Childrens Diet

ash23

Hi all,

I'm posting as I need to really revise my own diet and my daughters as she has put on a lot of weight in the last few months and I need to sort it out.

She's not very active but will go out on her trampoline, her bike etc. She plays with friends so she's not vegging in front of the tv all the time.

I would have considered her diet fairly healthy but clearly something is going wrong somwhere and I'm starting to think it's carbs.

She's a carb fiend. Weetabox for brekkie, sandwiches or wraps for lunch, pasta/rice/potatoes with fish/meat for dinner. She likes fish but isn't a fan of meat so doesn't eat much and fills up with the rest. So the bulk of her sustanance is carbs. She's not a big veggie/fruit lover either.

Any ideas of some alternatives for breakfasts, lunches and dinners as I need to do something before it gets completely out of control.

Nothing there stands out to me too much, but I don't have kids so I'm just throwing my 2c out there. I wouldn't change the weetabix brekkie, it's what I was brought up on and I think it's a great way to start a day.

What are your portions like? I've seen some parents give their kids adult or almost adult portion sizes. Plus I know it's harder than it sounds but you really just have to make her eat fruit and veg. You can also do tricks like incorporating veg into bolognese/lasagna, or sneaking grated veg into anything you can. Mashed parsnip/turnip and carrot is meant to be nice for kids.

I used to mind a little girl who was overweight, and she was quite active, had a good diet (loved all food, inc. fruit and veg, and was given healthy food), but as far as I could see, the problem was quantity, not quality. She'd ask for seconds and thirds at dinner, and since it was healthy food, she was given it. From what I've seen, very often it's just really difficult for parents to say no when a child is hungry. But if you keep a clear record in your head of how much she has eaten, you will know when she should be hungry and when she shouldn't.

What are these sandwiches like? Are we talking jam and butter sandwiches or ham and lettuce?

I've just googled "veg hiding tricks" and there's a load of stuff there. Good luck!

ash23

true-or-false wrote: »

Nothing there stands out to me too much, but I don't have kids so I'm just throwing my 2c out there. I wouldn't change the weetabix brekkie, it's what I was brought up on and I think it's a great way to start a day.

What are your portions like? I've seen some parents give their kids adult or almost adult portion sizes. Plus I know it's harder than it sounds but you really just have to make her eat fruit and veg. You can also do tricks like incorporating veg into bolognese/lasagna, or sneaking grated veg into anything you can. Mashed parsnip/turnip and carrot is meant to be nice for kids.

I used to mind a little girl who was overweight, and she was quite active, had a good diet (loved all food, inc. fruit and veg, and was given healthy food), but as far as I could see, the problem was quantity, not quality. She'd ask for seconds and thirds at dinner, and since it was healthy food, she was given it. From what I've seen, very often it's just really difficult for parents to say no when a child is hungry. But if you keep a clear record in your head of how much she has eaten, you will know when she should be hungry and when she shouldn't.

What are these sandwiches like? Are we talking jam and butter sandwiches or ham and lettuce?

I've just googled "veg hiding tricks" and there's a load of stuff there. Good luck!

Thanks, Yeah I think it probably is portion sizes mostly. She'll want 3 weetabix and I'm saying no, 2! We use skimmed milk etc so there's nothing too bad. We might get a pizza once a month and usually at weekends she can have dessert with dinner or a treat at the shop.

Her lunch is usually a brown bread sandwich with ham, an apple, a banana, a low fat yogurt and a small piece of cheese. On a friday she would have a small bar with that.

She'd polish off a massive bowl of pasta, just plain pasta...but if I put sauce on it she'll take it or leave it :rolleyes:

She just loves her bread! But I'm going to start cooking small portions and if she's still hungry she can have fruit.