How are you helping your children?

[tortoise]

My son's first foods were carrots, salmon, and squash. I am determined to NOT pass on my poor eating habits. He LOVES vegetables and until recently would rather have them than dessert! Now he would just as soon have an apple for dessert as a sweet treat.

He hasn't met a food he doesn't like. We talk a lot about what foods are healthy and what are not. And that healthy foods are special treats that we only eat a little bit of, and not all the time.

He will ask me, "Do you like [insert vegetable]?" When I have to say no, I'll say, "No, I don't like cauliflower, but I DO like broccoli." Or something like that.

Although his FAVORITES are mac'n'cheese and Culver's. Trying to wean him off breakfast cereal. He was having it as a NECESSITY as some days I am not well and not able to get up and get him breakfast. He can get out cereal and get a cup of water himself. Not ideal.... but life happens.

BTW - he is 3 years old.

 

[patandchickens]

Mine get not-so-great-for-you food sometimes, but they understand it is an exception to the rule and not something it'd be good to eat often. So AFAIK what they are imprinting on as "normal food" is, well, normal food -- things that you can look at and pretty easily recognize their origins in the garden or barn.

The old 'those are the beans YOU planted and watered' thing also works.

Plus, I have been quite surprised since the beginning of the summer or so to see the change in my 6 yr old's attitude towards raw vegetables when I made them the ONLY option for after-meal snacking. (I mean, like when he has eaten a larger dinner than *I* have and still proclaims himself hungry. Even if there ARE thirds available he does not necessarily NEED them in my opinion, so my boilerplate reply is now "sure, I can cut up a carrot or some bell pepper for you". Previously he *hated* raw carrots, and any form or color of bell pepper. Now, from continued exposure, he seems to genuinely like them. Ha ha

Still working on the 3 yr old, who is going thru a phase of 'I don't like that' applied to everything except, basically, cashew nuts and green peas. Mind you he will eventually EAT most anything else if he is genuinely hungry, but, our ears get very tired


Pat

 

[savingdogs]

As much as we have an influence, I do know that there are individual cravings. I have three kids and all wanted and craved different things. My daughter loved variety of produce and rich foods, my older son loves carbs and my younger son is a protein kid. My husband loves protein and I think there is a genetic component for craving a high protein diet in particular.

When they were little, if I served meat, potatos and a veggie, my sons would both leave the veggie, then trade the one's meat for the other's potato if they thought I wasn't looking.

 

[patandchickens]

BTW I honestly believe that, while it is best to start kids off in the right direction, there is probably not that much parental influence on adult eating decisions.

I mean, look at how much (and how often, in some cases!) adult eating decisions can change just during a person's lifetime.

All we can really do IMO is a) not actually *harm* them through what we feed 'em while they're still living at home, and b) teach them what to DO with an egg, a cabbage, a whole chicken, a buncha rhubarb, whatever, so that if and when they decide to cook things in the future they will have some general observational clue of how it's supposed to proceed.

Pat

 

[Woodland Woman]

I am not worried about it. They have been taught to eat healthy from a young age. We eat most food from scratch. I can't think of any vegetables they won't eat except what they are allergic to. (peppers and cucumbers) I have taught them to eat vegetables first, then protein and last of all carbohydrate. You would be surprised to see how much food my kids eat yet they are thin. We do eat some processed food but really it is very little compared to most. We all are on a gluten and dairy free diet. No preservatives, artificial colors or artificial flavors, no corn syrup. Treats are fruit, ricecream, or 1-2 cookies. Snakes are fresh veggies, trail mix which contain nuts and dried fruit and sometimes plain potato chips. I do think you should let your children have snacks and treats in moderation. We pay attention to how our bodies and minds feel. It is great motivation to eat properly. We also eat no GMO's or meat that has been given hormones.

 

[MorelCabin]

I must have done okay...my grandaughter is being raised the same way I raised her mama...eat your vegies! Haha She LOVES salads, fruit and any vegie...except olives...hehee...takes after her nana on the olives bleck!

 

[Dunkopf]

We have one of those grinder things like they had in Conan the Barbarian. I make them push that for an hour everyday. The 7 year old complains bu he looks kind of like Arnold.

 

[Boogity]

We have some very interesting neighbors that live about a mile or two down the road. They're not Amish and they're not any social sect (that I know of) but they have some interesting eating rules in their house. In some respects they live like we're in the late 1800s.

Mom sets the menu and diet for the whole family - always. The family is dad and three kids, male 16, female 12, and male 7. The kids are not allowed to talk about their food neither before, during, nor after mealtime. Nobody is allowed to say they don't like anything that is served and there is never any requests allowed except for birthdays. Now I'm sure that mom watches to see what they like and what they do not like but they forbidden to discuss it at the table. The kids have never been made to taste or forced to eat anything. Kind of strange. They live sorta like we see on Little House on the Prairie television show. After their evening meal the three kids do the dishes and clean the kitchen/dining room every night.

Here's one that my family would have croaked over . . . they never, never touch any food after the evening meal.

I have been at their lunchtime on Saturdays many times and mom serves things like 1/2 sandwich, 1 apple, tiny cup of soup, and 10 peanuts. Oh yeah, they only drink water at every meal.

When I first met them, years ago, I thought this aspect of their family life was much too restrictive and very strange. But after getting to know them better over the years I can see some definite pluses to their way of life.

1. There is never any fussing over "what's for supper"
2. Mealtime is very pleasant with great discussions
3. Obviously, the kids are trim and very healthy
4. The kids eat everything on their plate - always
5. The kids (at least from my observation) enjoy mealtimes and are very courteous and their manners are remarkable

It's going to be interesting to see how Danny, the boy who just turned 16, will handle mealtime when he's away from home more than nowadays.

In case you're wondering how I know so much about their home life, Paul (the dad) and I shared some farm equipment and some land for a few years. During that time I had many meals at their house and he had many at ours. They're very good friends.

I almost forgot, Danny has been an excellent wrestler since he was a freshman and last year he was second in the state championships in 180 pound division. Kathy is a great great basketball player and cross country runner (skinny kids usually are). And little Joey doesn't like sports as he loves his 4H pigs and goats and loves farming.

 

[journey11]

My daughter is 3. I don't keep junk food in the house, although we enjoy an occasional cookie or chocolate. I put the fruit bowl where she can reach it herself. She helps in the garden, then I make a point of telling her that's her own squash on her plate for dinner tonight. I give her milk with all meals. She helps herself to water as needed in between. She rarely gets juice. If you're eating your fruits and veggies, who needs sugar water with added vitamin C? If she doesn't finish her meals (reasonably), then I put it in the fridge and heat it back up for her when she decides later that she is hungry. No "snack foods" unless she's eaten most of her meal. I make sure she gets a balanced meal (her and us both). I cook from scratch because it's healthier and cheaper and that's why I am a SAHM, so I can have time for that! And I limit TV time and send her out to play.

Boogity, your friends sound like they have some very healthy eating habits. I think my family would benefit from the no food after dinner rule...maybe we'd even make it to bed earlier! I gotta have popcorn with a movie though. That would be tough!

 

[abifae]

I helped my children by NOT bringing them into this world.

At least, none that I have had to pay for.....

that's me. the biggest part of why i got fixed was so i couldn't have any. no half measures here.

although i do make sure my nieces know about healthy food. they get none at home, any of them. but when they visit me, it's all health food LOL.

my dad was a healthy eater. mom was bulemic/anorexic so her ideas are whacked. but my dad required something from every food group at every meal and corn/potatoes were a starch, NOT a veggie. we were also required a leafy green in addition to any other veggie. so if we had steamed carrots we had to have spinach or a salad also.