Easy for you eat healthy! You don't have kids!

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  • bluemooncowgirl
    bluemooncowgirl Posts: 15
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    Yep... total cop-out.

    What she said is sort of like my friend that I invited to join me at the gym after work. She complained about the lack of parking spaces close to the building because EVERYBODY wants to go to the gym after work. Ummmm.....oookaay... So then I told her I also work out in the mornings some days if it fit my schedule better and she could join me then, because it's less crowded. Her response? "No, that's too early in the day and won't work for me either." :huh:

    I walked away. I hate excuses.
  • Meg_78
    Meg_78 Posts: 998 Member
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    That's the worst excuse I have ever heard, Nobody is forcing here to eat cake. Please, I have 2 kids, and we eat healthy! Birthday party or no.

    That's just a total cop out!
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    I don't have children yet so maybe I don't have my facts straight. But surely as a parent you are the one to teach your children what to eat in the beginning? Surely they wont ask for or crave sweets/fast food if they arent given it? And when you do maybe make them understand that they are treats and should be treated as such? Or am I just being an ignorant moron?

    Close, but it's more complicated.

    You can STOP them from eating stuff you don't want, by not bringing it into the house. The control really ends there, because kids don't always do what you tell them to do. Did you do 100% of what your parents say?

    They will *assuredly* crave sweets, and bug you for it. They know what ice-cream and chicken nuggets tastes like, even if you don't buy them regularly They're not stupid. They go to birthday parties, see ice-cream stands, commercials, have friends, and so on.

    So, you have some control, but not absolute control. My middle son will only eat carrots and no other vegetables, and this is despite putting all sorts of vegetables on his dinner plate daily for 9 years. My youngest will eat almost anything within reason. Our middle child has a 3 or 4 raw vegetables he likes, but will not try new ones. The picky kids (both boys) would rather go hungry than eat anything they don't like.

    You can't force-feed kids.

    My kids hate chicken nuggets, since I've had them have fresh ones that I make from chicken breasts. they hate those frozen pieces of crap now and wont eat them. You don't have absolute control, but you do have control of what you make them. And, what you give them for treats. And, they wont go hungry. They will eat, eventually. That's a power struggle. My kids have tried that. I send them to bed hungry. the next morning, they wake up starving and will eat anything i put in front of them. It's more about power than them not liking anything. You're the parent. You're the boss. You know what is healthy and good for them. Of course they want things that taste good to them over stuff that doesn't. But, remember this, taste is learned. Also, junk food goes thorugh a lot of research to find flavors that people will love. Fresh food never did any research, it just tastes the way it tastes.
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
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    I ran into someone I knew and they said "Oh wow, look at you, you look amazing! What are you doing?"
    I said "I eat nutritious food and exercise regularly"..
    their response was

    "Oh right, you have WAAYYY more time on your hands, you don't have kids"

    My reply; "Ya, I pretty much sit around all day so its easy to fit a workout in here and there"...

    cue blank stare
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
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    We haven't always eaten the healthiest and I do have an extremely picky 4 year old (seriously- she absolutely will not eat if it's something she's not familiar with no matter how hungry she is! And she's already really skinny so I have to work hard to keep her from losing more weight). But I have found healthy foods that she likes and I try my best to get her to try new things. Since she is so picky I try to keep a lot of the healthy things that she will eat in the house so that she goes for that instead of whining for unhealthy food. Most kids will be willing to try healthy food if it's cooked in a kid-friendly way. And going to a birthday party and even eating cake and stuff for one day isn't an excuse to not ever eat healthy! You can even eat out and find healthier options so there really is no legitimate cop out there.
  • juliekin
    juliekin Posts: 139 Member
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    How about, "Really? everyone with kids is fat?" Honestly, having 2 teenagers and a preschooler I can guarantee you that isn't true. There were years that I didn't take care of myself, but the children can't be blamed or used as an excuse for that. They brought no food into the house- I did! Anything you put in your mouth is your decision, children or not.

    My children are VERY fussy eaters, one to an extreme . But I still keep a house stocked with fruits and vegetables and some snacks like cookies and pie and muffins. Guess what? My older kids now make better choices. They often refuse desserts and both are self-limiting- the little one is still learning. I am a baking and dessert fiend, and we always have soda in the house, but they drink it about 3-4 times a year. As they age they better understand health and consequences of putting bad food in their bodies. We even have 2 half gallons of excellent vanilla ice cream (which they love) sitting in the freezer. It is actually going bad because they are choosing not to eat it.
    Parenting includes teaching children how to make good choices in a world filled with bad choices, and includes our modeling it to them.
  • JPal5
    JPal5 Posts: 178
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    I don't have children yet so maybe I don't have my facts straight. But surely as a parent you are the one to teach your children what to eat in the beginning? Surely they wont ask for or crave sweets/fast food if they arent given it? And when you do maybe make them understand that they are treats and should be treated as such? Or am I just being an ignorant moron?

    Close, but it's more complicated.

    You can STOP them from eating stuff you don't want, by not bringing it into the house. The control really ends there, because kids don't always do what you tell them to do. Did you do 100% of what your parents say?

    They will *assuredly* crave sweets, and bug you for it. They know what ice-cream and chicken nuggets tastes like, even if you don't buy them regularly They're not stupid. They go to birthday parties, see ice-cream stands, commercials, have friends, and so on.

    So, you have some control, but not absolute control. My middle son will only eat carrots and no other vegetables, and this is despite putting all sorts of vegetables on his dinner plate daily for 9 years. My youngest will eat almost anything within reason. Our middle child has a 3 or 4 raw vegetables he likes, but will not try new ones. The picky kids (both boys) would rather go hungry than eat anything they don't like.

    You can't force-feed kids.

    My kids hate chicken nuggets, since I've had them have fresh ones that I make from chicken breasts. they hate those frozen pieces of crap now and wont eat them. You don't have absolute control, but you do have control of what you make them. And, what you give them for treats. And, they wont go hungry. They will eat, eventually. That's a power struggle. My kids have tried that. I send them to bed hungry. the next morning, they wake up starving and will eat anything i put in front of them. It's more about power than them not liking anything. You're the parent. You're the boss. You know what is healthy and good for them. Of course they want things that taste good to them over stuff that doesn't. But, remember this, taste is learned. Also, junk food goes thorugh a lot of research to find flavors that people will love. Fresh food never did any research, it just tastes the way it tastes.

    I guess it was just easier for my parents when I was a kid. My parents never had the money for fast food (it was more expensive then in South Africa than fresh produce) so we never go it. At birthday parties at my house my parents used to serve fruit and occasionally the odd cake (if we were lucky). We were healthy and ate fruit and veg and meat. Brown bread and whole grain foods and stuff were also cheaper back then. We also didnt have tv .. so no commercials. I agree that I of course got the odd treat at friends houses but healthy started at home.
    Maybe it's just harder these days, and as I said in my previous post, I don't have kids so I don't actually know. My post before was more a question I suppose.
  • Soylabean
    Soylabean Posts: 2
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    I don't know how many kids your friend has or what their life is like, but eating healthy can be expensive and a luxury. It can be cheaper to bring your kids for $1 menu items, than to buy the fresh produce, meats, grains, etc. needed to provide a healthy alternative...and if they are a single parent, like me, or finding time to cook a nutritious meal can be a daunting task. I'm not saying it's an excuse, but everyone is fighting their own battle.

    My daughter is 9 and has never had a soda. ever. It's a decision that I made as her parent. I stopped drinking soda and stopped smoking years ago because she looks to me for guidance. She does get things like birthday cake, but I watch her portions. Vegetables have been tricky, but education and my clever cooking techniques (haha) play a big part in her acceptance of healthy foods in her daily diet. My biggest challenge has been weekends with grandparents...where junk food reigns supreme. Like I said, everyone is fighting their own battle. So I say, be kind...and live your life to best of your abilities. When you have kids you'll make decisions for your family based on your own beliefs.
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
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    Sometimes though people who have kids assume that those of us that don't have kids do nothing. I can assure you I work hard day in and day out and we have chosen not to have children right now because of how overwhelmed we are wih our lives already.
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 450 Member
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    .....Super Size me.

    Go watch it.

    You will never eat fast food ever again...

    ...If you are a sheep.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
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    You know, it occurs to me that a lot of people here have raised their children with healthy eating habits from a young age... But I imagine trying to convert a chicken-fingers-pizza-and-french-fries kid into one who likes fruit and vegetables would be a difficult task.
  • wells0707
    wells0707 Posts: 251 Member
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    [/quote]"WELL ITS EASY FOR YOU. YOU DON'T HAVE KIDS. It's not realistic for me to eat like this, [/quote]

    In my opinion it should be EASIER to eat healthy when you DO have kids. You need to make sure they are getting all of their required nutrients.
  • xlolitabandita
    xlolitabandita Posts: 242
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    I honestly feel like some people like to blame being over weight on everything and everyone but themselves. In her own time she will come to realize that if she's unhappy with her body she's going to have to be the one do something about it. Some people just justify it themselves over and over again. She'll either come around, or she won't. I wouldn't take what she said personally. Just worry about you, and when you do have those kids set an example for them! It's totally possible to live a healthy lifestyle when your have small children.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
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    One thing I haven't see brought up yet, and I'm switching sides a bit, is that as a single parent, sometimes, I just get freaking tired. It's just easier to buy something already done, hand the kids a bag of food, and not have to cook. There's a large aspect of that going on. i have parent friends, who just HATE to cook. It's a chore, and they hate it. And, so the fast convenient food wins everytime. Or, sometimes, when I'm working really hard at work, and I'm just worn out, it's really difficult to cook and keep up the healthy stuff. But, those moments are short-lived for me. But, I can see how someone falls into that trap.
  • tinana_RN
    tinana_RN Posts: 541 Member
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    She should be setting an example for her kids. That's why I decided to get healthy...

    Just my opinion.


    I agree with this!
  • megsi474
    megsi474 Posts: 370 Member
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    I have three kids and I have always fed them healthier than I've fed myself. I've had a wicked emotional eating issue that has been coupled with a love of fast food. I have been much more likely to feed my children a homecooked meal and get something bad for myself through a drive through after they go to bed than I have been to keep unhealthy food in the house for them.
  • Leannek74
    Leannek74 Posts: 374 Member
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    I had kids late in life.... it was easier for me to eat healthy AFTER I had them, because now I had to be a good example!
  • newmommy2cash
    newmommy2cash Posts: 118
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    I have a kid (2.5 year old) and I don't eat the things I treat him with every now and then, such as, pizza, pudding, cake, etc. He eats healthy like my husband and I most of the time, but every now and then I will allow him to have a slice of pizza, I choose a salad, if he has a sugar free pudding, I have apple slices and almond butter. It is all about choices and no one forces you to put things in your body that are unhealthy for you.
  • JMJohnson1005
    JMJohnson1005 Posts: 222 Member
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    I have one son and he eats what we fix period! Luckily for us he is not a very picky eater...he is actually a lot less pickier than myself! If you raise your children to eat healthy then there is not a problem. If you raise your children to eat McDonalds and all that crap then it will be hard for you to change their diet as well as yours. I do understand about the birthday parties and what not, but nobody is forcing you to eat any of it...just say no thank you and keep it moving or say ok I will have a small piece. Don't let her discourage!
  • CrueChix
    CrueChix Posts: 47
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    That's just an excuse. Your kids don't force you to put that food in your mouth. It's your choice.

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