Better eating habits and kids....Need more help!!

[Henrietta23]

Just bear in mind that the food pyramid was designed by the USDA. United States Department of Agriculture. Their primary job is to sell agricultural products. The primary products today are corn and soy. So the food pyramid is not about health, it is about commerce. It is also one of the reasons this country is obese.

ETA: Oh, sorry, I think you are referring to the pictures on the pyramid, which are of wholesome foods, if memory serves me!

Kind of sort of both I guess. If he begs for Gushers, I tell him to find which food group that would be in. He typically can't figure out where high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring belong so no Gushers. It sure doesn't work for everything but with his sweet tooth it does help with processed junk like that. He is smart enough to argue that a potato chip would be in the vegetable group though.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree with BBH....you just can't have alternatives in the house. When my kids would stay at my parent's house~they are extreme vegetarians and usually only eat raw~ my kids would eat that like it was going out of style...and ask for more!

When they returned to my house, if I served salad they would act like a put a bowl of feces in front of them. Then they would whine and beg for "real food". It was only when I eliminated all the "real food" from our pantries did they automatically start eating good foods....they were the only game in town. Kids get hungry. They eat what you have. They still whine but they don't really have a choice.

 

[FarmerChick]

HELP!

My kids love over processed non-food. I am hell bent on changing the way we all eat.

I am trying to make gentle changes, like pretzels over potato chips (still crap) and raw nuts over crackers, I have plenty of veggies and fruit on hand, yogurt, cheese, whole grain bread, eggs.....still have white bagels and white pizza crust (at least it is homemade) white tortillas and chicken nuggets ....but my goal is to wean them, as much as I reasonably can, off of it all. and onto more whole food choices.

They are not pleased with me, mainly because it is summer and they are lounging around wanting to snack on crap.

Anyone have any tricks or advice? I am trying to put good choices in front of them but we are on the verge of a coup. I am not making them go cold turkey, but I also want them to understand better food choices are important to their health. Please help

Of course replacing crappy snacks with better ones is the way to go---but remember this also.....try to stop the snacking.

I don't let Nicole "just snack" whenever she feels like it. I think that is when the body is thrown off a natural "feel for hunger" and we go haywire and graze all day long and get obese.

I am lucky....I got a 4 year old and started her off right. She eats full delish meals with good foods vs. chicken nuggets every night like alot of kids...LOL-LOL

What I mean is----a good breakfast, a good lunch, a good dinner and if anything is wanted in between give the "good snack" but then stop.

So many of us open up the pantry and get snack food for no darn reason. We are not hungry at all. We just eat and snack and for what?? instant satisfaction.

So for me, I let Nicole have some treats but we don't just "snack" in this house. I just see the obese kids in this world and I am not allowing it here.

just rambling...LOL

but take time, make changes to the snacking foods, etc. and you will win them over. time and slow change works best......don't get frustrated.


edited to say
I do buy the small snack size of chips, doritos, and all that. yea it cost a bit more but the individual bags just is a portion and that is what Nicole or Tony gets with a sandwich for lunch if wanted. A big box of snack size bags lasts me a long time cause we just don't snack on them willy-nilly. I used to buy big bags for cheaper prices, but honestly the rest would get stale and end up throwing out kind of thing....so I actually save money spending a few cents more for snack size options. Works for me in this house.

 

[Dace]

FC....I actually have a different perspective on snacking. I think it is healthy, to a degree.

If you are hungry then eat, I don't care what time the clock says...but I agree don't just eat because you are bored. We do get that here especially with summer upon us. I am trying to stay one step ahead of them and put out a healthy snack before they go looking for the pretzels and crackers. It does seem to be working....at least I find empty bowls with grape skeletons in them

 

[freemotion]

Sometimes we turn off our thirst signals by ignoring them too much, and we start to take them as hunger signals. A good rule to have is a LARGE glass of plain water ten minutes before any snack. Then a piece of fruit or veggies before any sweet. Suddenly that cookie is too much work!

Keeping colorful baggies or containers of washed and cut up veggies is helpful, too. I love olives, and will put the olives in the bottom of the baggie, and the veggie I like the least on the top, so I have to eat my way through the bag to get to the things I like more and more. These are great for those mindless snacking times, like in the car or in front of the tube.

I read somewhere that younger children will eat healthy snacks more willingly if you put stickers of their favorite characters on them....right on the fruit, or on the bags of good snacks!

 

[FarmerChick]

FC....I actually have a different perspective on snacking. I think it is healthy, to a degree.

If you are hungry then eat, I don't care what time the clock says...but I agree don't just eat because you are bored. We do get that here especially with summer upon us. I am trying to stay one step ahead of them and put out a healthy snack before they go looking for the pretzels and crackers. It does seem to be working....at least I find empty bowls with grape skeletons in them

oh yes, snacking can be healthy---depending on what one eats of course...LOL

most snacking is done when not a good meal was eaten....like a big breakfast that the kid eats very well.....then who wants food until about lunchtime? most won't snack, but light eaters end up snacking mostly again and again and again and come lunch, they pick and end up hungry later, and snack and snack.
(not talking about the starving 16 year old teenager that can "eat the world" all day long...HA HA)

I am talking about boredom snacking. So many kids do it now, they sit in the house, play computer games, snack and get obese.

You know what I mean. I am chatting about snacking the bad way! In general for alot of kids.

BUT yes snacking when hungry is fine and good choices are even better.

No one is truly going hungry in most homes in this country. I can sure see that by the size of the kids nowadays.

I grew up with my Mom saying----Kitchen closed.....LOL-LOL
and we never starved or went hungry. Good thing too for us! Now I look back and know that my mom keeping us on a reasonable food pattern thru life was good.

How many people eat full fast food meals at midnight or 1 am in the morning? Why are these drive thru windows open "all night long"---uh, cause there are customers..HA HA HA


well that was a ramble about food in general...LOL


but I think that "true eating patterns" need to be learned is what I am saying. In this world of food at your fingertips every instant, control must be learned. And the parent in the home needs to start that.

 

[Dace]

Ah.....self control in this day and age of instant gratification and midnight drive thrus....

I agree bad snacking is... bad. LOL!

 

[FarmerChick]

HA HA HA
I know......I ramble about it cause I can't stand what is happening to our kids now. They are fat. Simple as that and even if thinner when younger, there obese chances are skyrocketing when into the older years.

We have to train kids to eat reasonable now when younger. Cause what food is out there is treacherous. We see it constantly now with the problems of weight.

I don't know, this is a bee in my bonnet issue...HA HA HA HA

better stop rambling on now..HA HA


pass the grapes! yummy!!!! frozen they are great also!

 

[FarmerChick]

oh and a great good snack is sorbet type

make your own with great fruit and freeze. kids just grab them and they work well for exchange from crap snack food.

hope that helps a bit---and in the heat kids love popsicles and all that

 

[Wifezilla]

I have always had picky kids, or I should say I have always indulged my picky kids....let's be real, I created this mess.

LOL

At least you can admit it.

I just don't buy it. My youngest son will eat until he explodes given the chance. We don't give him the chance. He is autistic and over weight. He doesn't need junk...he has enough problems as it is.

When my oldest came home on leave, I started finding empty soda bottles and chip bags laying around. Uhhhh...NO! His brother always finds his stash, eats it all and then he is out of control for DAYS!

I have plenty of REAL FOOD in the house. If you want to eat crap, do at your friend's house. I had to tell my oldest son's friends too...DON'T BRING THAT JUNK HERE!

Besides, if you can't go one hour without high fructose corn syrup, sugar, or other highly processed carbohydrates....you have a problem. Get help