Dessert every day?

[Anonymous]

Yes, kids have dessert every day. Sometime more than once per day on vacation.

I work on them being mindful of when they are full. This means that they don’t always finish their dessert (or dinner) and that’s perfect - they should be paying attention to when their bodies are full. Sometimes they ask for more dessert, and if they are really hungry (they have some fruit first) they can have it.

My parents restricted dessert and while I have healthy eating habits as an adult, as a kid I was fixated on sweets. I don’t think restricting sweets was a healthy approach.

[Anonymous]

Yep! Every dinner and most lunches too. That’s how I grew up and I have no overweight family members - we live to late 80s at least.

[Anonymous]

I guess I’m one of the few who disagrees. I think restricting to one small piece a day actually feeds the appetite for sweets and can encourage fixating on it. I buy sweets or bake once in awhile and we eat what we want until it’s gone. I don’t believe in daily sweets because you do become accustomed to eating sugar and your body craves it. I grew up eating fruit for dessert.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, kids have dessert every day. Sometime more than once per day on vacation.

I work on them being mindful of when they are full. This means that they don’t always finish their dessert (or dinner) and that’s perfect - they should be paying attention to when their bodies are full. Sometimes they ask for more dessert, and if they are really hungry (they have some fruit first) they can have it.

My parents restricted dessert and while I have healthy eating habits as an adult, as a kid I was fixated on sweets. I don’t think restricting sweets was a healthy approach.

Weird but ok

Not PP but don’t see anything weird here. “Stop eating when you’re full” is pretty standard guidance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! My 11 year old eats Oreos, mint chocolate chip ice cream or an ice cream sandwich every night. She eats plenty of healthy foods all day long. She is super active. Her friends with restrictions hide food, or gorge themselves when they get to our house because they don't have self-control. Their parents have total control over what they eat. Not a healthy long-term model in my opinion.

I grew up with dessert every night and adjusted as an adult because my metabolism is not as fast.

Don’t judge. You don’t know. Plenty of kids lack self control with “junk” food regardless of how frequently it is offered. Perhaps the parents restrict bc child needs some limits.

[Anonymous]

I think you should mix it up just to make it less habit forming. Or at least switch up junky junk with naturally sweet foods like fruit salad. And keep the portion sizes small. If they are hungry enough for a lot, they should eat more healthy dinner first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dessert everyday and twice on Sundays.

Look, you get one life. As kids get older they often don't have as much of a sweet tooth, but the way taste develops means that when you're a little kid, there are few things that taste better in life than just straight sugar. Get good desserts that aren't just processed crap and let them enjoy it!

My kids enjoy some things that aren't harming their bodies.

What is a "no processed crap" that is not "straight sugar?!" Sugar is the very essence of "processed crap", removing all the nutrition from the plant before eating it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Provided they're eating healthily overall (fruits/veggies through the day), there's nothing wrong with a bit of dessert every day.

Don't listen to the crazies who impart their eating disorders and food hangups onto their kids. That's FAR more unhealthy, and likely to set their kids up for issues with food as they get older. Ask me how I know

Agree

[Anonymous]

Yes. Some nights my kids won’t even bother with one if they don’t want it. Same way they eat Halloween candy for 1-2 nights only and then forget about the rest - when sweets are not made to be “off limits” or rare treats, kids develop the attitude they don’t have to go crazy because they can always have a popsicle cookie when they want it. This is how you help kids not build weird neuroses around food.

[Anonymous]

We don’t have dessert every night, maybe 50% of the time. If there are treats in the house kids usually ask for some. Interestingly I have been in a rut with dinner and have been putting a bowl of watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple or berries on the table most nights because I don’t have the energy to assemble a complete meal. My kids have a bowl of fruit after the main meal and haven’t asked for separate dessert in a month.

[Anonymous]

Regular days we do a baked type good every couple days. They get enough sugar as snacks. On vacation we do ice cream walk or similar daily. My kids have teeth issues so i try to limot it a little bit.

[Anonymous]

The kids are allowed one sweet or savory snack after dinner for "dessert."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Some nights my kids won’t even bother with one if they don’t want it. Same way they eat Halloween candy for 1-2 nights only and then forget about the rest - when sweets are not made to be “off limits” or rare treats, kids develop the attitude they don’t have to go crazy because they can always have a popsicle cookie when they want it. This is how you help kids not build weird neuroses around food.

Sweets were not made off limits to me and my siblings, and we still went crazy for them. Sugar is addictive for many people.

There are many kids that would respond well to your strategy, but it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all kind of solution.

[Anonymous]

Yes, my kids eat sweets everyday. We do a lot of baking.

[Anonymous]

Curious if these answers would be different if your child was overweight or close to it.