Your Childs diet

[antonbrn]

I was wondering what kind of meals/food do you all prepare for you children? My son is a VERY picky eater and I have a hard time getting him to eat veggies, fruit, chicken w/o breading, etc.
I want him to to have fun and eating out sometimes, but definitely not everyday. So if any of you have ideas or want to add to this thread, please don't be shy to do so.
Thanks for any input

[Olympique]

Pancakes, top with rainbow sprinkes and fruit
Chicken and/or Shrimp and vegetable stir fry
Tuna and pasta salad
Chicken salad sandwiches

[daltrey]

For breakfast usually cereal, muffins, pancakes, or scrambled eggs and toast with milk or juice. Lunchtime is mostly whatever they serve at school for the day or cold cuts (sliced fresh from the deli) with some fruit and juice from home. Dinner could be anything though. I like to watch the food network so I come up with plenty of ideas. We usually do eat out twice a week though just because it's convenient but my boys are very active (both play sports) and me and the wife workout 4x a week in our home gym. Of course being healthy is a lifestyle for me and I know I'm in twice the shape as many others my age but I'm not committing 100% to it. I try to find a happy medium I don't believe parents should go overboard by trying to control every little thing there child eats but I also don't think they should ignore their childs health by letting them eat crap all day. Hope I didn't offend anyone but that's just MY opinion.

[beasthousemania]

lol they're kids, let them eat, let them enjoy life when they're young

[bebeklein]

I don't have kids but I found these Naked Nuggets at Costco. This is their story

"After years of culinary training in France, and opening some of New York City?s most popular restaurants, chefs Eric and Bruce Bromberg came to realize that cooking tasty, kid-pleasing, and healthful meals for Eric?s three children?Leah, Jason, and Brett?was their biggest and most important challenge of all. Frustrated by what was available in most supermarkets, the brothers stripped down their kids? favorite dish, chicken nuggets, to the bare essentials: 100% all-natural chicken, seasonings, and spices. Gone were the heavy breading and greasy deep-frying, leaving just tender, juicy, grilled chicken nuggets. To the chefs? delight, their toughest audience was jumping for joy. From our family to yours, we present to you: Naked Nuggets?.

They are great and only take 1.5 minutes to nuke in the microwave. You find them in the freezer section which I really like since they won't go bad like the refrigerated kind.

Only 5 Ingredients: All Natural White Meat Chicken, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Potato Starch.

7 nuggets - 140 cals 25p/2c/3f

[JolietKev]

My 2 1/2 yo son normally eats very healthy. He likes eggs with spinach and a little cheese. He eats a lot of broccoli and cauliflower or whatever other veg I steam. He also eats fruit throughout the day. He has a pretty balanced lunch and dinner. Once or twice a week we will have a blizzard or a piece of cake. As snacks he will have some popcorn or cashews and goldfish. We do not eat fast food so I hope that will not become something that he will do throughout his life.

[m1k3g0rd]

My 2 1/2 yo son normally eats very healthy. He likes eggs with spinach and a little cheese. He eats a lot of broccoli and cauliflower or whatever other veg I steam. He also eats fruit throughout the day. He has a pretty balanced lunch and dinner. Once or twice a week we will have a blizzard or a piece of cake. As snacks he will have some popcorn or cashews and goldfish. We do not eat fast food so I hope that will not become something that he will do throughout his life.

Enjoy that while you can. Our daughter was the same way until about 4, then she started pre-school and the influence of the other kids (and the teachers) kicked in. Once they see the other kids eating pizza, nuggets, etc for lunch it gets really tough to try to keep them away from that crap. The best you can do is try to limit the unhealthy stuff to a few times a week, but the more you try to keep it away, the more they want it.

[daltrey]

Yeah at my kid's school they give the students play money for behaving in class and doing well. They can turn that money in any time they want for "special things". So far my son has turned his in twice and gotten to eat McDonald's during lunchtime with the principal that the school provides for him. How am I suppose to tell him he can't have it when he watches his friends all get too be excited for being allowed to? I don't.

But what I can do is make sure he's not sitting in front of the tv all day and eating tons of junk food at home. Kid's are very easy to influence and they mimic what they grow up seeing their parents do. I'm just hoping that by them seeing how their parents take care of themselves by being active and healthy that they will want the same. You can preach to them all day but actions will always speak louder than words.

[dungeonmistress]

I was wondering what kind of meals/food do you all prepare for you children? My son is a VERY picky eater and I have a hard time getting him to eat veggies, fruit, chicken w/o breading, etc.
I want him to to have fun and eating out sometimes, but definitely not everyday. So if any of you have ideas or want to add to this thread, please don't be shy to do so.
Thanks for any input

mine eats like i do - eat what i cook or don't eat at all. she's 16 now and has great eating habits. she told me the other night she was craving a burger and onion rings (hell who doesn't from time to time?) and i said well we ARE going out to dinner tomorrow night - get it - once in awhile won't hurt. she said every time we go to dinner i want one thing and always end up getting a salad. true - and she takes her salad like i do for the most part - all the good stuff left off.

i don't keep junk in the house. it just leads to temptation. we eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken breasts, turkey breast (ground, tenderloin, roast), lean cuts of pork and beef etc. only whole wheat pasta, couscous, brown rice, pretty much no white carbs because they put you on a sugar roller coaster and leave you wanting more. the more unprocessed the better. we eat a lot of air popped popcorn, don't fry (other than oven frying which isn't the same thing)...you know, eating at my house is healthfully boring i guess. she and i don't even eat pasta when i make spaghetti sauce - we have it over spaghetti squash. saves an assload of calories.

[JolietKev]

Enjoy that while you can. Our daughter was the same way until about 4, then she started pre-school and the influence of the other kids (and the teachers) kicked in. Once they see the other kids eating pizza, nuggets, etc for lunch it gets really tough to try to keep them away from that crap. The best you can do is try to limit the unhealthy stuff to a few times a week, but the more you try to keep it away, the more they want it.

Darn peer pressure. My wife and I are currently planning on home schooling so I hope that curbs somoe of that. We do not deny him the "good" things, we just do ot make it a regular part of his diet and he does not see us eating bad all of the time.

[dmangiarelli]

Heh, my kids eat what is on the table. They were picky but missing a couple meals cured that right quick. They actually like fruits and veggies now and are willing to try new things I bring home. We get quite a bit of tropical fruits here so we get a bounty to choose from. Plus we have a pretty strict no eat the good stuff on your plate no after dinner snacks...

[Bando]

I try not to have unhealthy foods in the house. Also I try to make healthy food fun, for example I cut a banana in half slit the peel lengthwise and peel the strips off halfway to make my daughter a "banana flower." If they are just hanging out I'll cut up fruit and put it out, they'll eat it if it's out and not given a choice. When eating out I don't give them a hard time about fries but insist on milk over over soda. Birthdays or other parties I let them eat whatever they want.

[JolietKev]

Heh, my kids eat what is on the table. They were picky but missing a couple meals cured that right quick. They actually like fruits and veggies now and are willing to try new things I bring home. We get quite a bit of tropical fruits here so we get a bounty to choose from. Plus we have a pretty strict no eat the good stuff on your plate no after dinner snacks...

Very good point! Parents have to remember that they are the ones who pay for the food and prepare it. If they do not wat to eat it, fine. When they are hungry enough they eat what is given.

[dbx]

If they are just hanging out I'll cut up fruit and put it out, they'll eat it if it's out and not given a choice.

One of my kids favorite things about weekends (a looooong time ago, lofl) was dad cutting up what I called a midnight snack; a plate full of cut up bananas, apples, oranges, strawberries and grapes. They'd actually ask about it early in the evening..."Dad, dad, are we gonna have our midnight snack?" .

Of course, those were simpler times . Try to feed them healthy stuff, but just think about how some of you sound like your parents now. Kids will eat junk food, period. And it's not going to kill them either (talking about those who don't show weight issues).

It's often amusing to see all the "reformed" healthy people here getting all righteous and trying to impose their new found eating habits on everyone they can. Hey, Jehovah Witness people mean well too, you know? Just sayin'..........

[dmangiarelli]

One of my kids favorite things about weekends (a looooong time ago, lofl) was dad cutting up what I called a midnight snack; a plate full of cut up bananas, apples, oranges, strawberries and grapes. They'd actually ask about it early in the evening..."Dad, dad, are we gonna have our midnight snack?" .

Of course, those were simpler times . Try to feed them healthy stuff, but just think about how some of you sound like your parents now. Kids will eat junk food, period. And it's not going to kill them either (talking about those who don't show weight issues).

It's often amusing to see all the "reformed" healthy people here getting all righteous and trying to impose their new found eating habits on everyone they can. Hey, Jehovah Witness people mean well too, you know? Just sayin'..........

LOL! I have always eaten this way. I was brought up on it. In fact, when I go visit my mom the only thing she changes is the amount of food she keeps in the house...

[blastertech70]

Let them eat what they want why the can to a reasonable limit.


""" Thow away the X-Box, PS2 and the Wii "" put them outside and they will be perfectly normal/healthy.

[antonbrn]

Thanks alot for all the respones. There are alot of bad/junk foods laying around the house. I don't want to be too strict on my son, but at the same time, I don't want him to be the fat kid that gets picked on. lol
I appreciate the suggestions on the variety of food to try.
Please don't be afraid to give more ideas or recipes.

[Klayfish]

antonbrn,
My wife and I are still learning the proper way to eat truly clean diets the way that most of the people on this forum do, our diet used to be what most people would have considered "healthy" (i.e. low in fat, but high in carbs and too much sugar). So I'm not an "expert" yet on my own nutrition, but I can certainly give feedback here. I have a 5 year old son and twins that are almost two years old...one boy and one girl.

We have taught our children from a very young age the importance of eating fruits and vegtables and other healthy foods. With every meal, we always serve them at least one fruit or veggie. It's hard to give you specifics on what to try, because every kid is different, just like each of my 3 kids likes different things. But there's no limit in what to try with fruits/veggies. Just a few of the things we introduce to them are bananas, broccoli, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, raisins, applesauce, apples (they LOVE apples), peas, greenbeans, peaches, nectarines and plums. I know I'm forgetting some, but you get the point.

As others have said, kids will eat what is in front of them if they're hungry enough. I don't want to be mean to my kids either. But to me, it's much meaner if we allow them to eat junk all the time and get fat and out of shape. A few nights a week, we tell my oldest son that it's "mommy and daddy" dinner night. In other words, he eats what we do, period (we have introduced this to the twins, but don't "force" it yet...they're too young to truly understand). We try to make those nights relatively simple foods, like chicken breast or lean ground beef tacos, but he has to eat it. Oh, and part of this entire equation is making sure the kids are active. I'm probably one of the few households with children that doesn't own a Wii, Playstation or Xbox. My kids are outside every chance they get playing. My oldest goes to gymnastics and plays sports in the summer.

All this said, sure, they're kids, and I want them to have fun. My kids like pizza, chicken nuggets (at least it's white meat chicken), and the same junk food most others do. We allow them to have it, but in moderation. They go to McDonalds maybe once a month. Things like that. Don't feel guilty letting your kids eat like kids. Just teach them what is healthy and make sure they understand that the junk they like is just that...junk... and isn't something they'll get all the time.

Steve

[antonbrn]

antonbrn,
My wife and I are still learning the proper way to eat truly clean diets the way that most of the people on this forum do, our diet used to be what most people would have considered "healthy" (i.e. low in fat, but high in carbs and too much sugar). So I'm not an "expert" yet on my own nutrition, but I can certainly give feedback here. I have a 5 year old son and twins that are almost two years old...one boy and one girl.

We have taught our children from a very young age the importance of eating fruits and vegtables and other healthy foods. With every meal, we always serve them at least one fruit or veggie. It's hard to give you specifics on what to try, because every kid is different, just like each of my 3 kids likes different things. But there's no limit in what to try with fruits/veggies. Just a few of the things we introduce to them are bananas, broccoli, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, raisins, applesauce, apples (they LOVE apples), peas, greenbeans, peaches, nectarines and plums. I know I'm forgetting some, but you get the point.

Thanks Klayfish
It's always good to hear what other parents feed their children.

As others have said, kids will eat what is in front of them if they're hungry enough. I don't want to be mean to my kids either. But to me, it's much meaner if we allow them to eat junk all the time and get fat and out of shape. A few nights a week, we tell my oldest son that it's "mommy and daddy" dinner night. In other words, he eats what we do, period (we have introduced this to the twins, but don't "force" it yet...they're too young to truly understand). We try to make those nights relatively simple foods, like chicken breast or lean ground beef tacos, but he has to eat it. Oh, and part of this entire equation is making sure the kids are active. I'm probably one of the few households with children that doesn't own a Wii, Playstation or Xbox. My kids are outside every chance they get playing. My oldest goes to gymnastics and plays sports in the summer.

All this said, sure, they're kids, and I want them to have fun. My kids like pizza, chicken nuggets (at least it's white meat chicken), and the same junk food most others do. We allow them to have it, but in moderation. They go to McDonalds maybe once a month. Things like that. Don't feel guilty letting your kids eat like kids. Just teach them what is healthy and make sure they understand that the junk they like is just that...junk... and isn't something they'll get all the time.

Steve

Thanks Klayfish, it's always good to hear what other parents feed their children.

[snoack]

Enjoy that while you can. Our daughter was the same way until about 4, then she started pre-school and the influence of the other kids (and the teachers) kicked in. Once they see the other kids eating pizza, nuggets, etc for lunch it gets really tough to try to keep them away from that crap. The best you can do is try to limit the unhealthy stuff to a few times a week, but the more you try to keep it away, the more they want it.

yeah, they'll go through that stage, then they'll grow out of it. My son porked up pretty good between K and 3rd grade, now that he's leaving elementary school he's turned completely around again. Best thing is that he's grown 8" without putting on any weight, so his height is gradually catching up to his weight. He's starting to do some running with me, and when I go to the Y to lift he heads off to the pool and swims the whole time I'm in the gym.

[aneas]

lol they're kids, let them eat, let them enjoy life when they're young

I do that but you also have to put limits on what a kid eats. If I let my son decide 100% for himself he would only eat potato chips and candy.

I let my kids eat whatever those choose in moderation. If they dont like the dinner options they go hungry.

[Capt_Lou]

I do that but you also have to put limits on what a kid eats. If I let my son decide 100% for himself he would only eat potato chips and candy.

I let my kids eat whatever those choose in moderation. If they dont like the dinner options they go hungry.

Since my daughter gets tired of eating chicken and fish like I do. Plus I am a really bad cook lol.

I walk her over to the cabinets and ask her what she wants for dinner. She usually wants some frozen thing so I let her have it. I also make sure what ever she eats there is a fruit and vegetable with it. If she eats all her fruits and vegetables she gets a small dessert, usually a sugar free popsicle or a few cookies. But she also goes to the gym with me and the day care there makes the kids run around and play tag in this huge room, so they are always active.