4 ms·

I must say as a parent it's pretty frustrating that we battle day in day out to try and maintain something resembling a good diet for our kids, but at least sup

by zmmmmm 6y ago

I must say as a parent it's pretty frustrating that we battle day in day out to try and maintain something resembling a good diet for our kids, but at least superficially their actual health honestly appears indistinguishable from kids in families where they really don't bother at all. It would be nice to have some real evidence that this is making a big difference.

ndiscussion 6y ago
Look at the obesity statistics by age, this is something that will pay off far into the future imo. One good thing my parents taught me is that vegetables can be eaten without cheese or salt, and I currently eat healthier than anyone I know, and it's not a struggle at all for me. It's just "normal" and I'm accustomed to it. I think this can still be trained as an adult, but it's probably easiest if you never have to "transition" or break out of bad habits. Wishing your family the best.
toyg 6y ago
As someone who lived both sides of that situation: you just can't know. If anything, because the minute they leave the home they will be free to eat shit like all their peers do, and might even do it with more passion since it carries an element of transgression. It's the same with all things in parenting: you do your best and hope they will understand you did it out of love. But there are no guarantees.
- mixmastamyk 6y ago
  We shouldn't forbid unhealthy foods, just restrict them to being occasional treats, as they should be. That can avoid much of the resentment.
kenjackson 6y ago
I was thinking the same thing. My son is an athlete, but he used to not eat really well. So I tried to get the diet used from other elite athletes, but I quickly learned that they often had terrible diets. So you ask, if Lebron James was raised on this diet then how bad could it be? Coincidentally, what made him into a healthy eater is that he found that food with lots of sugar and fat made him feel worse. Oddly, it doesn't happen to me at all, but he grew to be sensitive to it for some reason that we never understood. But he eats extremely healthy, if not a bit bland, now -- and is a great athlete.
slothtrop 6y ago
Why does it have to be a battle? A balanced diet can delicious with little fuss. The evidence will come later if it hasn't already. Their behavior might be a hint. It impacts focus, brain development, everything.
- zmmmmm 6y ago
  > Why does it have to be a battle? A balanced diet can delicious with little fuss. Well, I can only conclude either you don't have kids, live in a very different setting, or you're some kind of super parent :-) The main reasons are (a) the kids are highly attracted to foods that constitute a poor diet and (b) they are constantly exposed to opportunities to consume those foods. At its peak we were taking them to 2 - 3 birthday parties a weekend at which they were presented with unlimited candy, giant pieces of cake, sugary drinks, and a humungous bag of lollies to take home. Then at school the same children bring sweets to school and hand them out to the whole class, trade things out of their lunch boxes at lunch time, etc etc. Unsurprisingly they routinely come home having eaten only a small portion of the food we gave them and tell us they "weren't very hungry". One of the interesting revelations as a parent has been how little control you really have over what your children are exposed to and how much is dictated by the society around them.
  - mixmastamyk 6y ago
    I agree, however I threw out any rock candy given out to our kid and mostly kept sugary drinks away. These two categories are the absolute worst. Another thing I didn't expect is arguing with the spouse about it, who will also undermine the effort.
  - slothtrop 6y ago
    That kids are attracted to candy is a constant. I was referring to ease of food preparation, since that was the context. Notwithstanding the food-swaps at school (I think to liken this all to be candy is hyperbolic), the kids eat what you feed them for breakfast and dinner. Whether this is a battle has little to do with the nature of the food itself. I'm sure you don't believe that perpetually relenting to kids when they whine, piss and moan will make your life easier - they'll normalize the behavior to get what they want and misbehavior will be the norm. Being a parent is the battle and it doesn't end at letting kids eat candy any time they want, which makes healthy eating a moot point.
joncrane 6y ago
It doesn't make that big of a difference until later in life. Compare your 30-year-old kid to the 30-year-old kids of the parents who didn't try as hard and your answer will be there.
- mixmastamyk 6y ago
  And then they pop off in their fifties.
mixmastamyk 6y ago
As a few folks have mentioned it often manifests itself as hyperactivity, depression, and inability to focus. Basically a blood sugar rollercoaster. Young bodies can tolerate even crappy diets. It's a different matter when older however. If it isn't turned around by their fifties say, they'll be in for a world of hurt. That's why it habits must start young.

by zmmmmm 6y ago

ndiscussion 6y ago

Look at the obesity statistics by age, this is something that will pay off far into the future imo. One good thing my parents taught me is that vegetables can be eaten without cheese or salt, and I currently eat healthier than anyone I know, and it's not a struggle at all for me. It's just "normal" and I'm accustomed to it. I think this can still be trained as an adult, but it's probably easiest if you never have to "transition" or break out of bad habits. Wishing your family the best.

toyg 6y ago

As someone who lived both sides of that situation: you just can't know. If anything, because the minute they leave the home they will be free to eat shit like all their peers do, and might even do it with more passion since it carries an element of transgression. It's the same with all things in parenting: you do your best and hope they will understand you did it out of love. But there are no guarantees.

mixmastamyk 6y ago
We shouldn't forbid unhealthy foods, just restrict them to being occasional treats, as they should be. That can avoid much of the resentment.

kenjackson 6y ago

I was thinking the same thing. My son is an athlete, but he used to not eat really well. So I tried to get the diet used from other elite athletes, but I quickly learned that they often had terrible diets. So you ask, if Lebron James was raised on this diet then how bad could it be? Coincidentally, what made him into a healthy eater is that he found that food with lots of sugar and fat made him feel worse. Oddly, it doesn't happen to me at all, but he grew to be sensitive to it for some reason that we never understood. But he eats extremely healthy, if not a bit bland, now -- and is a great athlete.

slothtrop 6y ago

Why does it have to be a battle? A balanced diet can delicious with little fuss. The evidence will come later if it hasn't already. Their behavior might be a hint. It impacts focus, brain development, everything.

zmmmmm 6y ago
> Why does it have to be a battle? A balanced diet can delicious with little fuss. Well, I can only conclude either you don't have kids, live in a very different setting, or you're some kind of super parent :-) The main reasons are (a) the kids are highly attracted to foods that constitute a poor diet and (b) they are constantly exposed to opportunities to consume those foods. At its peak we were taking them to 2 - 3 birthday parties a weekend at which they were presented with unlimited candy, giant pieces of cake, sugary drinks, and a humungous bag of lollies to take home. Then at school the same children bring sweets to school and hand them out to the whole class, trade things out of their lunch boxes at lunch time, etc etc. Unsurprisingly they routinely come home having eaten only a small portion of the food we gave them and tell us they "weren't very hungry". One of the interesting revelations as a parent has been how little control you really have over what your children are exposed to and how much is dictated by the society around them.
- mixmastamyk 6y ago
  I agree, however I threw out any rock candy given out to our kid and mostly kept sugary drinks away. These two categories are the absolute worst. Another thing I didn't expect is arguing with the spouse about it, who will also undermine the effort.
- slothtrop 6y ago
  That kids are attracted to candy is a constant. I was referring to ease of food preparation, since that was the context. Notwithstanding the food-swaps at school (I think to liken this all to be candy is hyperbolic), the kids eat what you feed them for breakfast and dinner. Whether this is a battle has little to do with the nature of the food itself. I'm sure you don't believe that perpetually relenting to kids when they whine, piss and moan will make your life easier - they'll normalize the behavior to get what they want and misbehavior will be the norm. Being a parent is the battle and it doesn't end at letting kids eat candy any time they want, which makes healthy eating a moot point.

joncrane 6y ago

It doesn't make that big of a difference until later in life. Compare your 30-year-old kid to the 30-year-old kids of the parents who didn't try as hard and your answer will be there.

mixmastamyk 6y ago
And then they pop off in their fifties.

mixmastamyk 6y ago

As a few folks have mentioned it often manifests itself as hyperactivity, depression, and inability to focus. Basically a blood sugar rollercoaster. Young bodies can tolerate even crappy diets. It's a different matter when older however. If it isn't turned around by their fifties say, they'll be in for a world of hurt. That's why it habits must start young.