Have you convinced your kid something is a “treat” that’s relatively healthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope we are all about moderation and love actual sweets. Why set them up to have food issues and distorted to thinking about food?

+1. Not only this but the tricks only work when they are small anyway. My kids like smoothies and banana bread, etc but they aren’t fooled into thinking it’s an Oreo.

It is not a trick. You make something that is good for the kid that is healthy and they like it. So you keep more of that in the house as a healthier snack alternative. You also offer oreos and candy and cake on occasion. They are not mutually exclusive.

We have started eating more dehydrated fruit on hikes and backpacking. DS asked for them for his school lunches and has started snacking on them at home. They are in the same drawer as the Oreos and Candy. We have also taught him that moderation is good and that it is ok to eat Oreos and banana bread but eating too much of it is not great for you. He makes good choices so we leave it be.

I trick myself into eating more zucchini by making zucchini bread (a treat) so I don’t really see the issue with “tricking” kids either? To me the idea of making kids enjoy eating healthy things rather than it being a chore is a good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope we are all about moderation and love actual sweets. Why set them up to have food issues and distorted to thinking about food?

+1 we eat real sweets in our house without tricking anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope we are all about moderation and love actual sweets. Why set them up to have food issues and distorted to thinking about food?

+1. Not only this but the tricks only work when they are small anyway. My kids like smoothies and banana bread, etc but they aren’t fooled into thinking it’s an Oreo.

I don’t understand this. Why does it have to be processed to be a treat? Banana bread is a treat, so is a cookie.

Your kids sound young. Once they get past the age of, maybe 8 or so, if you offer them banana bread or an ice cream sundae they are going to choose the sundae. And that’s ok.

Your kids are learning to choose moderation, it is being chosen for them which is likely to backfire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope we are all about moderation and love actual sweets. Why set them up to have food issues and distorted to thinking about food?

+1 we eat real sweets in our house without tricking anyone.

+3

[Anonymous]

We eat treats in moderation (ok, more during the summer time) but I don’t see the need to push Oreos and juice mix and soda as the “real” stuff. DS gets a lot of ice cream in the warmer months, but unless we are eating out we only eat ice cream with real ingredients. I’m a whole lot more ok with him eating Haagen Daz ice cream every day for a week than, say, eating a Good Humor strawberry clean bar or whatever twice a week. Same goes for cookies. And baking your own banana bread at home doesn’t make it a fake treat!

[Anonymous]

Cut up strawberries with whipped cream is a summer favorite here.

I also really like making apple crostata in the fall and winter. It isn't a health food, but is reasonable if you limit the amount of added sugar.

[Anonymous]

Gogurt popsicles from the freezer.