Be honest - does your child have a perfect diet?

[Inboxer]

I manage to give dd (3) plenty of fruit and veg but somehow sweet things keep finding their way into her diet. Her grandparents get her chocolate when they visit each week, she often has ice cream for pudding and she loves cake and biscuits and every time we go our to parties or friends houses this seems to be what is offered. Does anyone else struggle to give a completely healthy diet? It does really worry me that I'm not doing well enough at this.

[LucidCamel]

Nerdy answer: Appreciation of and differentiation of bitter (i.e. alkaloid) flavours comes with age for a good biological reason. Alkaloids are often poisonous and should be approached with care.

Parental answer: Yes. I struggle. It's a PITA to vary their diet in a consistently challenging yet nutritionally balanced way that will not end up on the floor.

Compassionate answer: What we do is let the grandparents and friends houses treat them. Therefore they are exposed to "treats" as a normal thing but don't expect them from us. You sound like you are doing a great job and should worry less.

[PrincessAnnaOfArundale]

I think you need to worry less. I don't think a few biscuits class as being an 'unhealthy' diet. A child can have a perfectly healthy diet that include sweets every so often in my opinion. What you don't want to do is 'ban' anything or give her the idea that certain foods aren't allowed because she'll feel guilty for life whenever she eats them and it could mess with her boy image, make her crave them more etc.

In all honesty, I do try to make my boys' meals healthy, lean meats, vegetables, plenty of fruit available throughout the day. My 2 year old eats everything, my 7 year old will eat the bare minimum of healthy stuff which did used to worry me but they are both healthy, fit and well, perfect weights and full of energy.

We all try our best but it's impossible for children to only eat healthy food all the time without them feeling deprived. Children's parties, Christmas, grandparents, friends, there's no avoiding the junk food really. I just try and balance everything out.

[PrincessAnnaOfArundale]

mess with her body image not BOY image!

[Iggly]

Nothing wrong with having cakes and chocolates every now and then.

Mine probably have far too many. But there you go. They eat proper meals as well.

[TheLastThneed]

I try to limit the number of days she has sweets. It's difficult though when I don't get the support from DP. I always feel like DD eats more sweets than any other child I know.

[jeee]

No, but they have a 'good enough' diet. Which might not be the highest aspiration for my children's meals. But it's still okay.

[Thurlow]

We're the same. She has fruit and veg, she has reasonably cooked meals, but she also has sweets and chocolate.

I don't think it's realistic to have a completely, perfectly healthy diet all the time. All you can do is try your best. Try and make sure most of the meals are pretty healthy and they eat a good mix of meat, veg and carbs. Try and offer healthy snacks quite a bit of the time. But it's ok if they have cake or chocolate or ice cream sometimes.

[kiki0202]

Mine don't have a perfect diet they both had a mini chocolate bar with their lunch but now we have the music on and are playing musical bumps to burn it off :)

[BertieBotts]

God no. Pretty unhealthy actually at the moment.

But I don't think that an "only healthy" diet is good for children either. I know DS's could be a lot better but I wouldn't aim for only fruit, veg, meat and dairy. Some sweets, biscuits and ice cream, chips, pizza, crisps etc are healthy as part of a balanced diet.

[BertieBotts]

Terrible idea to talk to children about "burning off" calories or "bad" foods as well. Be active, provide a variety of foods, you're good to go.

[grumpyoldgitagain]

No

They get both good things like fruit and veg and bad things like crisps, sweets and chocolate.

Some weeks there pack lunch is jam sandwich rather than tuna mayo or such like but I would rather they get something they will eat than send them with only "healthy" stuff that may get left

[PollyIndia]

Massively varies. If we are at home 2 yr ds eats healthily - lots of fish and veg in risottos, pasta, curries, pies etc. Fruit and yoghurt for pudding. The food at nursery is good but some sweet puddings, and childminder also good food but lots of rich tea biscuits. Not what I would choose to give him but it doesn't matter. I would never say he couldn't have that stuff.
However when we are out for meals, which is at least 2/3 meals over a weekend, he'll have sausages, chips, fish fingers - whatever is available for him. Today he had porridge, banana and toast for breakfast, then a bit of a spinach/feta thing and some cake thing for lunch at a cafe then chips, some of my fish and strawberry ice cream at the pub for his tea. So, a pretty bad food day! But it is all about balance so can't say I am too bothered. He and I (currently scoffing a chocolate orange - he is in bed) will eat healthily tomorrow.
We have also spent the morning zooming around the park on his scooter - he walks/scoots pretty much everywhere, and I think a healthy attitude to food (ie a bit of everything, no food hangups) should go hand in hand with lots of fresh air and exercise.
He is also only 2 so not into fussy toddler territory yet and not much external influence. I am sure it'll get a lot worse before it gets better!

[ch1134]

Yes, if I go by my grandad's mantra: 'everything in moderation, including moderation'!

[tobysmum77]

no such thing as a perfect diet. I think that my dds eat a good balanced diet generally and probably better than most. tbh I am quite about what some people feed their children tbh. fb feeds of 'she loves to eat crisps in front of the telly', 1000 calories in an ice cream parlour and the endless 'treat' macdonalds dinners (no doubt I'll get flamed for being a snob)

In terms of puddings/ cake we generally have a pudding on Sundays but in the main they eat that kind of stuff when out only. No issue but the rest of the time no.

[halfdrunkcoffee]

DS (4) eats the following: pancakes, cheese sandwiches, apples, egg white, clementines, crisps, chocolate, ice cream, icing, sweets . He will not touch vegetables.

DD has a much better diet and will generally eat what we eat. However, at snack time she is very partial to biscuits and she also loves chocolate and ice cream.

[raftunchin]

I make sure that my children eat a balance diet, meaning they eat protein and veggies and healthy stuff. I also allow them to eat sweets from time to time, I don't deprive them.

[HamishBamish]

I do my best to give my DC a healthy diet, but I certainly don't deny them sweets. I do limit sweets to weekends though, but they have fruit throughout the week which is sweet too and honey or maple syrup on their porridge. They eat most things and I always serve 2 types of veg with their evening meal (they have to have school lunches).

We don't have sweets, biscuits, crisps or fizzy drinks in the house which makes things easier. They know there's no point in asking as it's not there. I do make puddings for Sunday lunch though.

I don't think there is a perfectly healthy diet, but there's plenty of very bad ones. I think it's a matter of everything in moderation as ch1134 has said.

[ReallyTired]

Different people have different ideas of what consitutes a perfect diet. I don't think its possible to define a perfect diet. The nearest my children had to a perfect diet was when they were exclusively breastfed. Even then my diet was far from perfect.

the perfect diet according to your kids!

[muddylettuce]

My dd is cmpa so sweet treats really are a luxury. Having said that we feed her fish fingers/chicken nuggets and chips/potato shapes a few times a week so I guess that's not great. It is however a bit of a life saver if I'm late cooking dinner or we need a quick lunch. The grandparents have just discovered dairy free buttons though and she has an advent calendar this year so it's only a matter of time. When she is older I plan to limit sweets to once a week.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

Mine eat their 5 a day, every day, and actual sweets happen incredibly rarely - once a month, if that.

Apart from that I don't stress too much.

[stargirl1701]

No, but I don't think that's good aim to have either.