Can I ask a question? Do the kids who grow up eating “kid recipes” end up healthy?

[Anonymous]

We are Asian, cook mostly at home, lots of vegetables and lean meats. Desserts are mostly fruit with weekly treats.*

Whenever I look up “kid-friendly” recipes for gatherings I am hosting (neighborhood, school families, etc.) I see a lot of things like:
- Mac n cheese
- Crockpot meatballs with BBQ sauce and grape jelly
- Creamy cheddar bacon dip
- Sausage pizza puffs
- Fried ravioli

I know it’s a party but… I feel like people should not eat this way, like ever? Unless they are also running marathons, I don’t think our bodies can go through this many calories and sugar and cheese? Or is there a special gene that white/American people have that enables them to absorb all these calories and sugar and cheese without negative effect?

* And yes, I am fully aware my kids may rebel and stuff their face once they start buying their own groceries. But, I did not and am hoping inculcating good food habits does not backfire for my kids.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you. So don’t serve those foods. I would love to be invited to a get together where there isn’t dessert, as we don’t eat it at home. My kids eat whatever we are eating and we avoid these kid specific food offerings.

[Anonymous]

Those foods are mostly treats (except mac and cheese) and not a daily food for most people. What people make for festive occasions is less healthy than their daily norm.

But yes, people of northern European heritage can consume stupendous quantities of cheese. I grew up in a cheese factory town and think cheese at every meal is normal. Cheese is so good.

[Anonymous]

Please elaborate on what on earth “white/Americans” means. Can’t wait to hear who you are trying to insult/avoid insulting.

[Anonymous]

I grew up on chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, etc. But my parents gave me a lot of autonomy over listening to my body and not eating unless hungry. They never battled me over food even when I was like 2nd percentile.

I now eat all sorts of food including fish, salads, fruits and veg, etc. plus I do like an occasional cookie or bowl of ice cream. I have an overall good relationship with food. I’m 40 y/o with 3 kids and a size 2. I like to exercise so that helps.

Anecdotal, but yeah I think kids can eat kid food and grow up healthy.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, you are asking a bunch of different questions that don't all line up.

It sounds like you are looking at recipes for party foods, which yes tend to be high in fat and sugar. You don't have to serve those and a lot of people don't. But some people do and who cares? It's a party. Even in Asia, a lot of the party food is far less healthy than what people eat every day. I think you are being a bit precious about this. Don't serve it if you don't want to. You aren't required to do what Pinterest commands.

But your other questions are all over the map. In terms of calories, kids actually need a ton of calories. They are so active and are growing. A healthy kid can consume a huge number of calories and still be healthy. Counting calories with children unless there is a known health issue sounds nuts to me.

As for sugar and cheese, well no, eating sugar and cheese constantly is probably not the best idea. But again, most people are not eating Swedish meatballs and fried ravioli on a daily basis. Also, sugar and cheese pose very different questions. Sugar by itself isn't harmful -- fruit is full of sugar. The issue is refined sugar, and also acquiring a taste for sugar that can screw up the balance in your diet so you don't/won't eat food that isn't sweet (also an issue with salt).

Cheese is just a question of whether your body tolerates it. Cheese can be a perfectly healthy source of protein and fat (yes your body needs fat, especially true for kids), unless your digestive system won't process it. That's just a person to person issue? Cheese is not inherently unhealthy. It can be a good source of calcium and Vitamin D as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are Asian, cook mostly at home, lots of vegetables and lean meats. Desserts are mostly fruit with weekly treats.*

Whenever I look up “kid-friendly” recipes for gatherings I am hosting (neighborhood, school families, etc.) I see a lot of things like:
- Mac n cheese
- Crockpot meatballs with BBQ sauce and grape jelly
- Creamy cheddar bacon dip
- Sausage pizza puffs
- Fried ravioli

I know it’s a party but… I feel like people should not eat this way, like ever? Unless they are also running marathons, I don’t think our bodies can go through this many calories and sugar and cheese? Or is there a special gene that white/American people have that enables them to absorb all these calories and sugar and cheese without negative effect?

* And yes, I am fully aware my kids may rebel and stuff their face once they start buying their own groceries. But, I did not and am hoping inculcating good food habits does not backfire for my kids.

Ugh. Work on your racism and classism. Nobody is buying your schtick.

[Anonymous]

You are very fortunate that your kids eat only the healthy food that you serve them. I had this opinion, too, that children should only healthy food you serve them. Until I had children with special needs. My first had severe food allergies starting from 6 months old and a very restricted diet. Each new food we introduced had to be trialed - one a week. Every single fruit, vegetable, meat, and grain. Day one would be one bite. Day 2 would be 2 bites. At any point there could be an allergic reaction, necessitating a trip to the hospital. It was absolutely terrifying and mealtimes were not enjoyable but a highly stressful event that could end with a medical emergency. We ended up feeding that child whatever safe foods we could, and could not eat out, travel, dine with others, etc. because of the risks of an allergic reaction. The goal for them became weight gain with a restricted diet due to food allergies so we focused on that.

My second child was introduced to fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats as a baby but had no interest in food. There were issues upon solids introduction with chewing, gagging, and swallowing. We saw specialists and talked to our pediatrician. Once we got that kid eating more solids, only a few foods would be accepted by them and they were the highly processed, tan foods that kids with sensory food issues prefer. They had little to no interest in eating and only certain, specific, processed foods would be consumed. We did feeding therapy, and had evaluations with many different specialty doctors. Basically I was told it was a sensory issue, that my child may have high functioning autism, and I should do whatever I can to make mealtimes pleasant and feed whatever they will eat.

So sure, you may judge me if you see me feeding my kids processed foods. But you have no idea what I have dealt with or how I would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Have you ever cried because your child hasn’t gained weight for 5 months and won’t eat ice cream or any other calorically dense foods you offer? Have you ever dealt with a child who will only eat 20 foods or fewer and will refuse entire groups of food? No matter what you try - even when you read books about food, they help you shop and cook, you let them play with food and they have done feeding therapy and can name every single healthy food the rest of the family eats that they won’t eat them self.

So basically - before you judge, have a little compassion and realize that many of us who have kids who eat poorly compared to your family could be dealing with a lot of challenges that you never even dreamed about.

[Anonymous]

I let my picky kid eat whatever she would, until she was about 6. I just needed to get calories into her. As she got older she grew into a healthier diet and now, at 10, eats well.

I have a lot of food issues from my parents restricting food/sweets, so in my house we have a small dessert every day. It takes away the lure if it's nbd.

Other than mac and cheese, nothing on your list is served in my house or something my kid is interested in. Kid food for us was pasta, star soup, fish sticks.

[Anonymous]

Some europeans actually do have a gene that allows them to break down and absorb the lactose in dairy.

[Anonymous]

Why single out “white/American” people?
If you come to a party any of my Indian clan’s
homes you’ll see a buffet of samosas, parathas, deep-fried poori, creamy dals and meat dishes, buttery biryanis and all manner of sweets. We don’t have special genes. These are occasional treats and we take small portions.

[Anonymous]

Asian people tend to not digest cheese/dairy well. But it's not bad for us.

[Anonymous]

The question you asked in your title and the question you asked in your judgmental post are very different, so I'll answer only the title question with an anecdote. My DH has a 65 year old family member who does not like the foot on her plate to touch (she prefers divided plates but doesn't demand them), will not eat anything that is not familiar to her (meat and potatoes kind of person, only eats white bread, etc.) - like not even a pinch of spice let alone "ethnic food". She won't even eat ground turkey in lieu of ground beef in a pasta sauce because it's different. She's slim, in shape, has not had any health problems as far as I am aware of.

[Anonymous]

Oops, should have read "food on her plate" -- I wouldn't want the foot on my plate either, LOL!

[Anonymous]

You're describing party foods, this is not what people eat every day, they are trying to appeal to all the kids who are attending, who likely eat very different foods at home. Even my child who eats mostly Indian food at home will enjoy cheese pizza and chicken nuggets as a treat.