Healthy Eating

Alison, at their ages, you may have problems as they are old enough to exert themselves, but the youngest is perhaps still too young to appreciate why you are trying to change their diets. My eldest is nearly 6 so still at the age where I tell hin what he is having to eat and if he doesn't want it, hard luck. I've recently started boiling my own hams instead of buying pre-sliced ham with all the added stuff and he told me last night he doesn't like it. He only eats ham or jam butties, and I don't make him jam, so guess what he's got today! It has to be said, he eats it and in a couple of days he will be used to it. I don't give mine the option of crisps/choccy biscuits. I don't buy squash for them (hubby like Ribena, but boys don't drink it)

I suppose there are 2 ways of dealing with this and it will depend on how strong you are, & what your boys are like. You could try introducing things gradually and giving them choice OR you could do the short sharp treatment a la 'You Are What You Eat'. Give them what you want to feed them and they either go hungry or they eat it. This will mean you cannot have in your house, things they will pig out on - crisps, squash/fizzy drinks, biscuits, pies etc etc. If they get hungry, offer them fruit. It's hard, but remember they are in fact addicted to junk food. They will have cravings for sugar, salt etc. the companies have deliberately made their food this way.

You could also offer some sort of non-food reward eg points/stars for eating well = treat at end of week (ice skating, cinema etc)

My big thing that I have recommended to lots of people, (who have thanked me when they have seen major improvements) is Hemp Seed Oil tablets. Excellent source of Omega 3, 6 and all those other EFA's needed. They are reasonably cheap, (Holland and Barrett, £3.70 ish for 60 tabs, 1 a day each boy) You will see an improvement in their behaviour after a few weeks (my boy, 2 weeks, friends boy who was worse, 4 weeks) Combine this with reduction in e numbers and you should be laughing. Also try to remember this will be like an uphill battle at the beginning, but as the boys get used to better food, they will eat more of it, their behaviour will improve and it get easier. Good luck.

Maybe introducing things over a couple of weeks along side SOME of their regular junk food, so that they become familiar even if they don't eat it straight away, not making a big thing of them chosing not to eat things but eventually not giving them any alternatives & cutting out all food with mono-soduim glutomate (Sp?) in it (added to all fast food & junk food, makes it addictive so that you want more) would result in a turn around in the space of a few weeks .

I too saw Jamie Oliver last night & was utterly horrifed, seven year olds who had never tasted strawberries & spat them out beacuse they didn't taste like McDonalds strawberry milkshaks!! Packed lunches with 4 choclolate bars but no fruit or dairy? A mother serving food she confessed she would not eat herself & didn't know what it contained? Please tell me this was not typical of our youth but an extreme example???

Lillibet I was horified at the 4 choccie biccies too. I couldn't imagine having more than one choccie biccie with my lunch and would never feed a growing child 4 just for lunch.

I was absolutly horified by last nights tv, anyone notice that everyone had chips for tea and hardly anyone actually had any meat. I never thought I ate healthily, just normal food really, but last night really opened my eyes to what some people do to their children.

Austin_Allegro wrote:

As a child I recall eating at friends' houses whose mothers served junk food and I think it was the seasoning I liked as opposed to the plain food served at home.

I would agree with this. I still don't like either chops or boiled potatos beacuse they are just so damned BLAND.

Personally I wouldn't want to turn mealtimes into a battleground, they occour too frequently & are too important as family time to spend them arguing & being frustrated over a serving of peas or whatever. I would advocate serving up what YOU see fit (remember YOU are the PARENT, they are the CHILD & they should not dictate to you) & let them leave what they don't like but don't offer them any extra of anything or any alternatives. If they miss a meal or 2 it really won't hurt them & they'll soon get over it.
Offering or removing the pudding option is a personal thing. Again personally speaking, if it a healthy fruit salad or yoghurt type pudding, for example, I wouldn't say they couldn't have it beacuse they hadn't eaten their veggies, I'd chose get the nutrition into them if they would eat the fruit salad. However, if it was ice cream I'd certainly use the threat (and the action) of no pudding if they didn't at least make an effort to eat their healthy main course. Just a mouthful or 2 is a start and better than nothing after all, & if it's unfamilar they should be praised for trying it.

Are they of suitable ages where they might be encouraged to help prepare food & thus get more interested that way?