Junk Food Binge

Rice crackers, carrot sticks, celery, cucumber, salsa, soups, fruit, smoothies.

popcorn

Stop buying things for your family that are causing you weakness. They need to support you on your journey and if you're the Shopper in the house then I guess they go without.
banana chips are pretty good and are easy to make (or buy). Fruits. Almonds or peanuts. Celery and carrots with hummus...

While I'm so on board with not punishing your family because YOU'RE on a diet, does telling yourself others snacks are off limits really work because...it's a good thing I live alone.

There's nothing wrong with occasional treats for everybody. It's keeping them in the house, all the time, "for the children", that can be downright dangerous. I operated an in-home daycare for 39 years. I lost count of all the times I bought snacks "for the children" and they never got a single one. Even things like graham crackers; I'd eat the whole box. Best thing to do is keep the healthier snacks in the house for everybody, with an occasional treat for everybody also. Think about the healthier snacks that everybody likes, apples/peanut butter, yogurt, rice cakes, juice pops, cheese/crax, string cheese, oranges, etc., etc. Try creating some healthier versions with your children. Do they like Ranch dressing? My 'kids' used to eat so many more veggies if they could dip them in that stuff. Nothing prettier than a well put-together veggie platter with a semi-healthy dip in the middle.

I, personally, have a terribly difficult time resisting stuff that I like, if it's in the house. "Depriving" your kids daily, might be a better option for all of you. Treating them to something special occasionally makes it more special, like going out for ice cream 1x a week, or go to a restaurant and order one of those giant desserts with 3 spoons, to share. Yes, junk food like Little Debbies are yummy(I love that kind of stuff ) but I doubt there is 1 thing listed in those that is even remotely related to nutrition. In the long run, your body will thank you, your children will thank you and will learn healthier ways of eating.
Good luck!!!

shahpriti1232 wrote: »

Healthy snacking is just as important for kids as it is for you. More so for kids, because their young bodies need the right nutrients to grow. So while you might want to let your young ones snack on junk foods that are your favourites too, make sure you limit it to the bare minimum and include more healthy snacks for kids in their diets. Here's how to go about it.

1. Homemade peanut butter
2. Chocolate banana bites
3. Frozen yoghurt
4. Vegetable and fruit crisps
5. Dried fruit bites

Note that kids and teenagers need fuel every three to four hours, so plan three meals and two snacks for children through the day. Offer snacks a couple of hours before and after meals.

How to get kids to eat healthily?
If you have a picky eater or two at home, these tips will come handy to get them to eat healthily.

• Give your kids the freedom to choose meals and snacks. Offer a couple of different healthy options that they can pick from.
• When introducing new foods, mix them with tried and tested ones or favourites. Let kids plate on their own to encourage them to eat healthily.
• Get your kids involved in the entire process right from grocery shopping, picking recipes, and cooking. This will help them understand and appreciate the value of food from a young age.
• Practise before preaching. If your kids see you eating or snacking on unhealthy foods, they're not going to make healthier choices either.
• Be patient with picky eaters. Keep trying new recipes and varied combinations to get kids to eat healthier.

The eating every 3-4 hour for kids comes from this:
https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/when-should-my-kids-snack#:~:text=Most children and teens need,their MyPlate daily food plan.

Here's a bit more from the guidelines. No need to have a bunch of chips, Ding-Dongs, etc around.

Where Should Kids Snack?
When at home, designate a certain area as the "eating-only zone'' and limit all snacking to that location. The kitchen table or countertop works well. When kids snack all over the house, that makes it hard for you to monitor what and how much they're eating. (Plus, all the crumbs and spills can get messy!) Also, never let kids eat snacks while watching TV. Studies show that this mindless munching leads to overeating.

Be a Smart Snacker
The following strategies will make you and your family smart snackers:

Expect smaller children to eat smaller portions. Young children may need more frequent snacks than older kids because little ones have smaller stomachs that hold less.
Offer meals and snacks at predictable times.
Be prepared for hungry tummies at predictable snack times. This might mean your kids are extra hungry right after school.
To make sure your kids eat at mealtimes, don't offer snacks too close to a meal.
Offer nutrient-dense foods that are otherwise lacking in the diet and will improve your child's nutrient intake.
Place produce in plain sight. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of your kitchen or dining table. Keep small containers of fresh veggie snacks (carrots, celery sticks and broccoli florets) at kids-eye level in the fridge.
Stock your pantry with canned snacks such as fruits canned in juice or natural applesauce made without added sugar. Divide larger cans into smaller portions in reusable containers or buy the convenient single-serve container.
Cut snacking costs with frozen fruits as they often are less expensive but just as nutritious as the fresh varieties. Purchase frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in large bags; then, use small handfuls for yogurt toppings or as smoothie ingredients.
Offer your kids a snack containing protein and fiber, so the snacks are filling, sustaining and add to the quality of the diet. Try some of these combinations:
Trail mix: nuts, dried fruit without added sugars, whole-grain pretzels and low-sugar dry cereal
Low-fat cheese and pear slices
Reduced-sodium sliced turkey breast wrapped around apple slices
Low-fat yogurt, fruit and nuts
Nuts and raisins
Celery sticks filled with almond butter and sprinkled with dried cranberries and chopped pistachios
Baked tortilla chips dipped in salsa
Roasted chickpeas

Sometimes when I’m craving something sweet I mix some protein/meal replacement powder with a little almond milk to create a cake batter type of snack and I always have chocolate in the freezer if I need to have a piece, but just a piece.

Other things I like are popcorn, hot peppers, pickles, olives, sunflower and pumpkin seeds with the shell on for salty.

I also don’t think it’s punishment to buy healthier snacks for the kids. This is what I do and I have 3 kids. It creates healthy habits and you can all have unhealthy snacks from time to time. There are plenty of yummy snacks, my kids love lots of fruit with cinnamon/PB

@Diatonic12 You should credit the source when copying/pasting info.

I am pretty consistent with my kiddos snack time. They have a nice breakfast and lunch a lightish snack and a fery full dinner. I find planning their snacks help a lot. Some ideas we do are ants on a log, homemade trail mix, hard boiled eggs, boom chicka Pop, homemade cookies, energy balls.