force her to stay at the table to finish eating them. My kiddo would eat broccoli and asparagus, but peas, forget it... So sometimes, it's worth trying different ways. Raw, cooked, steamed, seared, roasted, "fried," and all manner of different things.
Making "sweetened" sauces in place of ketchup and sugary junk if your kids are dunkers (most kids I know would eat almost anything dipped in ranch or ketchup or honey mustard) might help too. As they get older, taking a family trip on the weekend or when time allows to pick out a fun new veggie to try (rotate through the weeks) gets them invested and feeling like the have control in their choices, etc. There are all manner of methods here...
I think as with everything else, consistency and creativity are key...which are things I'm sure any parent with three kids under or at age 3-4 is short on! But kudos for linking stinky poo for "Daddy's" buy in... LOL0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I think as with everything else, consistency and creativity are key...which are things I'm sure any parent with three kids under or at age 3-4 is short on! But kudos for linking stinky poo for "Daddy's" buy in... LOL
Haha, yup! He's back to giving them cereal and PB sandwiches, but I'm introducing them to more in the evenings. I even got them to eat hot dogs the other night by playing "one for you, one for me; ready? 1-2-3-GO!" with them. I'm trying! Thanks for all the suggestions and sharing what you all do.
I looooove this group!0 -
My kids will drink milk and eat yogurt and cheese until it comes out their ears, so at least they can get protein and fat that way.... but they need to get it from somewhere other than dairy too. Meats and veggies are the foods I'm trying hardest to get them to eat right now. Trying to make it fun, trying to prepare them in creative ways, etc.0
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nvsmomketo wrote: »My kids (8,10,12) are pretty lean but I am constantly pushing them to eat more meats and fats.
My oldest would live on fruit, raw veggies and pig if he could.
My second child is the pickiest. He eats beige... bananas, potato, bread, potato, crackers, potato, chicken, yogurt, nuts, and potato. I make him a lot of fruit smoothies fortified with protein powder and fats.
My youngest is a fairly well rounded eater.
I limit my kids' bread consumption to 1 slice per day. We have celiac disease in the family and gluten-freef products tend to be higher in sugar, lower in fibre, and cost twice as much as normal food. A loaf of bread, usually smaller than other loaves costs $6-7. Four hamburger buns is $6. Ouch.
They have pancakes (coconut flour, flax, chia) almost every day, and two of them eat a lot of bacon.
They could eat better, but it could be worse too.
@nvsmomketo - Could i please please have your pancake recipe?
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I have switched from the thin little steaks I used to buy - but could never really cook right - to roasts that are much thicker. My daughters used to have to dunk the thinner steaks in steak sauce just to eat it, and one had told me she does not like steak. UNTIL NOW. I merely S&P the thicker steak and broil it and everyone gobbles it up - no steak sauce. The higher fat content must be the culprit!
The girls eat bacon, eggs, whatever meat I cook for dinner, steamed veggies or salad, etc. We do stir fry every once in a while - plenty of veggies there. Chicken or tuna salads,
I do allow my youngest (14) to have gluten-free cereal, rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread. It is easier than the battles that ensue. However, she eats less of them than she used to. We used to go through two loaves of bread a week - now we are lucky (?) to get through one before it gets stale or moldy!
My older two daughters are adults (21 and 25) and they buy their own foods on occasion. I cannot control that, but when they eat at home, they get my diet (and their sister's side dish).0 -
My kids will drink milk and eat yogurt and cheese until it comes out their ears, so at least they can get protein and fat that way.... but they need to get it from somewhere other than dairy too. Meats and veggies are the foods I'm trying hardest to get them to eat right now. Trying to make it fun, trying to prepare them in creative ways, etc.
Your kids might be lactose intolerant, too (or have issues with milk for another reason). My son used to have all kinds of GI issues that we finally linked to dairy. He can do cheese, but fluid milk and anything with a high lactose content is out of the question.
Also, the "well, as long as they're getting protein from somewhere" is a sham and potentially harmful. Proteins consist of amino acids. They're not just one thing that you can get from anywhere. The amino acids exist in different amounts in different foods, and if they aren't eating meat and/or eggs, they're missing out and risk deficiency in certain ones. Definitely keep trying to get them to eat meat and don't fall into the "protein from somewhere" trap.
I can sympathize with the struggles to change a kid's diet, especially if they're picky already.
What we do is give our son a meat item first. He doesn't even get the vegetable or other parts of the meal until he's eaten at least some of the meat we've given him. If we didn't, he wouldn't eat it at all, and would "fill" up on carby stuff, then want peanut butter half an hour later. If he doesn't eat it, he doesn't get the more coveted non-meat item (often, it's something like home made fries or chips, though it's just as likely something people often consider still healthy -- berries, carrots and peanut butter, etc). And yes, sometimes that means he goes hungry until the next meal.
Dealing with preschool is a bit more complicated. My son's still daycare age, and that's the carb-fest from hell, let me tell you. There are days where the breakfast served doesn't even contain a protein (seriously, it's something like cinnamon-sugar toast, or English muffin with jelly and that's it), the lunch is marginally better with a rather low quality protein that's breaded (fish sticks, chicken patty, chicken nuggets, etc) and a may-or-may-not-be-starchy vegetable, and snack is another carb-fest of things like Goldfish crackers, crackers, and fruit cups with no protein in sight (unless you count the milk). Suffice to say, I don't wonder why the kids are running around after breakfast. The worst part is that this is somewhat government regulated -- the program requires milk and a grain be served at every meal, but doesn't require protein, and there's likely something about being in line with the food pyramid -- so this is typical of most day cares. Actual preschool is better, in that (for us), you have to send the snack in yourself, but that still leaves the breakfast and lunch influence with day care (preschool is only half day).0 -
I could not agree more! The processed stuff isn't real food and it's definitely not good for their little bodies. I am a mom of four littles. They'll eat when they get hungry enough, I promise.KnitOrMiss wrote: »I'm a strong believer in "they will eat when they are hungry." I know it doesn't always feel fun, but they will resist and throw tantrums, but if you stick with it and force your husband to do the same, it won't take that long and they will switch. Just like us, they will go for the high of carbs when they can, because they are "good" but they are young enough they just need repetition to change the habits, but you will have to be as strict with sweets and fruit and grains as you are with yourself...
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CoconuttyMummy wrote: »@nvsmomketo - Could i please please have your pancake recipe?
It's not as fluffy as flour pancakes but it works for us. I've been making these for a few years and I haven't made it LCHF, but it is lower carb than most pancakes:
1.5-2c water, or milk, or cream, or coconut cream, or a mix of whatever (I used leftover smoothies too)
1/4c melted coconut oil
1/4 c chia seeds or meal
1/4 c hemp seeds
1/4-1/2c flax meal
1 tsp baking powder
7-8 eggs
2 scoops protein powder (I use chocolate Vega to hide any greens from a smoothie)
tsp vanilla
dash salt
1 Tbs cinnamon
1/2 c coconut flour (this sucks up liquid as time goes by so you may need to add more fluids)
2 mashed bananas or a can of pumpkin puree (add some nutmeg and cloves for the pumpkin)
Pancake batter won't pour. Drop heaping tablespoons onto the pan and smear it. If it doesn't smear well, the mix may need more fluids.
I don't add sweetner beyond the bananas or the stevia in the Vega protein powder. They use maple syrup anyways so they don't need ANY extra sugar beyond that.
These pancakes are a good compromise for my kids. They eat gluten free (celiac in the family) and this makes a big batch that is in the freezer for reheating in the morning. I won't buy them breakfast cereal (Chex) and they aren't fans of eggs so this is fairly hearty for a morning meal.
You could easily reduce the grains and fluids in this recipe.
If you reduce the fluids, this makes a fine muffin mix too.
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Dragonwolf wrote: »My kids will drink milk and eat yogurt and cheese until it comes out their ears, so at least they can get protein and fat that way.... but they need to get it from somewhere other than dairy too. Meats and veggies are the foods I'm trying hardest to get them to eat right now. Trying to make it fun, trying to prepare them in creative ways, etc.
Your kids might be lactose intolerant, too (or have issues with milk for another reason). My son used to have all kinds of GI issues that we finally linked to dairy. He can do cheese, but fluid milk and anything with a high lactose content is out of the question.
Also, the "well, as long as they're getting protein from somewhere" is a sham and potentially harmful. Proteins consist of amino acids. They're not just one thing that you can get from anywhere. The amino acids exist in different amounts in different foods, and if they aren't eating meat and/or eggs, they're missing out and risk deficiency in certain ones. Definitely keep trying to get them to eat meat and don't fall into the "protein from somewhere" trap.
I can sympathize with the struggles to change a kid's diet, especially if they're picky already.
What we do is give our son a meat item first. He doesn't even get the vegetable or other parts of the meal until he's eaten at least some of the meat we've given him. If we didn't, he wouldn't eat it at all, and would "fill" up on carby stuff, then want peanut butter half an hour later. If he doesn't eat it, he doesn't get the more coveted non-meat item (often, it's something like home made fries or chips, though it's just as likely something people often consider still healthy -- berries, carrots and peanut butter, etc). And yes, sometimes that means he goes hungry until the next meal.
Dealing with preschool is a bit more complicated. My son's still daycare age, and that's the carb-fest from hell, let me tell you. There are days where the breakfast served doesn't even contain a protein (seriously, it's something like cinnamon-sugar toast, or English muffin with jelly and that's it), the lunch is marginally better with a rather low quality protein that's breaded (fish sticks, chicken patty, chicken nuggets, etc) and a may-or-may-not-be-starchy vegetable, and snack is another carb-fest of things like Goldfish crackers, crackers, and fruit cups with no protein in sight (unless you count the milk). Suffice to say, I don't wonder why the kids are running around after breakfast. The worst part is that this is somewhat government regulated -- the program requires milk and a grain be served at every meal, but doesn't require protein, and there's likely something about being in line with the food pyramid -- so this is typical of most day cares. Actual preschool is better, in that (for us), you have to send the snack in yourself, but that still leaves the breakfast and lunch influence with day care (preschool is only half day).
I've been wondering about lactose intolerance in my now-2-year-old. I noticed this weekend that she had some digestive issues when I had given her more milk than her dad has been giving her. She LOVES milk, but I'm thinking we may have to say bye-bye to it for her.0 -
And yeah, I do keep trying. I don't want them to subsist on dairy, grains, and fruit; I want them to thrive on a healthy diet that contains all the nutrients they need.
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