I need help with my kids nutrition.
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Cook more and add vegetables to dishes, rather than serving them alone as sides. Make desserts that are contain fiber and fruit. Try lower calorie versions of their favorite foods. Turkey or salmon burgers, or burgers from lean ground beef. Make them smaller and use higher fiber buns. Fish or chicken tacos with reduced fat cheese.
This exactly. We mix shredded, pureed, or finely chopped non-starchy vegetables into everything. That includes meatloaf, meatballs, nuggets, burgers, burritos, enchiladas, sauces, casseroles, etc. We use lean meats and lower calorie bread and dairy products, bake instead of fry, etc. We have healthier snacks - popcorn, jerky, nuts, fruit, cheese sticks, yogurt, smoothies, vegetables and dip.
My 7 year old's favorite dishes are bean or chicken quesadillas, any kind of pita pizza, macaroni and (cauliflower) cheese, chicken/zucchini nuggets, and she'll easily eat vegetables if they're roasted.
As someone else said, maybe checking out www.skinnytaste.com would give you more ideas on how to cook things that you typically make, but in a healthier way.0 -
You are the adult, you are actually still in control of what the eat most of the time. Do not try, just do it. These are older kids, they understand. Talk with them about what a balanced diet should include daily, about limiting fast food and other "junk" food to an occasional treat and just implement the plan. These are not babies who will starve, they can very well eat little or not at all until they get hungry and not suffer.
I am not saying to swap all their favourite meals for steamed vegetables of course. Offer them foods you know they like, or at least they tolerate, try to make as healthy variations as possible, and start adding things you know they should be eating.
Ask them to offer ideas about what they would like, and google recipes that seem healthier for these foods. I can think of very few things where healthier alternatives do nto exist. At these ages, they can also be involved in planning weekly menus with you, so they have choices, can help buying groceries and can help you figure out if a recipe you have found sounds appealing or not.
Stop stocking snacks etc at home. When you decide to have a treat, buy enough to eat that day: cookies for one day or a few servings of ice cream or just enough chips to eat while watching a movie etc. They cannot eat what is not available. Arrange one treat evening per week, and try to offer healthier alternatives the other days - not meaning ban sugar or salt etc, just look for healthier choices, or prepare dessert etc yourself. Homemade cakes, pancakes topped with fruit, air popped pop corn, jello, frozen yoghurt, smoothies etc are tasty, most kids like them and they are both healthy and without a ton of calories.
Make sure you always offer salad or vegetables with meals. It helps if you all seat at the table together whenever possible, and they see you eating these things. Try different vegetables, different salads, different seasonings, grilling, boiling, steaming, raw etc. Encourage them to try, and keep offering day after day. It takes time.
Keep fresh fruit around. Have a few on a counter where they will see them. You cannot force them to eat them, but the more they see them, the more probable it is they will at least try.0 -
purplemystra wrote: »I have a 15 yr old son and an 11 yr old daughter. They are picky eaters who are steadily gaining weight. . They have grown up with bad examples of how to eat from my husband and I. I didn't know then how to eat better but I'm learning. I have to be very strict with my calorie intake and exercise regularly to lose weight but it's hard to get kids to understand that. I don't know how to teach them to eat better. They hate vegetables. Only eat bananas. I've tried cutting out fast food and limiting snacks at home but it's not working. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
When you say they are steadily gaining weight do you mean beyond what would be expected for normal development? Because steady weight gain sounds normal for those ages. Maybe talk to their doctor about what would be appropriate calorie intake for their needs.
My dd (15) has absolutely no need to lose weight. We have discussed nutrition and having balanced meals with protein, vegetable or fruit, grains. She doesn't like vegetables much unless they are pureed in a sauce or in soup. Dd likes minestrone soup. She loves many kinds of fruit so it is easy to get her to eat fruit. We always have fruit. We eat out only once per week. We buy limited amounts of things like candy or soda pop. They are "sometimes foods". I encourage dd to put her portion in a bowl instead of eating out of the package.
My dd very much wants to be grown up. Eating more foods is part of that. She eats more than she used to.
I've told dd that exercise is good for everybody no matter their weight. I encourage her to exercise with me. She likes the Just Dance video games.
Be a good example now. Show how much better you feel.
Discuss your concern. As a family brainstorm ideas to change some habits. Talk about the science of food and how the body uses each food type.
Try different ways of preparing vegetables and fruits. Throw vegetables on pizza. Involve your children in food shopping and food preparation. Try new vegetables or fruits. Grow a garden.
There are lots of books and web sites about nutrition aimed at kids.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids
http://www.amazon.com/Janice-VanCleaves-Food-Nutrition-Every-ebook/dp/B0024NK5PG/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439920287&sr=1-7&keywords=nutrition
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/
http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Kids/Kids-Games-Activities.aspx
http://www.cdc.gov/bam/nutrition/game.html
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/nutritionforkids/games/index.htm0 -
On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
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Lead by example and keep reintroducing the healthy stuff. It can take several exposures until they start liking things.0
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quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yup, I do this in zucchini season. This year has been terrible for squashes
My cucumber plant died, the summer squashes I planted in early JUNE have yet to produce a single squash, and the zucchini I planted a month later isn't producing yet either.
My future mother-in-law has been jonesing for Chocolate Zucchini Cake, which goes something like this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-zucchini-cake-9070 -
kshama2001 wrote: »There was a study that came out lately on picky eaters, actually, that might help you feel better about how you are doing, anyway. Picky eaters, it turns out, have a stronger reaction to tastes, especially new ones.
For most people, trying a new food about 10 times gives the body enough time to get over the 'ew, weird, I don't recognize this so I don't like it' reaction and into the area where they can actually see if they like it or not.
for picky eaters, it was something like 50-60 times before they didn't like it. So persistence, with new things on the plate every night, over and over, can make a difference, even if it takes a couple months before it feels like there is any progress. :-)
Interesting. Took me a while to get used to cilantro. I'm imagining my fiance's reaction if I tell him he needs to try cilantro 60 times before he can tell me to never use it again
Cilantro is nasty! I cannot be in the same room with it because of the smell.
I've read that the cilantro thing might be genetic.http://gizmodo.com/5942551/genetic-proof-that-you-really-do-hate-cilantro
If it's genetic, it's a recessive thing because I despise cilantro and my parents and three siblings all love it. Trust me, I've had it more than 60 times (it's ubiquitous here in the southwest U.S. and restaurant owners seem to think that everyone loves it) and I still can barely stand the stuff but at least it doesn't make me want to vomit any more.0 -
If you're the cook, you are in control of their meals. And if you're in charge of buying food, you control what comes into the house. Easing into good eating habits is fine, and will probably be best, but talk to them about your (and their) eating habits. Let them know you're not going to forbid junk food or eating out, but in order for all the family to be healthy (and to save money!), those items will be limited. You'll still make foods they like, and really, healthy eating doesn't have to be bland or horrible, which is what they might think. Ask them to find recipes online they want to try, and get them involved in making them. They need to learn how to cook anyways, and they're both old enough to do so. Being involved in the cooking process is a good way to teach good eating habits and is a good activity to do together.
And if all else fails, use the phrase my mom always used: if you don't want to eat it, fine, but you're not getting anything else until the next meal. If you do tell them that, stick with it. One skipped meal isn't going to hurt them, and they'll be much more willing to eat at least part of what you put in front of them later!0 -
quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yep, I posted this earlier, but I make everything with half veggies, especially nuggets. I'll shred 2 large zucchini or squash, squeeze out the water, add to 1lb ground chicken and add an egg and seasoning. Cover with breadcrumbs of choice and bake at 425 for 17 or so minutes on a rack.
I freeze them for easy meals - when you're ready to eat thaw in the microwave and broil both sides until crisp.
My kid has never told me she hates zucchini or squash in the past 7 years I've made these. I keep them on hand at all times.
ETA: we make seasoned breadcrumbs out of chex cereal0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yep, I posted this earlier, but I make everything with half veggies, especially nuggets. I'll shred 2 large zucchini or squash, squeeze out the water, add to 1lb ground chicken and add an egg and seasoning. Cover with breadcrumbs of choice and bake at 425 for 17 or so minutes on a rack.
I freeze them for easy meals - when you're ready to eat thaw in the microwave and broil both sides until crisp.
My kid has never told me she hates zucchini or squash in the past 7 years I've made these. I keep them on hand at all times.
ETA: we make seasoned breadcrumbs out of chex cereal
Those are AWESOME looking!
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It takes 7x for your taste buds to start liking something new. Have your kids take a "yes, no thank you bite" of everything on their plate. Yes I will try it but no thank I don't want any more. Also go on family walks. Choose a healthy restaurant and try a different one each week. Check out the sugar content of cereals; it's typically really high. Pick one you like with the lowest content. Try a couple new recipes a week and let your kids pick. Subscribe to a magazine like cooking light and let your kids find recipes they want to try. Take them shopping with you and have them find things on the list instead of looking at their phone the whole time. Explain why you want to do this with them.
And above all else tell them that you're doing this because you LOVE them.0 -
This also may not work for older kids, but when my daughter was around 3 we made a chart of vegetables that she could choose from. Every week she told me what she wanted to try and we went from there and she marked it with a smiley face. Bok choy - frowny face, acorn squash 2 smiley faces, etc.
My daughter also knows that I don't consider cereal to be a breakfast, but a dessert. For breakfast she usually chooses a chia seed smoothie, a slice of BLT frittata, some turkey sausages, an egg, fruit, almonds, or scrambled egg white with cheese. Any combo of these is fine with me, but I keep an eye on portions.
Lunches consist of a main - most common are: veggie rich chili with baked tortilla chips, slices of cheese with grape tomatoes, 1/2 of turkey, light chicken salad, or pb sandwich, or a salad; a water; a juice product: usually a sugar free juice (the chemicals don't bother me in small portions); a fruit or low sugar yogurt; a salty snack - usually popcorn or baked cheese its; and a sweet snack: 100 calorie almond chocolate nuts, 100 calorie cookies, 100 calorie protein bar, etc. She almost never eats her entire meal, or she eats her snacks at after school care instead of what's offered.
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quiltlovinlisa wrote: »Queenmunchy wrote: »quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yep, I posted this earlier, but I make everything with half veggies, especially nuggets. I'll shred 2 large zucchini or squash, squeeze out the water, add to 1lb ground chicken and add an egg and seasoning. Cover with breadcrumbs of choice and bake at 425 for 17 or so minutes on a rack.
I freeze them for easy meals - when you're ready to eat thaw in the microwave and broil both sides until crisp.
My kid has never told me she hates zucchini or squash in the past 7 years I've made these. I keep them on hand at all times.
ETA: we make seasoned breadcrumbs out of chex cereal
Those are AWESOME looking!
They're awesome tasting! My husband is obsessed. He eats them in sandwich rolls for quick after work meals (he often skips breakfast and lunch).0 -
Something we do at mealtimes, is offer multiple vegetable choices, prepared in various ways and then for seconds on protein or bread (or whatever the main meal is) you need to try something new, or eat a veggie you're familiar with. When transitioning children into more variety, having choices helped them be more positive and not feel like they were backed into a corner. It gave them power over what they ate and I think helped build a healthier attitude towards food.
We have several picky eaters in our crew.0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yep, I posted this earlier, but I make everything with half veggies, especially nuggets. I'll shred 2 large zucchini or squash, squeeze out the water, add to 1lb ground chicken and add an egg and seasoning. Cover with breadcrumbs of choice and bake at 425 for 17 or so minutes on a rack.
I freeze them for easy meals - when you're ready to eat thaw in the microwave and broil both sides until crisp.
My kid has never told me she hates zucchini or squash in the past 7 years I've made these. I keep them on hand at all times.
ETA: we make seasoned breadcrumbs out of chex cereal
Thanks so much. I will try this. My son's favorite food is hamburgers. I already blend half turkey half beef. The kids like it.0 -
purplemystra wrote: »Queenmunchy wrote: »quiltlovinlisa wrote: »On the theme of cooking with veggies, finely shredded zucchini blends into everything with nary a trace. And when I say everything, I mean soups, stews, meatloaf, baked casseroles, cookies, cakes.... It's amazing.
Yep, I posted this earlier, but I make everything with half veggies, especially nuggets. I'll shred 2 large zucchini or squash, squeeze out the water, add to 1lb ground chicken and add an egg and seasoning. Cover with breadcrumbs of choice and bake at 425 for 17 or so minutes on a rack.
I freeze them for easy meals - when you're ready to eat thaw in the microwave and broil both sides until crisp.
My kid has never told me she hates zucchini or squash in the past 7 years I've made these. I keep them on hand at all times.
ETA: we make seasoned breadcrumbs out of chex cereal
Thanks so much. I will try this. My son's favorite food is hamburgers. I already blend half turkey half beef. The kids like it.
Awesome! Try lean beef and 8oz of finely chopped mushrooms. It's an awesome way to get in some veggies. A little 2% cheese and a 100 calorie hamburger bun, some baked fries on the side - done!
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Something just occurred to me, though. If all you ever do is hide the veggies in their food, they're not going to learn to eat them like they should. I'm not saying don't sneak some in, but they also need to learn to eat veggies themselves. They have to learn how to balance their own diet so when they go out on their own, they'll do it right.
The suggestion for giving them a choice of veggies and how they're prepped is a good one. Giving them a list of choices and having them choose one lets them feel a bit more in control of what they eat and says that while you are putting your foot down about the veggies, you do still value their opinion. That's really important to kids of all ages, not just teens and pre-teens. One thing I learned babysitting is that even toddlers want to be able to make decisions, even if you only give them two or three options.0 -
They hate fruit and vegetables but they grew up surrounded by bad eating habits that probably didn't include these things very much. Try new things, look up healthy recipes and try veggies and fruits in a variety of different ways. They are bound to find some things they enjoy. They are also at ages where if they don't like what you're cooking, I would suggest they fend for themselves.0
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Something just occurred to me, though. If all you ever do is hide the veggies in their food, they're not going to learn to eat them like they should. I'm not saying don't sneak some in, but they also need to learn to eat veggies themselves. They have to learn how to balance their own diet so when they go out on their own, they'll do it right.
The suggestion for giving them a choice of veggies and how they're prepped is a good one. Giving them a list of choices and having them choose one lets them feel a bit more in control of what they eat and says that while you are putting your foot down about the veggies, you do still value their opinion. That's really important to kids of all ages, not just teens and pre-teens. One thing I learned babysitting is that even toddlers want to be able to make decisions, even if you only give them two or three options.
This is all so true. Although I bulk up most dishes with vegetables (helps me with calories!), everyone is well aware that they're in there - I don't "hide" them.
My daughter almost always chooses the vegetables in her dinner. Most of the time it's the same old - corn, peas, tomato salad, roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower, but it's okay if she's eating a lot of other vegetables in other ways.0 -
Don't buy junk food. If it's not in the house, they cannot eat it...unless your son has a job and goes and buys his own.
You may not be able to undo their ideas of how to eat, but you can still give them a good example and steer them in the right direction before they go off to live their own lives. Your daughter, especially, has time to learn to eat healthy.
I'd be honest with them and say that I wanted all of us,especially me because I'm older, to get healthier, but I've done a piss-poor job so far and I wasn't sure how to go about it.
Get their help. Have them help you pick stuff for you all to eat. Ask them to chop some veggies. Kids are much more likely to want to try food they helped to make. Adults, too. We all like trying what we've made. They'll probably be more likely to go along with it if they know you're trying to do it to make yourself healthier, too.
They'll be learning about healthy eating in school. Check out their books and find the sections on it. Discuss it.
That's my advice. But I know kids. There may be resistance, lol.
This video sums up teens and their resistance to eating healthy food in 24 seconds. "Eat. It."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=elnG1QynqsY
All of this. Yes!0
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