What is really stopping us from feeding our children healthy food?

[LilMissRe]

I saw an article today about obesity levels in little children and how it is increasing to dangerous levels. I'm intrigued as this is for a project I'm doing to graduate from university- hopefully this year!

The concern here is that, well, little ones (0-5 yrs) have the least say in what they can eat and drink, and as many don't start school officially till 4-5- schools can't really intervene and so a lot of experts place the blame entirely on us parents- especially mothers.

In my opinion I think time and marketing of unhealthy food is a big player here and is to blame, but I can't just use my opinion and would be very grateful for your opinions and experiences on this.

What is really stopping us from feeding our children healthy food?

Thank you!

My 4 year old eats like that some days and I know she can’t regulate because of the way she behaves around chocolate etc.

At a party we went to a few weeks ago there were plates of chocolate buttons, fruit and dips with crudités etc. Ds ate maybe 2-3 chocolate buttons, a couple of bits of fruit and lots of houmous with cucumber. Because chocolate isn't a treat for him. I don't restrict it. It's just food. I don't buy houmous very often and when I do it tends to go in sandwiches rather than being used as a dip so that was a novelty for him.

I don't want him growing up with the concept of "treats". Food is food.

As for being bored or getting distracted, if he's hungry he eats and nothing distracts him.

Hidden sugar in nearly all manufactured food now.

I honestly just think it’s sheer laziness. You will always get someone saying oh but they’re too busy to cook, it’s not their fault, they have to work etc. I work full time (on mat leave atm) as does my DP, I have four DC and a household to run. I still find time to cook healthy meals in the evening.

Also some people ‘can’t cook’ which is the biggest cop out imaginable. I taught myself to cook as a teenager, I had no choice.

rounds I have the same attitude about not wanting to make any food a treat and used to always serve the main meal at the same time as the yoghurt or fruit so nothing was seen as better, never used it as a reward etc and never restricted any food. However at 3 my son definitely knows what 'treat' food is. Maybe from parties or maybe just because he prefers the taste of very sugary or salty foods.

Obesity is caused by so many things, snacking culture, convenience foods, needing sweetened drinks always and everywhere, junk.food marketed at kids, the whole obesogenic environment where we drive everywhere, and spend so much time on screens...

One thing I manage is homecooked meals, and I love a takeaway every now and then, but find them extraordinary salty and fatty. So rarely enjoy it, though I like the idea of them

If you get used to all that salt and fat as normal, home cooking must taste plain

For example, I can really taste the sugar and salt overdose in domino's pizza

I always read on here how picky children are... is this a new thing? I'm late 20s and when I was younger we just ate what we were given... I went to Italy and Norway on an exchange about 13 years ago... in the school each child had a tray with a small amount of pasta, salad, meat, fruit and water - there was only one option for lunch and definitely no chips.

Why are children now harder to cater for?

I think our gut flora being disrupted is a factor. There have been some recent studies suggesting how we process (Or don't) certain foods is far more of a factor than calories consumed.
Antibiotcs, aspartame, highly processed foods... then all hugely reduce the number and variety of gut flora leading to obesity and a whole host of other health issues.

NEtoN10 pickiness certainly isn't new. In the 70s my sister existed on white bread and cheese and would throw almighty tantrums when we went to family places. Funnily enough we moved to America for a couple of years when she was early teens and that cured her as she loved that so much was loaded with salt, fat and sugar! My young cousin in the 80s back in the UK was frighteningly fussy, pale and withdrawn, I remember the family always making sure there was jelly and Jacobs crackers.

The difference now is that the UK is like America and junk is everywhere, its easy and cheap just to give in to our whims.

Also some people ‘can’t cook’ which is the biggest cop out imaginable.
No, I'm sorry, but it's not. I really can't cook! I do, but I pity my children for having to eat it and relish dh cooking!!

I don't want him growing up with the concept of "treats". Food is food

But some foods carry a lot of calories and few essential nutrients. All foodstuffs are not equal. Would you be equally happy for your child to have a full head of broccoli or a 100gr bar of chocolate in a sitting? Do you leave it for him to choose, intuitively?

Would you be equally happy for your child to have a full head of broccoli or a 100gr bar of chocolate in a sitting? Do you leave it for him to choose, intuitively?

I don't really know what the point of that question is because I wouldn't serve either of those foodstuffs in that amount.

Would you be equally happy for your child to have a full head of broccoli or a 100gr bar of chocolate in a sitting? Either is a stomach ache asking to happen!!

Well, my children have fairly poor diets.

The main reason for me is they simply refuse to eat healthier food.
I cook nice healthy meals, which then go in the bin because they just won't eat it and I can't afford to be wasting food.

I make sure there are 2 or 3 different vegetables in their school lunch box and offer them fruit but really, they mostly eat rubbish.

Chocolate is a good hiking food though, lasts ages, and lots of calories for the weight...
Or I have low blood pressure, and if I'm feeling a bit funny the gp advised me to have a packet of crisps for the salt.
So I kind of see the 'food is food' point, as sometimes 'unhealthy' foods are good in specific situations. Sorry a bit off topic though re: child hood obesity!

I think lack of time and cost are two big things. I don't actually worry about DS as he's in childcare all week where the food is very healthy, but I think DH and I could definetly eat better.

Kids eat all day .Mine are young adults now and we as a family have quite a few friends who have younger kids than ours but I notice that they seem to feed their kids continuously .Its like a pastime or someway of keeping them quiet.Constant grazing and no real set meal times for many it just goes on all day .

No, I'm sorry, but it's not. I really can't cook! I do, but I pity my children for having to eat it and relish dh cook
stayathomer
Genuine question, I'm not being sarcastic or mean, just curious.How can you not, for example, chop some veg and chicken up and stir fry it and boil some rice? Or put some veg and meat and a tin of tomatoes in a slow cooker or casserole dish and leave it.
What do you do if Dp works Kate, or us I'll ir needs to be away from the home for some reason at meal time.
I hated cooking when the kids were small but everyone needed to be fed a reasonable meal.

My DH isn’t a very good cook. When he chops up veg he leaves skin on it (the texture of onion cooked with the skin on makes me want to vom) and he can’t things so they’re often cold/ undercooked.
Even a ready meal- if it says cook for 30
Minutes on the box he puts it in for 30
Minutes then removes it and serves it up, whether it’s ready to eat or not. It’s gross

Passthecherrycoke
Do you think he deliberately makes things rubbish so he doesnt have to do it again?
Surely he's not so daft that if a meal isn't great because he left onion skin on, he would leave it on again next time

No he actually likes to do it, no trying to avoid it

I don’t know why he still does it. He doesn’t like to be told what to do though

Genuine question, I'm not being sarcastic or mean, justcurious.Howcan you not, for example, chop some veg and chicken up and stir fry it and boil some rice? Or put some veg and meat and a tin of tomatoes in a slow cooker or casserole dish and leave it.

No, totally fair question!!! I do all of these things, and regularly!! Rice dry, veg dry, meat is never ever soft!! The stir fries are my worst- veg all the wrong size ( I know this all sounds nuts!!!)Bolognaise and lasagne turn out okay but not a patch on anyone else's, I think in my ten years as a mammy I've had two roasts turn out half decent ( dh went on about how good they were for weeks, bless!!) and I'm quite good with mashed potato, but whatever's with it is generally dodgy!! Have had dh, mil and sil show and help and watch me do different dishes and it's nearly been funny watching them trying to figure out how it all went belly up!!! I thought the slow cooker was honestly the answer to my problem but even though I'm on fb groups and try to do things exactly as others too, nothing tastes right! I just seem to have no common sense for cooking!! Dh is teaching two ds's to cook, they'll get there before me!! ( I'm not being self deprecating, I've made my peace with all of this!)

round but further up you said that your child is able to show restraint around chocolate because he doesn't see is as a treat because you don't restrict it? Maybe I misunderstood.

Actually I think stir fry is quite a crap example because it’s fairly hard to cook well- to have it flavoursome, cooked in the right order, chopped to the right size etc

Being strict.

Making good food from scratch and not abiding fussy eating (sn aside).

*Passthecherrycoke

Actually I think stir fry is quite a crap example because it’s fairly hard to cook well- to have it flavoursome, cooked in the right order, chopped to the right size etc*
It's not difficult to follow a basic stir fry recipe though.
It was one of the meals we got Ds 1 and 2 to make us when they were in year 5. Admittedly the first few goes were with pre pared chopped veg but they wou more confident and making the sauce is just measuring out the soy sauce, tamarind, honey or whatever ever one you are doing.
A stir fry is one of the first meals that I get the teenagers I work with who have no experience of cooking to make.