how do you encourage your children to eat healthy?
my first response to that was, "do you really think my children eat healthy?" i definitely want them to...but i'm not convinced that they do!! her response was "YES--I do think your children eat healthy . . . fruit or vegetable with every meal, good snacks, limited juice--yeah you're certainly on the healthy train and you do it well!"
i don't know about any "healthy train"...but i think it comes down to keeping the food pyramid in mind (and a fun song that i learned from a "signing time" video -- 1,2,3,4,5 a day...eating in a healthy way...veggie veggie fruit fruit veggie day...or a fruit veggie fruit veggie fruit day...or any combination of the 2 that equal 5!) and then giving them "win/win choices" (that applies to so much of my parenting). for instance, if they ask for a snack i give them 2 good options -- apple slices or a banana (as opposed to a choice between apple slices or a cookie)...yogurt with granola or carrots (i would choose the yogurt all day long...i'm not a fan of carrots). if they don't want either, that's fine...they just don't get a snack then -- cause i always offer something that i KNOW they like...if they're really hungry, they'll eat it.
when they ask for a snack and it's close to a meal, rather than saying "no, you'll spoil your supper" (moms everywhere are cringing), i usually give them something that was going to be a part of their supper anyway -- usually the fruit is the most accessible thing. they still eat the other 80% of their meal at the table with the rest of the family when it's supper time.
honestly, i always wondered how it would work trying to get my kids to eat vegetables because i don't really eat them. so far it's been fine - i usually eat a little portion of whatever i'm serving them (and, surprisingly, i've grown to like - or at least tolerate - some of it!). it actually helps to be able to say "i don't really like it either...but i'm eating it because i know it's good for me and i want to take care of the body God's given me." the downside is that i don't really try too many new vegetables. we eat pretty "standard" vegetables.
something my friend carey shared with me is "try bites." just try one bite - like it? keep eating it. don't like it? don't eat anymore. try bites work for us on new things. on things i know they've eaten before and liked, i expect them to eat all, or at least most, of it... or if they've tried it in the past and not liked it i have them do a new try bite - my thought (or at least my tactic) is that their taste buds MAY have changed since the last time they tried it - they are older than the last time they tried it and they might like it this time!
other things we do:
--watered down juice. that was something that we started when they were first drinking juice as toddlers and we've just kept doing it. they usually have juice with breakfast - and usually it's about 60%water and 40% juice. they get "real juice" with their yaya and every now and then at other times. it's not their source for vitamin....and i think the water is more important for them.
--they don't drink sodas...not because we're "anti-soda" (we're very much pro soda...man, cherry coke is good.) -- but because when soda is available there's usually an option that they are just as delighted to get - lemonade or fruit punch. i think there's something about the caffeine, sugar and carbonation that i'm steering them clear of for now...there will be plenty of time for sodas later in life!
--something that i'm realizing is that there's not really anything that's "off limits" for our family. we just seek moderation. my kids have candy and desserts and such...but it's limited and has boundaries.
--vitamins on occassion. i'm not a daily vitamin giver (a daily vitamin taker...but not giver...primarily because i eat far worse than my children) - i give them vitamins about 3 times a week, if that -- and that's not for any particular reason (i'm not against daily vitamins...for some reason i just don't feel like it's necessary)(i read in article that talked about all vitamins being completely unnecessary...i do believe i disagree with that - obviously i do because i give my kids vitamins and i take one daily myself). my thinking is that it's not hurting them...and could possibly be helping...and they like them.... thus they get vitamins a few times each week.
-- they aren't allowed to just go in the kitchen and get snacks and drinks. the fact that i'm involved in the process probably has alot to do with what they end up choosing. we typically have 3 meals a day with 2 small snacks in between (only if they request a snack). they typically drink milk for at least one meal each day....water for the other one (juice for b'fast).
--we don't enforce clean plates. there's a "no dessert without a clean plate policy" - but they are welcome to leave whatever they don't want on their plate (sometimes, when there's food left on their plate, the meal ends with "thank you for supper. i don't want dessert tonite. may i be excused?" yes. you may.) (the funny thing to me is that dessert is rarely anything exciting - 90% of the time dessert for them means picking one little something out of "their basket" -- a little basket with candy in it).
other FYI: my kids' favorite snacks: yogurt, carrots with ranch (eli, not caroline), chips & salsa, apples (pretty much any fruit...except for cantaloupe), crackers & cheese, cereal (not too sugary**see note below), granola bars, fruit and grain bars, popcorn (i pop it on a pot on the stove...it's fun! and seems a bit healthier than the stuff in the bag)
**i don't know if eli has the opposite of a sweet tooth - every so often he'll say something about not wanting a particular item because it's "too sugary." he also denied a second scoop of icecream the other night by saying "one is plenty, mama. i've had enough sugar."
so there ya go...the first answer to one of amy's questions. it's what we do and what works for us - not necessarily right for you...or maybe it is. if anyone HAPPENS to be reading this - do you have any thoughts? how do YOU get your kids to eat healthy?
in other news: nick and i picked up a stray kitten last night. i don't think i ever really pictured myself doing that. he or she is fluffy and black and little. the kids call him/her "princess izzy"...nick calls her "skittles"...i call her something different everytime. so we have a new little kitty...who stays outside.
