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Do you think parents should teach their kids how to count calories?
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kshama2001 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »Well that was just an example - a good one, I thought, since most people here do not have cheque books now.
And I wasn't talking any age in particular - I don't think it is constructive to teach calorie counting at any age just as a ' skill you will need in life'
I never said they would need it. I hope they don't. I don't regret anything I've learned whether I need that information or not.
I still use a check book, but I also balance my money online. I wouldn't be surprised if check books are a thing of the past when my kids are adults though.
I check my bank statements online, but how do you balance them online? Serious question.
My bank allows me to input future transactions to predict my balance into the future. Some things I know exactly and are repeating (internet, phone, insurance), others I can guesstimate and review when I get a statement.0 -
leanitup123 wrote: »All I know is I wish my parents had some SOMETHING. I got lucky, considering how much I ate. I was bigger in 6th grade than I am now though. I at least wish I was told not to go back for seconds, or thirds. Or that I don't need 4 slices of pizza. I don't know. This is a tough one for me.
I work at an elementary school. Some of my kids are obese, and most of them live below the poverty line. Our principle will take away soda and candy from there. They eat a lot of chips and while I know I shouldn't be urging children to eat...sometimes cheese doodles are the only thing in their lunch boxes.
That sparks another question - do you think it is a teacher's place to recommend foods or diets/approach parents on their children's eating behavior?
Of course - everyone has a right to offer a recommendation, just as everyone has a right to refuse or accept the recommendation. How one approaches this is critical.2 -
FreyasRebirth wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »paperpudding wrote: »Well that was just an example - a good one, I thought, since most people here do not have cheque books now.
And I wasn't talking any age in particular - I don't think it is constructive to teach calorie counting at any age just as a ' skill you will need in life'
I never said they would need it. I hope they don't. I don't regret anything I've learned whether I need that information or not.
I still use a check book, but I also balance my money online. I wouldn't be surprised if check books are a thing of the past when my kids are adults though.
I check my bank statements online, but how do you balance them online? Serious question.
My bank allows me to input future transactions to predict my balance into the future. Some things I know exactly and are repeating (internet, phone, insurance), others I can guesstimate and review when I get a statement.
Mine does this as well. I also use Quicken and conduct a monthly review to ensure we align to budget and address any issues so that our future plans will be successful.0 -
No, just teach them about nutrition and healthy choices.0
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bobshuckleberry wrote: »No, just teach them about nutrition and healthy choices.
but again what happens if they don't put what you teach above into action...then they need to be able to know about Calories and counting...1 -
leanitup123 wrote: »All I know is I wish my parents had some SOMETHING. I got lucky, considering how much I ate. I was bigger in 6th grade than I am now though. I at least wish I was told not to go back for seconds, or thirds. Or that I don't need 4 slices of pizza. I don't know. This is a tough one for me.
I work at an elementary school. Some of my kids are obese, and most of them live below the poverty line. Our principle will take away soda and candy from there. They eat a lot of chips and while I know I shouldn't be urging children to eat...sometimes cheese doodles are the only thing in their lunch boxes.
That sparks another question - do you think it is a teacher's place to recommend foods or diets/approach parents on their children's eating behavior?
Hell to the no.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »leanitup123 wrote: »All I know is I wish my parents had some SOMETHING. I got lucky, considering how much I ate. I was bigger in 6th grade than I am now though. I at least wish I was told not to go back for seconds, or thirds. Or that I don't need 4 slices of pizza. I don't know. This is a tough one for me.
I work at an elementary school. Some of my kids are obese, and most of them live below the poverty line. Our principle will take away soda and candy from there. They eat a lot of chips and while I know I shouldn't be urging children to eat...sometimes cheese doodles are the only thing in their lunch boxes.
That sparks another question - do you think it is a teacher's place to recommend foods or diets/approach parents on their children's eating behavior?
Hell to the no.
I am a teacher and for the most part agree with you. It definitely makes me uncomfortable when I see other teachers take away a food from a child or say that they can't eat something. At the same time, 99% our of kids are living below the poverty line, so if they did bring only candy for lunch, it's easy for us to have them hop in the lunch line and get a lunch for free or close to nothing. I'd rather a kid eat lunch AND candy rather than just candy.
I'm also comfortable makinng suggestions to children if they are eating or drinking something that will affect them for the rest of the day (I'm a lunch monitor as well). For example, if a kid has a giant soda, I'm talking a little second grader, I'll say it might make it hard to continue you learning all day because it is so much liquid and really it is two servings. I'll ask if they'd be interested in having only half and saving the rest for after school. Those kinds of things. If they say no, I do not argue.5 -
I think teachers have enough on their plates (no pun intended).1
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »I think teachers have enough on their plates (no pun intended).
That's the truth.0 -
ya'll acting like calories aren't part of nutrition. Am I missing something here? Teach them what calories are, good nutrition, moderation and as a general subject, mathematics.
Let them think for themselves, they are people after all.9 -
No. I emphasize healthy eating. Whole Foods, treats in moderation. My kids used to ask for juice all the time when they were little and I would say, no - it's high in sugar and doesn't really fuel your body. I think you're thirsty. Let's have some water. When they wanted cookies instead of fruit, again I would explain nutrient value and energy. If you start out right, you don't need to introduce "calorie counting". Honestly, I hate it. I'm obsessed and I know it. I'm doing it to lose weight, but really, it's mentally taxing and leads to guilt. I eat healthy Whole Foods and limit treats. I got here due to a slow 2 lb gain yearly for the last 15 years (had two kids in between, body chemistry changed, thyroid and now peri menopause is making it hard to lose). I'm active, run regularly and set a good example for my kids. I don't demonize foods, I just emphasize moderation and health.
Children don't needed added stress.0 -
No. Parents should teach children how to eat healthy. Fresh veggies, lean meats, complex carbs.1
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MrStabbems wrote: »ya'll acting like calories aren't part of nutrition. Am I missing something here? Teach them what calories are, good nutrition, moderation and as a general subject, mathematics.
Let them think for themselves, they are people after all.
Teaching them about calories and what a calorie is, etc is not the same thing as having your kid sit down and actively log/count calories...that's the part I find absurd and most likely would result in more ED than we already have.6 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »MrStabbems wrote: »ya'll acting like calories aren't part of nutrition. Am I missing something here? Teach them what calories are, good nutrition, moderation and as a general subject, mathematics.
Let them think for themselves, they are people after all.
Teaching them about calories and what a calorie is, etc is not the same thing as having your kid sit down and actively log/count calories...that's the part I find absurd and most likely would result in more ED than we already have.
Except I thought the discussion was whether or not you should teach them how to count calories, not whether or not you should make them count calories (outside of a teaching exercise). That's two different topics.5 -
I know my experience is different because I have a teen son who is a bit underweight (he's 125lbs, but he doesn't have much muscle tone)... so while I teach him that weight gain and loss is just Math (because he loves Math and his attention is hard to get due to his ADHD)... I hear myself more frequently repeating things about nutritional value vs "being full" like a broken record. He already knows how to eat a balanced, healthy diet... but half the time, I have to remind him that he forgot to eat altogether.
"A bowl of cereal is fine for dinner. Just not every night"
"I'm not saying you can't eat the candy you bought with your own money. I'm just saying it's still not an everyday snack just because it's yours."
"Campbell's Noodle Soup may be your favorite food, but it is NOT enough nutrients for a boy your size and age. Eat some crackers and cheese, too"
It's like a neverending battle to remind them not to live on soups, freeze pops, and chicken tenders. Even after a lifetime of teaching.
And the teacher thing... in our public schools, teachers had NO problem specifically listing what snacks were acceptable to send and immediately contacting us if they thought a granola bar had too much chocolate. I didn't mind too much, but sometimes it was really a bit much. Like if giving him a chocolate chip granola bar along with his apple got him to eat the apple... what's the problem?
Following the "for every one less healthy thing you eat, you must eat something super healthy" worked well when he was little. Now everything is a freaking negotiation.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »MrStabbems wrote: »ya'll acting like calories aren't part of nutrition. Am I missing something here? Teach them what calories are, good nutrition, moderation and as a general subject, mathematics.
Let them think for themselves, they are people after all.
Teaching them about calories and what a calorie is, etc is not the same thing as having your kid sit down and actively log/count calories...that's the part I find absurd and most likely would result in more ED than we already have.
Except I thought the discussion was whether or not you should teach them how to count calories, not whether or not you should make them count calories (outside of a teaching exercise). That's two different topics.
It seems like if they ever need to, they would figure it out pretty easy...took me about 15-20 minutes to figure this app out. Of all of the health and fitness people I know, I'm the only one who's ever counted calories and all of them are doing just fine.0 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »leanitup123 wrote: »All I know is I wish my parents had some SOMETHING. I got lucky, considering how much I ate. I was bigger in 6th grade than I am now though. I at least wish I was told not to go back for seconds, or thirds. Or that I don't need 4 slices of pizza. I don't know. This is a tough one for me.
I work at an elementary school. Some of my kids are obese, and most of them live below the poverty line. Our principle will take away soda and candy from there. They eat a lot of chips and while I know I shouldn't be urging children to eat...sometimes cheese doodles are the only thing in their lunch boxes.
That sparks another question - do you think it is a teacher's place to recommend foods or diets/approach parents on their children's eating behavior?
Hell to the no.
I am a teacher and for the most part agree with you. It definitely makes me uncomfortable when I see other teachers take away a food from a child or say that they can't eat something. At the same time, 99% our of kids are living below the poverty line, so if they did bring only candy for lunch, it's easy for us to have them hop in the lunch line and get a lunch for free or close to nothing. I'd rather a kid eat lunch AND candy rather than just candy.
I'm also comfortable makinng suggestions to children if they are eating or drinking something that will affect them for the rest of the day (I'm a lunch monitor as well). For example, if a kid has a giant soda, I'm talking a little second grader, I'll say it might make it hard to continue you learning all day because it is so much liquid and really it is two servings. I'll ask if they'd be interested in having only half and saving the rest for after school. Those kinds of things. If they say no, I do not argue.
A little off topic, but don't these kids just sort of "automatically" get free/reduced price lunches? In our school district, it's all taken care of outside the lunchroom, and the kids just punch in a code to get their lunches just like everyone else. No one would ever let a kid just bring candy (or whatever) day to day. I guess I just don't get it...
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cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »MrStabbems wrote: »ya'll acting like calories aren't part of nutrition. Am I missing something here? Teach them what calories are, good nutrition, moderation and as a general subject, mathematics.
Let them think for themselves, they are people after all.
Teaching them about calories and what a calorie is, etc is not the same thing as having your kid sit down and actively log/count calories...that's the part I find absurd and most likely would result in more ED than we already have.
Except I thought the discussion was whether or not you should teach them how to count calories, not whether or not you should make them count calories (outside of a teaching exercise). That's two different topics.
It seems like if they ever need to, they would figure it out pretty easy...took me about 15-20 minutes to figure this app out. Of all of the health and fitness people I know, I'm the only one who's ever counted calories and all of them are doing just fine.
If your crowd is seriously 'into' health and fitness, that makes sense.
Unfortunately, most of the people I know who want to lose weight aren't 'into' that kind of thing. They understand what a calorie is, understand portion sizes in the sense that there are such things though they don't follow them (or estimate them poorly), but don't understand that energy balance is the driver of weight loss.
So, when they try to lose weight, they default to 'low carb', 'eliminate white foods', 'cabbage soup 2 meals per day', etc. Then they don't lose much weight (or even gain) because they still eat a lot while following their pet diet rules. And they don't understand why.
Perhaps if any connection had been made between calories eaten, calories expended through activity and weight when they were kids, they might get it now. Believe it or not, what seems like obvious connections to some need to be pointed out to others.3 -
No, counting calories is something I do because I have to (to lose weight and because I am type 1 diabetic)partly because I grew up with such distorted concepts of food. I hope to raise my children eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies with proper portion sizes and indulgences in moderation so they eat healthy as default instead of having to learn how to eat.1
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We never taught our kids about calories specifically, although they did learn about them in health class. But at home, we always taught them how to eat a well-balanced meal, to fill their body with healthy food not junk, and to read nutrition labels for correct portion sizes.0
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