you are what you eat

gingin_2

yenom wrote:

why do people ask their children wht they would like to eat for dinner? (heard several people yesterday in supermarket asking this)
no wonder that obesity levels shot up if left to children to decide?

Is that really a problem????

As an experiment I just asked my 3 year old what she would like for dinner and she said

"soup (soup is always mummy made), juice, a spoon and a princess fork" (word for word :rolleyes: )

Surely getting children to make choices about their diet is not a crime, I personally use it to encourage a positive realtionship to diet and nutrition rather than a negative.

Pandora123_2

Mrs_A. wrote:

hiya
yeah im having porridge with a bit of fruit for breakfast everyday,
still eating the odd chocolate bar but no where near as much as i used to.
im making fruit smoothies everyday
im trying to add more veggies but they are so dull and boring, cant remember the last time i had any crisps.
still having some chips
as mr tesco says every little helps
im getting there, its not easy, but im determined
regards
mrs a

Mrs A, here are a couple of non-boring veg recipes!

Green beans with garlic and lemon
(I don't add the parsley)

Balsamic Glazed Beets

Stir-fried spinach with garlic
Wash spinach well to remove sand and dirt. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add some salt, them blanch spinach for one minute. Drain, rinse with cold water until spinach is cold. Drain well. Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove water, then separate the wads of spinach into loose leaves. Heat some olive oil, add a clove or two of minced garlic and fry for around a minute. Add spinach and fry until spinach is hot. You can also add some oyster sauce for a different taste, but if you do this, don't salt the water when you blanch the spinach as oyster sauce is pretty salty.

Also, try homemade oven chips... you can control the amount of fat you add as well as using heart-healthy olive oil.

Congrats on making the changes to your diet!

:A

yenom_2

gingin wrote:

Is that really a problem????

As an experiment I just asked my 3 year old what she would like for dinner and she said

"soup (soup is always mummy made), juice, a spoon and a princess fork" (word for word :rolleyes: )

Surely getting children to make choices about their diet is not a crime, I personally use it to encourage a positive realtionship to diet and nutrition rather than a negative.

I am sorry to rant on, just feel quite strongly about this...

what do children know about nutrition? it is nice that your daughter likes ur home made soup. BUT what if she asked for macdonalds , burgers and chips, those bits of reformed meat that they supply for about £1 in iceland to feed you for a month?

Of course when you are depressed (as I have been-mildly, not clinically, but got myself out by reading about it, eating well and looking after myself) it is difficult to be bothered to cook etc and if tablets work then fabulous as a possible cure.

I can not understand where people are sticking up for poor food, children having the choice- (they have enough already).

Mrs A, I wih you all the luck as I really believe that it makes such a difference and I hope that you get loads of support in your mission.

gingin_2

yenom wrote:

I am sorry to rant on, just feel quite strongly about this...

what do children know about nutrition? it is nice that your daughter likes ur home made soup. BUT what if she asked for macdonalds , burgers and chips, those bits of reformed meat that they supply for about £1 in iceland to feed you for a month?

Of course when you are depressed (as I have been-mildly, not clinically, but got myself out by reading about it, eating well and looking after myself) it is difficult to be bothered to cook etc and if tablets work then fabulous as a possible cure.

I can not understand where people are sticking up for poor food, children having the choice- (they have enough already).

Mrs A, I wih you all the luck as I really believe that it makes such a difference and I hope that you get loads of support in your mission.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one then. I will continue to encourage my healthy daughter to make positive food choices as she has just done.

TKP_3

Mrs_A. wrote:

hiya
yeah im having porridge with a bit of fruit for breakfast everyday,
still eating the odd chocolate bar but no where near as much as i used to.
im making fruit smoothies everyday
im trying to add more veggies but they are so dull and boring, cant remember the last time i had any crisps.
still having some chips
as mr tesco says every little helps
im getting there, its not easy, but im determined
regards
mrs a

Thats great :T I hope you are enjoying the food? I LOVE food, and have learnt to create really tasty yummy food that is low fat, GL/GI friendly, low sugar etc. It has taken years of experimenting (and trying everyone elses recipes), but I am getting there. Okay, I still have chocolate , but I am learning to control the amounts
The one advantage I have is that I love cooking, so trying stuff out is fun for me.
I have a medical condition, that while not serious in a medical way, has implications on my weight and sugar levels, amongst other things . It gave me a fright (possible diabetes), so I felt I had to change my diet (it was not a good one before...). I have now lost 20lbs. Btw to the OP who said changing bad food for fruit and veg won't cause weight loss - it did for me!
Anyway, carry on the way you are, and find foods you love to eat (that are good for you), that's what I did.

npsmama

Healthy food is very important. Pills cannot make up for an unhealthy diet.

HOWEVER....I used to be a bit fanatic about nutrition yet I have and still do suffer from at times debilitating depression.

For years I tried to treat myself by researching what I should eat to lift my moods and by exercising. At times it helped but when I believe those were the times when I actually wasn't suffering from depression but more from anxiety.

When I had depression with a capital D (still do actually), healthy eating just didn't seem relevant and was certainly not on my hit list of things to do. Getting through the next couple of hours was and still is some days.

On days when I can face life I make sure there are veg at most meals and that everything is wholegrain. I don't buy any processed foods apart from Pringles and chocolate. On days where life doesn't seem worth it, I probably just eat what's on hand (usually leftovers, homemade biscuits, bread) and chocolate.

I tried the low fat, low sugar 'mood diets' but I found they didn't help and that I felt under pressure as well as depressed.

Yes, people need to know what to eat to respect their bodies but I know some folk who are obsessive about healthy eating and I don't think that's right either. What's needed is a healthy attitude towards life in general.

thriftlady_2

gingin wrote:

Is that really a problem????

As an experiment I just asked my 3 year old what she would like for dinner and she said

"soup (soup is always mummy made), juice, a spoon and a princess fork" (word for word :rolleyes: )

Surely getting children to make choices about their diet is not a crime, I personally use it to encourage a positive realtionship to diet and nutrition rather than a negative.

My kids would opt for something homemade from my largely healthy repertoire of meals too. That's because with a few exceptions that's what they've always eaten and what they regard as suitable for dinner. Like your DD they've been brought up with good food habits because I've been in control of what goes on their plates right from the start.

Nicki

Yenom, you have said that you have never been clinically depressed then presume to go on to lecture those who have been about their eating habits, to suggest it is a question that they "can't be bothered" to cook, and that anyone who has any understanding of the difficulties faced in these circumstances is "sticking up for crap food".

Had you suffered from depression, you would appreciate that getting a seriously depressed person to care for themselves is as difficult as getting a man with a broken leg to run a marathon. Both are suffering from a medical condition which prevents them functioning normally, and mind over matter doesn't work for either. No one is saying that a burger and chips is as healthy as a cooked meal with fresh vegetables but realistically speaking the depressed person will eat what is easy (or what is cooked for them) or not eat at all.

Both I and npsmama have told you that we became depressed at a time when we were eating healthily, and our subsequent poor eating habits were a result not a cause of the condition, yet you persist in implying that our depression was caused by our not looking after ourselves to start off with. Once my depression lifted I reverted to healthy eating and exercise habits.

I like you feel strongly about this issue. I posted earlier today to reassure someone who was worried about going back to work after a few days off with depression to say that most people were understanding these days that depression is a medical condition and not within the person's power to control, however it would appear that my confidence on this issue has on this occasion been misplaced. Perhaps you might like to read a bit more widely about the subject before you post such trenchant criticism of those who have suffered from what is a recognised disability, based solely on your own personal views of how people should behave.

mustafa_say_ving

thriftlady wrote:

My kids would opt for something homemade from my largely healthy repertoire of meals too. That's because with a few exceptions that's what they've always eaten and what they regard as suitable for dinner. Like your DD they've been brought up with good food habits because I've been in control of what goes on their plates right from the start.

My kid's too...They're quite clued up on nutrition for their age (6 + 7)

morganlefay

Going back to Mrs A's original question I eat many of the wrong things too and don't take enough exercise. I bought 'You are what you eat' but apart from hating her on the telly I found all that quinoa and other stuff too much of a huge change and couldn't stick to it. I know life isn't fixed by books or TV programmes but I then bought Paul McKenna's 'I can make you slim' book and CD which is a much kinder and more forgiving, and, frankly realistic, approach which doesn't bully you into eating things you've never heard of, but gently guides you into eating less of the 'bad' things, but also (and this seems to be the Big Thing) is helping you to feel better about yourself so you stick to it. I'm still struggling, but at least Dr Gillian isn't peering down her nose and disapproving of me any more ! I keep her in the downstairs lav now, but if anyone would like her I'll send her free if you pm me.