How do you raise a healthy eater?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We want to raise a healthy non-picky eater but do not want him to feel left out.

Parent of teens here. OP if shielding your kid from feelings of being left out is your goal, you may need to rethink. Age 3 has nothing on the later years for wanting to have what others have. The best thing you can do to raise a healthy eater is to model boundaries. This starts with you and it means that after you have gotten creative with your cooking, re-directed your kid, and allowed occasional small amounts of HPFs into your kids' life, you will need to be comfortable saying no to your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is persistence and part - luck. For the first part, you eat the way you do at home and you tell your kid that other people might eat differently, but that’s what we do at home. Involve your kids in food shopping, planning and prep as early as possible, teach them how to cook basic stuff.

My two oldest are young adults and live on their own with their respective partners. Both cook a lot, both eat reasonably healthy - I’d like to think I had something to do with that.

Now to the luck part. I rarely eat out or order delivery, most food in my home is cooked from scratch. But there are certain things and foods that I just don’t eat, and that’s that. It’s mostly a texture thing for me, I am picky this way and I doubt anyone could do anything about it. My mom tried, it didn’t go well.

We do involve him the kitchen because he enjoys helping us meal prep and bake. He is in daycare and tells us all the snacks his friends bring. I feel guilty at times like I’m depriving him of a fun childhood.

So make something equally great for him that is homemade and healthy. There are a lot of kids snacks where you can make a homemade version at home such as granola bars, muffins etc.

We do but he’s been asking for fruit snacks ( we do fruit leather instead), goldfish ( we do almond flour crackers instead), store bought freeze pops, ice cream, and pizza often. We try to limit a lot of this stuff while he is growing.

You can make your own healthy fruit snacks out of fruit juice. And honestly lol at almond crackers as a sub for gold fish. Why don’t you make your own gold fish crackers? Plenty of recipes online. I say this as a mom who is pretty into healthy eating but be for real. Also if you are fine with store bought freeze pops and ice cream and pizza often, I’m not sure why you draw the line at gold fish??

The simple mills crackers are great ingredients and good. He likes them. I make homemade cheese crisps ( literally baked cheese) but he wants what the other kids have.

We don’t let him drink juice. Most of them have added sugar and are ultra processed.

I think you misread. I listed what he’s been asking for and what do as alternative. He asks for pizza, freeze pops, and ice cream often but we don’t let him eat it often. That’s the foods I said he’s been asking for more often.

Ok so get a goldfish cookie cutter off Amazon. There are some types of juice that are 100% juice you could use to make fruit snacks you could have him enjoy once a week.make him popsicles using puréed fruit and plain Greek yogurt.

Look I am into healthy eating enough that I do things like make my own yogurt and make all sauces from scratch but you sound insufferable honestly.

I think it’s important to strike a good balance of not feeding processed crap but also not making your kid feel resentful and left out.

FWIW on the ice cream, when mine started begging for it all the time I made one night a week “ice cream day”. Every week he gets the ice cream he chose on that same day. He never asks me for it on other days now. I’ve also experimented with making other health frozen treats (look up fit foodie finds healthy dole whip for an example).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talk to a doctor or nutritionist. Kids at different ages have really different needs than adults. That's why they can eat goldfish crackers every day and not gain an ounce. It sounds like you have very regimented eating, and in my experience those are the kids that come in my home and down a sleeve of Oreos. I think it's better to take an "everything in moderation" approach than to say I'm eating 80/20 of anything. But that's just me.

These kind of posts always get crazy, fast, so that is why I suggested professional advice.

I don’t think we are regimented. He will have a weekly treat like ice cream but I make homemade healthier versions of popsicles, muffins, fruit leather, etc. We just try to feed him healthy stuff and include lots of veggies and fruits each day. We don’t force him to eat anything but we still serve it and he has to at least try it.

Wow once a week
You will cause a food addiction

See a nutritionist and stop with the control crap

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is persistence and part - luck. For the first part, you eat the way you do at home and you tell your kid that other people might eat differently, but that’s what we do at home. Involve your kids in food shopping, planning and prep as early as possible, teach them how to cook basic stuff.

My two oldest are young adults and live on their own with their respective partners. Both cook a lot, both eat reasonably healthy - I’d like to think I had something to do with that.

Now to the luck part. I rarely eat out or order delivery, most food in my home is cooked from scratch. But there are certain things and foods that I just don’t eat, and that’s that. It’s mostly a texture thing for me, I am picky this way and I doubt anyone could do anything about it. My mom tried, it didn’t go well.

We do involve him the kitchen because he enjoys helping us meal prep and bake. He is in daycare and tells us all the snacks his friends bring. I feel guilty at times like I’m depriving him of a fun childhood.

So make something equally great for him that is homemade and healthy. There are a lot of kids snacks where you can make a homemade version at home such as granola bars, muffins etc.

We do but he’s been asking for fruit snacks ( we do fruit leather instead), goldfish ( we do almond flour crackers instead), store bought freeze pops, ice cream, and pizza often. We try to limit a lot of this stuff while he is growing.

You can make your own healthy fruit snacks out of fruit juice. And honestly lol at almond crackers as a sub for gold fish. Why don’t you make your own gold fish crackers? Plenty of recipes online. I say this as a mom who is pretty into healthy eating but be for real. Also if you are fine with store bought freeze pops and ice cream and pizza often, I’m not sure why you draw the line at gold fish??

The simple mills crackers are great ingredients and good. He likes them. I make homemade cheese crisps ( literally baked cheese) but he wants what the other kids have.

We don’t let him drink juice. Most of them have added sugar and are ultra processed.

I think you misread. I listed what he’s been asking for and what do as alternative. He asks for pizza, freeze pops, and ice cream often but we don’t let him eat it often. That’s the foods I said he’s been asking for more often.

Ok so get a goldfish cookie cutter off Amazon. There are some types of juice that are 100% juice you could use to make fruit snacks you could have him enjoy once a week.make him popsicles using puréed fruit and plain Greek yogurt.

Look I am into healthy eating enough that I do things like make my own yogurt and make all sauces from scratch but you sound insufferable honestly.

I think it’s important to strike a good balance of not feeding processed crap but also not making your kid feel resentful and left out.

FWIW on the ice cream, when mine started begging for it all the time I made one night a week “ice cream day”. Every week he gets the ice cream he chose on that same day. He never asks me for it on other days now. I’ve also experimented with making other health frozen treats (look up fit foodie finds healthy dole whip for an example).

I do make popsicles out of greek yogurt and fruit but he wants freeze pops. We don’t let him eat it because of the food dyes and sugar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of it is persistence and part - luck. For the first part, you eat the way you do at home and you tell your kid that other people might eat differently, but that’s what we do at home. Involve your kids in food shopping, planning and prep as early as possible, teach them how to cook basic stuff.

My two oldest are young adults and live on their own with their respective partners. Both cook a lot, both eat reasonably healthy - I’d like to think I had something to do with that.

Now to the luck part. I rarely eat out or order delivery, most food in my home is cooked from scratch. But there are certain things and foods that I just don’t eat, and that’s that. It’s mostly a texture thing for me, I am picky this way and I doubt anyone could do anything about it. My mom tried, it didn’t go well.

We do involve him the kitchen because he enjoys helping us meal prep and bake. He is in daycare and tells us all the snacks his friends bring. I feel guilty at times like I’m depriving him of a fun childhood.

So make something equally great for him that is homemade and healthy. There are a lot of kids snacks where you can make a homemade version at home such as granola bars, muffins etc.

We do but he’s been asking for fruit snacks ( we do fruit leather instead), goldfish ( we do almond flour crackers instead), store bought freeze pops, ice cream, and pizza often. We try to limit a lot of this stuff while he is growing.

You can make your own healthy fruit snacks out of fruit juice. And honestly lol at almond crackers as a sub for gold fish. Why don’t you make your own gold fish crackers? Plenty of recipes online. I say this as a mom who is pretty into healthy eating but be for real. Also if you are fine with store bought freeze pops and ice cream and pizza often, I’m not sure why you draw the line at gold fish??

The simple mills crackers are great ingredients and good. He likes them. I make homemade cheese crisps ( literally baked cheese) but he wants what the other kids have.

We don’t let him drink juice. Most of them have added sugar and are ultra processed.

I think you misread. I listed what he’s been asking for and what do as alternative. He asks for pizza, freeze pops, and ice cream often but we don’t let him eat it often. That’s the foods I said he’s been asking for more often.

Ok so get a goldfish cookie cutter off Amazon. There are some types of juice that are 100% juice you could use to make fruit snacks you could have him enjoy once a week.make him popsicles using puréed fruit and plain Greek yogurt.

Look I am into healthy eating enough that I do things like make my own yogurt and make all sauces from scratch but you sound insufferable honestly.

I think it’s important to strike a good balance of not feeding processed crap but also not making your kid feel resentful and left out.

FWIW on the ice cream, when mine started begging for it all the time I made one night a week “ice cream day”. Every week he gets the ice cream he chose on that same day. He never asks me for it on other days now. I’ve also experimented with making other health frozen treats (look up fit foodie finds healthy dole whip for an example).

I do make popsicles out of greek yogurt and fruit but he wants freeze pops. We don’t let him eat it because of the food dyes and sugar.

So make homemade freeze pops! Jesus Christ. Amazon sells molds https://www.amazon.com/RAINFLOW-Silicone-Popsicle-Molds-Silicone-Drip-Free/dp/B0DX23SDWS/ref=asc_df_B0DX23SDWS?mcid=165f46b114433533966d3bf1812ea3b0&hvocijid=15799916759783762697-B0DX23SDWS-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15799916759783762697&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007868&hvtargid=pla-2281435178058&psc=1

And I also googled and found a brand of freeze pops that’s literally only fruit juices and guar gum. I am not wild about guar gum but it’s def better than traditional freeze pops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to say no. We live in a toxic food environment. Be proud you aren't poisoning your kid. Raise him to be proud he doesn't eat junk himself.

Gosh my MIL is like this and you should see how her grown children choose to eat now that they have choices.

[Anonymous]

You control what is in your home. But you have to let go of what is not. It gets much worse. Elementary school is a constant stream of snacks at play dates, soccer games, birthday parties, school parties, everything. It's fine to say "pick one treat only" when youre with him. But know that the days you will be with him are numbered. So just focus on what is in your own home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have to say no. We live in a toxic food environment. Be proud you aren't poisoning your kid. Raise him to be proud he doesn't eat junk himself.

This. But the junk food will find him, and it comes down to how his brain is wired, whether he takes it or passes. Regardless of how you raise him. There is TONS of junk food given out at school, starting in elementary and escalating. The class parties, class birthday treats, candy and chips as rewards, then there’s weekend birthday parties, grandma’s house (and neighbors’ and friends’) who may have tons of junk offered, and the sports games/practices/tournaments all revolve around “snack” (junk) sign up, and even more junk on big game days. Then they become teens and go out with friends and eat whatever they want.

I guess what I’m saying is, the best you can do is raise your child to like heathy foods, but you have very little control over how much they will like junk food and how good they are at self moderation.

[Anonymous]

You’re being way too controlling and regimented. At 3 you can control better but if you keep restricting your child will go nuts in kindergarten. You can’t control everything they eat. Let him pick some treats once in a while it’s not a big deal. Sounds like the child is eating plenty of healthy foods. Goldfish and a freeze pop isn’t going to kill him. At 3 sometimes they just want to be in charge. Be careful how much you restrict or shelter because that can create serious food issues. Eat everything don’t restrict foods, eat more healthier foods and less unhealthy foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to say no. We live in a toxic food environment. Be proud you aren't poisoning your kid. Raise him to be proud he doesn't eat junk himself.

This. But the junk food will find him, and it comes down to how his brain is wired, whether he takes it or passes. Regardless of how you raise him. There is TONS of junk food given out at school, starting in elementary and escalating. The class parties, class birthday treats, candy and chips as rewards, then there’s weekend birthday parties, grandma’s house (and neighbors’ and friends’) who may have tons of junk offered, and the sports games/practices/tournaments all revolve around “snack” (junk) sign up, and even more junk on big game days. Then they become teens and go out with friends and eat whatever they want.

I guess what I’m saying is, the best you can do is raise your child to like heathy foods, but you have very little control over how much they will like junk food and how good they are at self moderation.

I have so many anecdotes about kids from school who had the unfortunate circumstance of being wired to love sugar and junk food while being severely restricted at home. These kids ate pints of ice cream and squeezed chocolate sauce directly into their mouths at birthday parties, left a sleeping bags full of candy wrappers and melted chocolate after a Halloween sleepover, ate entire bowls of grape jelly from the sandwich bar at school, consumed a Costco sized jug of maple syrup from the pantry over the course of a week, the list goes on. Most kids are not like this, but when the stars align, wow, it’s crazy.

Like everything else, you have to give kids an opportunity to make the right choices about food. Giving carte blanche to all junk foods is bad. Severely restricting foods to the point that they gorge on them when given any opportunity is also bad. For most parents, finding the happy medium works best.

[Anonymous]

Using your example of pizza. All pizza is not creates equal.
3 slices of doughy pepperoni pizza with a sprite is unhealthy.
1-2 slices of thin crust with cheese/veggies and raw carrots/cucumber on the side and a glass of juice or milk is a heathy dinner.

So yes to pizza on your terms
I bought small dessert bowls, like very small. It makes the amount of ice cream look decent because of its size. I found using our regular bowls made the portion look tiny or I was giving too much ice cream.
Our portion sizes in the country are too big but they don’t have to be at home.

[Anonymous]

My kids are healthy eaters, I have a degree in nutrition.
I involved them very early in food prep. Touching, smelling, veg fruit grains spices herbs. Going to store and choosing them. Helping wash veg and prepping (no knife of course). I taught them how to make things in micro. They were part of prepping almost every meal.
When we try a new recipe, they have to vote on it and it gets approved or not approved. I leave out cookbooks for them to read and mark recipes “to try”. We’ve tried to make pretty much anything from scratch!
The best is when they take turns cooking and presenting their dishes to family or friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Talk to a doctor or nutritionist. Kids at different ages have really different needs than adults. That's why they can eat goldfish crackers every day and not gain an ounce. It sounds like you have very regimented eating, and in my experience those are the kids that come in my home and down a sleeve of Oreos. I think it's better to take an "everything in moderation" approach than to say I'm eating 80/20 of anything. But that's just me.

These kind of posts always get crazy, fast, so that is why I suggested professional advice.

I don’t think we are regimented. He will have a weekly treat like ice cream but I make homemade healthier versions of popsicles, muffins, fruit leather, etc. We just try to feed him healthy stuff and include lots of veggies and fruits each day. We don’t force him to eat anything but we still serve it and he has to at least try it.

You don’t think you are but ice cream once a week during the summer is regimented. Anytime you put a limit like once a week on food you are regimenting it. Your kid will not eat only ice cream all day every day if you let them have it every day. Your kid is more likely to eat a gallon in secret as they get older at a friend’s house.

You say you want advice but like many others you only want compliments for your homemade fruit leather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You control what is in your home. But you have to let go of what is not. It gets much worse. Elementary school is a constant stream of snacks at play dates, soccer games, birthday parties, school parties, everything. It's fine to say "pick one treat only" when youre with him. But know that the days you will be with him are numbered. So just focus on what is in your own home.

I agree with this. Model healthy eating at home (and keep in mind that healthy eating can also include an indulgent sweet or savory snack in moderation).
When you're at birthday parties and in other settings where junk food is the focus, don't be all weird about it. Let him have what he wants, and if he asks for it at home make it clear that those kinds of treats are--to quote Cookie Monster--"a sometimes food."

[Anonymous]

Why do you think you need to raise them, a certain way, for them to turn-out a certain way. You are assuming you have way more power than you do