Most group activities are centered around junk food

[Riprorin]

I'm trying to teach my kids good nutrition and we practice good eating habits at home, but at any group activity where there's a meal, mostly junk food is served.

It's pretty hard to tell you're kids that they can't eat crap when all the other kids are.

 

[StageLeft]

Hmm, this should be interesting because I will come upon the same problem eventually. Most activities for adults center around eating crap too!

 

[KarenMarie]

Tell them that when the other kids grow up, they will be fat and unhealthy and that it will lead to such emotional problems that they will never find a good job and will be losers.

No, seriously, I know exactly what you mean. It is rough!

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Well, you do your best to teach them right, and hope they make the correct descisions when confronted with such choices.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Hmm, this should be interesting because I will come upon the same problem eventually. Most activities for adults center around eating crap too!

Yeah, and if you just eat healthy stuff, people think that you're weird.

 

[Amused]

How often do they do these activities? What foods are served? I'm guessing Pizza is a big item, right?

One thing about having a good diet is the ability to have "bad" foods once in a while, so long as the bulk of your foods are "good."

 

[xXped0thugXx]

a little pizza once in a while never hurt anyone as long as they maintain a regular healthy diet the rest of the time

 

[ohtwell]

All you can do is teach your children the proper foods to eat and hope they follow through. You need to focus on the negative effects of eating unhealthy foods. There are a lot of good kids health websites for chidlren.

This is one of the best ones
BAM is also good


: ) Amanda

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: ohtwell
All you can do is teach your children the proper foods to eat and hope they follow through. You need to focus on the negative effects of eating unhealthy foods. There are a lot of good kids health websites for chidlren.

This is one of the best ones
BAM is also good


: ) Amanda

You've done a lot of research. Something you're not telling us?

 

[ohtwell]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: ohtwell
All you can do is teach your children the proper foods to eat and hope they follow through. You need to focus on the negative effects of eating unhealthy foods. There are a lot of good kids health websites for chidlren.

This is one of the best ones
BAM is also good


: ) Amanda

You've done a lot of research. Something you're not telling us?

I had a health education methods course this semester.


: ) Amanda

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Amused
How often do they do these activities? What foods are served? I'm guessing Pizza is a big item, right?

One thing about having a good diet is the ability to have "bad" foods once in a while, so long as the bulk of your foods are "good."

Pizza is big. Doughnuts, danishes, and sweet rolls are popular in the morning. Sugary drinks are ubiquitous at all times of the day/night. Plenty of cake and brownies on hand as well as sugary snacks like fruit roll up.

Plus, some bad choices even for healthful foods: peanut butter with added sugar and trans-fats as opposed to natural peanut butter, apple sauce with corn syrup and sugar added as opposed to the natural variety. White bread is usually on hand as opposed to whote grain bread.

 

You can't stop your kids from eating junk food. That is a false goal that will never work and will make your entire family unhappy. The trick is to teach your kids to eat that junk in moderation. In other words, if they say they're going to have a pizza night at a friend's house, instruct them to have no more than 1 piece or 2 pieces of pizza.

Junk food is fine, but it must be eaten in combination with other, more healthy options.

 

[her209]

[Alcohol] COUGH [/Alcohol]

 

[StageLeft]

instruct them to have no more than 1 piece or 2 pieces of pizza.

They would listen? I sure wouldn't have! My parents had junk food around all the time. As a result I have a major sweet tooth. It cripples my will at times. Mrsskoorb's parents rarely had it, so she'd eat fruit while I ate chocholate bars. She now doesn't care for junk as much as I do, but I still have a big weakness for it. We don't now, and never will, have much in the house in the way of junk. Once or twice a week at a friend's house is fine, but eating crap every day isn't.

 

Originally posted by: Skoorb

instruct them to have no more than 1 piece or 2 pieces of pizza.

They would listen? I sure wouldn't have! My parents had junk food around all the time. As a result I have a major sweet tooth. It cripples my will at times. Mrsskoorb's parents rarely had it, so she'd eat fruit while I ate chocholate bars. She now doesn't care for junk as much as I do, but I still have a big weakness for it. We don't now, and never will, have much in the house in the way of junk. Once or twice a week at a friend's house is fine, but eating crap every day isn't.

I'm not saying it'll work for all kids, but it worked for me. My 5'9", 126 lb. frame just got back from Wendy's (I would have just had something from the kitchen, but I'm at work and didn't have time to make a lunch) where I had a Jr. Bacon Cheesebuger and a 5-piece chicken nuggets. I could have had much more, but I'm actually going over to my parents' house for dinner tonight and it'll be much more wholesome than Wendy's food.

My parents taught me well.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Amused
How often do they do these activities? What foods are served? I'm guessing Pizza is a big item, right?

One thing about having a good diet is the ability to have "bad" foods once in a while, so long as the bulk of your foods are "good."

Pizza is big. Doughnuts, danishes, and sweet rolls are popular in the morning. Sugary drinks are ubiquitous at all times of the day/night. Plenty of cake and brownies on hand as well as sugary snacks like fruit roll up.

Plus, some bad choices even for healthful foods: peanut butter with added sugar and trans-fats as opposed to natural peanut butter, apple sauce with corn syrup and sugar added as opposed to the natural variety. White bread is usually on hand as opposed to whote grain bread.

That doesn't sound too bad as long as it's once in a while. How often are these events?

And you know, PB isn't as evil as people make it out to be, nor is white bread. It's better to eat the other stuff, but this stuff isn't evil.

If you clamp down on your kids too much with foods, you'll give them an eating disorder. If "bad foods" become the forbiden fruit, they'll covet it like fiends.

Lighten up and focus on exercise more than the occational snacks they have at events.