Healthy Eating

Becles

Tell them the truth about their food?

My eldest has been pestering me to buy tinned hot dogs, and I don't think they are very healthy at all.

I asked "why are you so keen to eat fat and pig's willys bulked out with cereals, and added chemicals to make it look and taste like a sausage?" He's never asked for them again

crazyhazy

just thought I'd add my bit! I am trying to think what my h2b really likes that's healthy, cos he's quite fussy too!

If they like burgers, have you thought about making your own? You just use mince and add either finely chopped or grated veg, for example grated carrot, onion and courgette and few bread crumbs, then pop them in the grill or foreman if you have one. They are really tasty and obviously much healthier.

Corned beef hash is another one, basically corned beef, onion, swede and mashed potato, a bit of cheese on top and served with beans or cabbage.

With things like spaghetti bolognase it's really easy to add grated carrot etc to make sure they get some veg. Do they like soup, I know my little brother and I love my mums home made veg soup, she used to think we were mad requesting it in the middle of summer! It's a great way to get some vitamins and also to warm up! Pizza, they could always make their own.

Just had another idea, what about telling them why you want them to eat healthier then taking them shopping with you and letting them pick something new each week, I'm guessing they might not have tried veg like butternut squash, sweet poatatoes etc. So you could let them choose something new to try, which might encourage them.

tiff

My two are 7 and 4, we have always eaten our meals at the table together, I will eat with them at 4.30 or we all eat when Daddy comes home at 5.45pm. My mother in law thinks I am being fussy because my son likes watching football or rugby when we go to their house so she encourages him to eat his meal on his lap watching television. I let it go sometimes as it isnt very often and its at Nannys house not ours. I know Alisons children are older, but you really should start from a very young age and be consistent. I never ever cook separate meals for the kids, apart from when its something I know they really dont like eg. the only way my son will eat eggs is if they are hard boiled, so if we are having omelette I cook him two hard boiled eggs instead. The only other thing he really hates are mushrooms, so being a really mean mum I still cook with them sometimes and tell him to quietly push the mushrooms to one side, rather than pointing at them and turning them over as if theyre poison!

I bring my kids up the way I was brought up. If they dont eat their main course they wont get a dessert because a lot of the time they are too lazy to eat the meal but will wolf down a pudding and ask for seconds. I always say if you dont eat your meal youre not hungry which means you dont get a pudding. Always works!

As we see in all these child behaviour programmes on at the moment, you have to be cruel to be kind so to speak. You have to think what is your ultimate aim in raising your kids in relation to food. It all starts NOW.

I also think its amazing what some mothers think is healthy. They criticise the meals shown on Jamie Olivers programme but their own kids lunch boxes are no better!

Alison, regarding drinks it might be better to invest in a Brita water filter rather than buying bottled water and adding slices of lime or lemon to make it taste of something.

mossstar

Bargain-Babe wrote:

As a mum myself my children get healthy home cooked meals and if they won't eat it they don't get anything else.

This is exactly what i do with my two, and they eat anything. Trust me, after a few days they'll eat rather than be hungry - just think about their future health and that should give you the strength to get through what is basically a tantrum!

good luck!

Queenie

Alison_B wrote:

...... They wanted dessert so I said they could have a yogurt but that is something I am going to have to look into at a later point as I saw a woman talking on This Morning a couple of weeks ago and she said that a pot of yogurt could contain 7 teaspoons of sugar. I always thought it was healthy.

Branded commercial yogurt *is* full of sugars/sweeteners!

I give yogurt as a dessert (and my dh is the fussiest person to feed plus a sugar-holic!!) but I serve natural yogurt! The way I make it tempting - and let's face it, palatable! - is to add some chopped fruit, stir, then sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of soft brown sugar. The brown sugar sort of "melts" into the top looking quite pretty Cheaper-healthier-speedy.

The only time I will give in to fussiness with my boys is if they gag on the food! (My eldest simply couldn't eat pineapple or pilchards, it really did make him sick, yet, he'd eat anything and everything else).

My youngest claims not to like courgettes, I'd oven roasted them; next time, I grilled them - before he'd even tasted them he stated he didn't like them, so, I said he would eat the two slices I'd put on his plate - he *does* like courgette .. loves it! He simply doesn't like it oven roasted.
The point being, just because your lads won't eat food cooked *one* way, doesn't mean they won't enjoy cooked a different way - worth bearing in mind.

MATH

Becles wrote:

Tell them the truth about their food?

I asked "why are you so keen to eat fat and pig's willys bulked out with cereals, and added chemicals to make it look and taste like a sausage?"

Have you every though of a career as a Menu writer? Your creative tallents are wasted here:D

MATH

My three kidz are allowed one penguin sized choccy bar a day and one bag of crisps. They are allowed as treats along with a trip to McD's every term and half-term end. Their diet is full of fruit 'n' veg, they dirnk mainly water and walk about 4 miles a day along with general running about/games exercise so I don't have a problem with the limited junk they eat.However, I am concerned that this junk is a TREAT which implies that is is special, desirable, and good - but realy it's just junk. Has anyone got good ideas for healthy, good for you treats? I already use raisins, dried fruit for tuck and lunch boxes and none of them like nuts.

tiff

How about houmus, do they like it? You could give them a small pot and some cut up veg. You can make a dip out of any tinned bean, add garlic and olive oil. Or instead of using veg, they could have breadsticks or slices of pitta bread.

I'm told that Walkers potato heads are the best crisps as there arent any preservatives etc. I dont allow them every day, and sweets are limited to Friday after school. That way they dont ask for them every time we go into the newsagents. I'm like you I dont mind junk food once now and then, usually in the school hols.

Ticklemouse

Becles wrote:

Tell them the truth about their food?

My eldest has been pestering me to buy tinned hot dogs, and I don't think they are very healthy at all.

I asked "why are you so keen to eat fat and pig's willys bulked out with cereals, and added chemicals to make it look and taste like a sausage?" He's never asked for them again

Whilst at Costco, both were really hungry and had eaten what I had taken with me, so I decided they could have something from the cafe. Eldest wanted a hotdog, so told him the above, plus added they also had pigs noses and lips and eyelashes and stuff. He looked at me so I said "are you sure you don't you want a potato and beans instead?" He grinned and stuck with the hotdog:( Ah well, he'll learn and 1 a year won't kill him (I hope)

LOL - woman on same table said they didn't have the nasty bits of the pig in because they were Kosher and had to have 'proper' meat!

Pooky

I was shocked too at the Jamies School Dinners programme - he's doing a sterling job there!

I've had the battles of wills over food and have spent many a night feeling like a terrible mum when they've not wanted to eat what i've put infront of them..but perseverance does pay!

The programme did make me realise that I'm still not being as good as I could be so have had a weekend of menu planning and hopefully this week I can have that sense of "mothers pride".

I did make fish cakes for the first time this week for them and they went down a storm - great quick meal for them and means I can cook something for hubby and myself that they wouldn't like (hubbies allergic to fish so tend to have steered away from giving it to the kids)

Watch out world - I'm on a mission!!!!!!

ohh as a p.s. went to the local market for fruit and veg on saturday - out of the 8 carrier bags full of stuff for £8 I only had to throw away 2 toms and 3 apples that had gone manky - pretty good value!!