I get asked by friends and clients if I regulate what my kids eat. The answer, NO! I don’t monitor what they order, I don’t monitor their snacks, but I do feed them dinner (high fiber/protein), & I buy healthy (high fiber/low sugar ) foods. I control what is in the house, but I do not comment on what they eat. I want each of them to have a healthy relationship with food. Having to sneak because they worry about my comments is going the wrong direction.
I lead by example, quietly. They see how I eat when no one is looking but them. They know why I eat the way I teach in CarpenterOne80. It’s getting in them.
We have pizza here. Yes, I encourage that they start with a salad. Do they? Not as often as I want them to, but the idea is presented. They are watching me eating the salad (pizza is not a trigger for me, I usually skip it or only eat the toppings). I make the cookies. I love to make the cookies. I don’t often eat them, because I don’t make my favorites (extra heavy on chocolate chips). I make their favorite which is milk chocolate chip cookies. They will do what you do. I think my kids would tell you that I like how I eat. Good enough, for now!
Kids need to be around foods they love and learn a healthy moderation. It comes from practice and modeling. Parents, you are the nutritional gatekeepers. Yes, it’s a responsibility, but you can do it and you can get better at it each day.
To get you started, here a few of the lunchbox snacks that I keep in our house for the kids
- String Cheese
- Granola Bars
- 2 Good Yogurt
- Peanut Butter Crackers
- Veggies Straws
- Cauliflower Puffs
- Apples
- Pears
- Cutie Oranges
- Fruit Snacks
- Bada Bean Bada Boom
Originally posted 2020-08-15 11:37:12.