How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Share your experience, challenges and success implementing the McDougall program with family and children.

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How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby Vintagesan » Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:03 am

Hello, maybe you can share your ideas of replacements for my young son with me.
My son, almost 3 years old, has his very picky phase right now. I know (and hope!) this will change one day but till then I'd like to try to find healthier options for him. Maybe you can help me with this?

Breakfast:
He usually drinks cacao in the morning. I replaced the cow milk with an oatmilk. Seems to be okay for him. He also usually eats whole wheat bread with tea sauge sproud or farmer cheese. For this I haven't found anything to replace so far.

Lunch:
He totally loves pasta - but usually without anything. Mashed potatoes with vegetables (carrots, peas, cauliflower, spinach) is occasionally okay for him as well. Here I had big success with corn chowder over rice. Do you know other "simple" dishes whicch I could try? Maybe dishes where he doesn't see the included vegetables?

Dinner:
Usually the same as for breakfast.

Snack:
After his after-lunch nap he eats pureed fruit. (It's store bought but organic and without any additives). There are several mixes and he likes almost all of them. My problem is: I would like him to eat fruits in natural form again, but he doesn't want to eat it like this. Except watermelon.

Drinks:
For breakfast he prefers cacao, the rest of the day he drinks water or tea. (Anise + fennel +caraway)

I'm looking forward to your ideas. Please also feel free to share your experience with your children. I'm always thankful for words of advice. (It's my first child and unfortunately I don't know any other mothers :| )
Vintagesan
 
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Re: How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby f00die » Sun Feb 18, 2018 2:46 pm

i'll share my experience, (two kids, 7 & 6)
coz they dont cook, they cant pick
they eat what we have. and its not optional to eat
if you dont eat you sit at the table until bedtime (or a shorter time period depending on my patience)
at which time i feed you and you go to bed (when they were younger, they hate being treated like a "baby")
i emphasize that we dont eat for taste
we eat so our bodies can grow (they get very attentive when you talk about what is inside the body etc.)
and these are the foods that we need to accomplish that in a healthy way
they seem less resistant if there is positive structure
we are all working to do something good.
they are required to eat 3 fruits a day
they get "treats" infrequently
coz the more of that stuff they eat,
the worse good food tastes
when they ask why they cant while their cousins can
i explain what is bad about whatever it is.
like "chocolate milk will make you grow too fast. so pick apple juice."
"milk is what makes calves grow so big so fast"
the seem fascinated by these nuggets of info
like they have insight into reality etc.
it may sound strict

but my daughter is the one who is known for
serving herself greens first at the pot lucks
picking out the broccoli out of food and eating it first
my son is less enthusiastic but he does his part (coz there's no alternative)
the more you hype health and its role
plus you model by eating with them
the more they buy in
and treats here and there.

but basically: this is what we got. you have to eat or lay it down.
they still love me and hang on just the same
f00die
 
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Re: How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby Vintagesan » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:57 pm

Actually I don't think this is strict. I was raised that way as well.

But I don't have my husband on board when it comes to this. Maybe I need to talk to him first so that we follow the same path.
Vintagesan
 
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Re: How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby f00die » Tue Feb 20, 2018 9:55 am

dont think of it as " going vegan" or any such radical change
or even a "super healthy" change of direction
one is decadently eating "carbs" like they dont care

its one reason why Dr. McD says this plan is not vegan

its basically eating less processed food, less junk food
more, cheaper, "real" food and vegetables
specifically more starch.

more meals with more potatoes, more rice, more corn, more beans etc.
especially for kids.
i dont have control of everything they eat
they eat lunches at school (they tell me about the pizza and lasagna and chicken fingers)
plus sugary processed cereals (cinnamon/strawberry toast crunch, cheerios, raisin bran) sometimes
but its oats and fruits (blueberries, strawberries, raisins) a lot
and kids can eat stuff like toasted bread with jelly etc.
coz they have growing to do and can handle the extra calories

its not a big deal if you dont make it a big deal
for a while there, my sons fav breakfast was oatmeal and his fav snack was plain bread, regular or raisin breads
now, he still loves bread, but its the fruits in the oats with sugar that motivate him
f00die
 
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Re: How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby Vintagesan » Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:05 pm

Yes, you are right. I know there will be times I won't be able to control - but actually I don't want to control him. I think it's my part to show him healthier options and to be some kind of role model when it comes to this. Referred to this, I have been a real bad mother for the past 2 years and I know this. :-( I cannot excuse by saying I didn't know better because actually I knew. Anyway, I hope it's still time to "fix" this.

Already had a first mini success here.
The last two days he had oat flakes with oat milk for breakfast and dinner instead of bread with sausage spread. :nod:
And for lunch I was surprised the loved corn chowder over rice. :mrgreen:
Vintagesan
 
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Re: How can I switch my young sons way of eating?

Postby Lyndzie » Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:10 pm

My kids are 3 and 5. They are vegetarian, but we do not have dairy in the home, and eggs are rare. When I got rid of the cheese, I kept "forgetting" to get it at the grocery store. They asked for some today while we were out, and I just told them it wasn't on the list. They still get these items outside of the house.

Foodie has some great advice. They don't get to choose, because they are the children, and I am the adult. If they decide not to eat something at lunch, I'll save it for when they get hungry, and they can eat it then.

For breakfast, they usually have cereal and almond milk. They've been into Puffins and Kix lately. Most of the winter they ate cold oats and raisins. We also have plain shredded wheat and Cheerios. They can pick from these choices, so there is a little bit of personal choice, from within boundaries that I am comfortable with.

Lunch varies quite a bit. The other day it was peanut butter and jelly, with sliced apple, and bell peppers with hummus. Today was an Asian noodle dish. They really like beans and rice with avocado, or sweet potatoes, corn and broccoli.

Dinner can vary quite a bit, too, but we all eat the same thing, so that they can see an adult enjoying and talking about the food, such as the colors, textures, flavors. (My husband eats differently. My girls think only men eat meat! It's kinda funny how they try to process the world.)

When it comes to cow's milk, we discuss that mommy cows make milk for baby cows, just as mommy humans make milk for baby humans. If we take the milk from the cow, then there isn't any milk for the calf. We've had some pretty good discussions about it, because my daughter likes cheese, and I can relate to that, but I choose not to consume it because it's not meant for me. We've never consumed milk as a beverage, or juice for than matter, so it was really just moving away from cheese.

My advice is to slowly make changes. Nix the dairy products first, either by substitutions or "forgetting" to pick them up, while finding non-meat meals that you can enjoy. I've been surprised at how much my kids enjoy the simple dishes.
Lindsey
My food journal: Adventures in Eating
My pregnancy journal: Maybe a Baby 2017
www.lindseyhead.coach
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