Kids & Nutrition

First of all, this post is really long, and has nothing to do with my pregnancy. It is stuff I've learned about childhood nutrition that I feel like sharing/remembering/implementing with my own twinnies! 

Recently, I have been learning about overall Nutrition. The past 2 weeks or so it has been primarily focused on pregnancy and childhood nutrition. Of course, I have found this information to be completely beneficial due to my current state. One of the things I learned a lot about was how awful childhood nutrition is and how I do not want to follow the current trends that most parents employ with their children. If you are reading this and do things that I don't want to do, then don't think I'm judging you. Everyone has their own style of parenting!

I'm sure most of the people reading this are going to think I'm beyond crazy but after talking to my beloved husband about it, he seems to agree with me. We will try to follow with some...if not most of the suggestions provided. We want our kids to be as healthy as possible to avoid any issues such as obesity, diabetes, any kind of nutrition related issues later in life like heart disease, osteoporosis, strokes, heart attacks, as well as some cancers.

First, kids learn how to manipulate their parents before they are even 1 year old. Can you believe that?! Before the age of one, my precious little twins are going to learn how to get what they want from me & Kyle. ONE!! Boy, are we in for an interesting time! Notice how a kid will drop something. Mommy will run over and pick it up and give it back to him. Kid drops item again. Mommy picks it back up. Now that child knows any time I drop this, Mommy will come running to pick it up for me. Boom! Manipulation.

This manipulation includes food. If you give your kid something such as chicken nuggets (which isn't healthy, by the way. Highly processed food isn't a healthy option even if it is "chicken") one night, and then the next night will try to give him broccoli. He will probably turn up his nose and not eat the broccoli. He will probably refuse to eat in general. Mommy will freak out because her child isn't eating, and remembers that the night before he gladly ate the chicken nuggets, so she will make it for him again. Child gets what he wants. He knew those chicken nuggets are good...and of course he would...they are processed, meaning it usually will have high salt, high fat, etc in the foods.

So, Kyle and I have decided we don't want to feed our kids these processed foods as much as possible. Prepackaged, premade items like Mac & Cheese from a box are not healthy for you or kids, even though they are delicious! We have also decided that we are going to hold out. Kids know how long it takes before mom and dad will cave and give them what they want. They will eventually eat that broccoli if they are hungry enough. Therefore, we will remain strong and not give him what he wants. Also, by not introducing those processed foods to them, they obviously won't know how yummy they are so they won't hold out for things like that. =)

Children have different eating needs than adults. That means, adults typically sit down to about 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Maybe add a snack between lunch and dinner. Often times parents will want their kids to sit down and eat with them at those 3 main meals, and finish their plates. However, that isn't exactly a good idea. Kids (and when I say kids here, I'm talking about young children such as toddlers primarily) do not need to eat those big meals. They eat small portions throughout the entire day. Kids are remarkable at self regulating if they are hungry or not. However, many parents employ the "Just take 3 more bites" rule (or some other number), forcing kids to overeat. This instills really bad eating habits from such an early age because it teaches the children to eat past when they are full. It also encourages them to "clean their plates" which also encourages overeating when they are older.

Don't freak out if you noticed your child eating less than he used to. Kids go through growth spurts. While they are growing, they will eat more. When they aren't going through a spurt, then they won't eat as much. Like previously stated, kids are great at self regulating (especially with healthy foods) their food intake. They won't eat when they aren't hungry, especially at such a young age, and their only food options are healthy. If you keep giving them candy, then they might not be so great at self regulating... but that's beside the point. It's okay if you child starts to eat a little less than he used to, it just might mean that he isn't growing so much at the moment.

 If our child sits down and takes 3 bites of his food and says he's full, that's fine. He will eat more when he's hungry. Of course, they will still sit with us, and won't be running around like crazy hoodlums while the rest of us eat. However, we will not force them to continue eating when they are not hungry, even if it is "one more bite." If they never eat, then we will know something is wrong and address the situation then.

We also want to employ the "One Bite Rule" which is different than the "one more bite" rule. The One Bite Rule requires every person at the table to take at least one bite of whatever is being served. This will expose our children to lots of new foods and it is non-negotiable. Even Kyle & I will be forced to follow through on this. If you take a bite and don't like it, fine, you don't have to keep eating it. Forcing a child to scarf down a helping of something he thinks is disgusting isn't actually helping, it could cause them to hate that food forever. Keep in mind though, it takes 20 introductions to a food before someone can become used to it (especially if they didn't like it the first time). Some foods have an acquired taste... which means you won't like it the first try, but after trying it several times, then you start to get used to it and then can eventually start to like it. With this One Bite Rule, if on Monday they ate a bite of green beans and didn't like it, they didn't have to keep eating it. However, if I served green beans again on Friday, they are still required to take one bite of it that day, too, even though on Monday they tasted it and didn't like it. This will increase their exposure to these foods until they eventually become used to it. Now, I understand that some foods will never be liked by some people. However, this lessens the chance that the kids will become picky eaters and will encourage them to be more open to trying new foods as they grow older.

Another thing we won't do is give our children something separate from what Kyle and I are eating. Kids learn by watching. If I give our twins a plate of broccoli but Kyle and I eat some macaroni and cheese, those kids are not going to want to eat that broccoli. They will think it doesn't taste good, or just refuse to want to eat it because mommy and daddy clearly don't eat it either. They are eating the good stuff! It is encouraged to give your children the exact same things the parents are eating but in much much smaller portions, of course. This will hopefully encourage parents to eat healthier as well because they shouldn't want to pump their kids full of junk. If the kids see Mommy and Daddy eating something and enjoying it, they will probably be more likely to want to follow suit.

Here's one that everyone is probably going to think we are crazy for. We do not want to give our young kids fast food or sugar. First of all, no one should eat fast food. There is nothing healthy about it. Portions are too big. Too much salt. Too much fat. Even the salads can have more fat and calories than their main burgers. It's ridiculous. Second of all, sugar is not required for a baby/toddler/child etc. We tend to like to make a lot of sugary, sweet stuff because it tastes good and we use it to celebrate things. The earlier you introduce these things to children, they more they will want it. I am pretty sure that giving your child ice cream is not in any way shape or form helpful to their overall health. You can get the dairy or calcium maybe found in it, in other more healthy ways like milk. Low fat milk (after a certain age).

Of course this lack of sugar could be hard because I LOVE to bake. I take after my mother. When the kids are older, then we will probably make cookies and such but not when they are toddlers, etc. We will try to hold out as long as possible. I know most people think I'm crazy. What about their birthday?? What about Halloween?? Well, we haven't really figured that part out yet. Kyle made a good point in saying that a 1 yr old isn't going to care if he gets a birthday cake to destroy or a basket full of candy. All of that stuff is for the parents and other adults. It's cute, it's fun, etc. The point is though, it is not healthy. I don't want my babies to be struggling with an addition to sweets or soft drinks.

 No, I am highly positive we will never give our kids soft drinks. Why? Soft drinks, tea, coffee, energy drinks, etc rob the bones of calcium, plus they're awful for you. All these kids you see that drink a lot of that stuff without drinking the same amount (or more) in milk, are more likely to be struggling with more broken bones than kids who don't drink those things. My brother and I were both in sports all the way through high school and I remember being forced to drink milk while I was getting older. Guess what we weren't allowed to have a lot of (or even really kept in the house?)... No coffee... rarely were we allowed soft drinks, just because Mom didn't really keep it in the house... and we never drank tea or energy drinks. Never once did we suffer from a broken bone. Now, kids find places like Starbucks popular but it is robbing their bones of calcium and after the age of 30, you can no longer build up the calcium in your bones. That is why it's so important to avoid those things as long as possible! Up until the age of 30, you need to get as much calcium as possible to make your bones as strong as possible instead of participating in recurring bad behaviors such as a cup or more of coffee everyday without taking in the same amount of calcium. I still try to make Kyle drink extra milk because he loves his coffee. We want him to have strong bones for as long as possible! And no, diet sodas are not more acceptable. They are actually probably worse because of the added chemicals to still make it taste good.

Tagging on to the drinks we won't be giving them, we will probably not give the kids a lot of juice. Even 100% juice has a lot of sugar and calories. Milk and water for our babies! Maybe some crystal light juice so they can have some flavor. :)

Three main problems with kids is a lack of calcium, iron, and fiber. Many kids struggle with constipation because they aren't getting many veggies or fruits or other foods with fiber in it, so they struggle to use the bathroom. Then, when they finally can go, it hurts and so they try to avoid it. This only makes it worse because the more you hold it in, the more the body absorbs the water from it and makes it harder to pass. Pretty picture, right? This applies to adults, too. Don't hold it in! Drink plenty of water and eat lots of fiber! As far as iron goes, from what I've learned, many kids are apparently misdiagnosed with ADHD instead of iron deficiency anemia. It seems that some of their symptoms are similiar. Kids will sit in the back of the room and fidget to stay awake, they can't focus, etc and people think they are hyperactive. Really, they are iron deficient which can cause them to be fatigued, worn out, etc. The extra moving is to keep them from falling asleep in class. A good source of iron is homemade spaghetti! The tomato sauce has iron, the meat will have iron, and the noodles will all work together for good iron absorption in the body. As far as calcium goes.... well.. we will give them plenty of milk!

We are going to start out giving our kids nutrient dense foods. Whole grain bread that has at least 3 grams of fiber in each slice. There is absolutely no reason to start giving our kids white bread. Many parents start giving their kids these things because they think their kids won't want to eat the healthier option. Toddlers cannot know what is good for them, in every aspect in life. That is why they are living with their parents and not getting a job and living on their own. They need guidance and help and nurturing. The same goes with food! Kyle and I aren't going to let our kids dictate all their food choices because lets face it, kids don't quite know what's best for them. We do! 

Also, keep out of the house what kids shouldn't be eating (or adults for that matter). Junk food is a no-no. My mother NEVER kept chips in the house. She would, when I was in high school, buy me some Reduced Fat cheez its (which I was addicted to, no lie), but we never had Lays or Fritos or Doritos in our pantry. When my dad was alive, he would eat stuff like that periodically so I would always be able to eat it that way, but after he died, it basically vanished unless I went and bought it with my own money which wasn't about to happen. That stuff has NO nutritional value whatsoever. There is absolutely no reason for my children to eat it except just to pump their bodies full of calories which isn't helping anyone. If I don't want our twins to eat gobs of ice cream of snack out on chips, then I need to keep it out of the house. That way, they aren't tempted! That way Kyle & I aren't tempted, either. :) We already avoid any kind of true junk food. However, a tub of ice cream seems to continually reappear in our freezer... starting in January though, we're giving up sweets as long as possible except for birthdays. :) We want to learn how to live by example!

We plan to pack and send food with our children when they go to school. School cafeteria foods are a JOKE. Seriously. Nachos as a main course.... I don't think so. My kids want a Lunchable? Fine. I'll make it myself and put it in a container with different sections so it looks like the one from the store. Kids are attracted to the cartoons on the packaging. They watch ads on the TV and think they are the yummy stuff and want it. Just because they want it doesn't mean they're going to get it from me. Sorry babies...you're going to have a rough road of having a hard nosed mommy. Don't expect to go to grandma's and get what you want either ;-) Something I'm thankful for learning from my own mother: She did not so easily cave to my wants and demands. As an adult, I have grasped the value of her wonderful parenting style!

We will also teach our kids to cook and have them help us from a young age. That way they are learning how to make things and become used to it. So many people are too busy or lazy or just have no idea how to actually cook anything anymore which is why the premade boxed dinners are so popular, and why so many people have health problems these days. You have NO idea what's really being pumped in your body... but it's easy, so why not? We want our kids to know that they have better options, they just have to cook. Get them used to it early, and then they'll be more equipped to deal with it when they're older.

Pump you kids full of veggies. There is no reason not to. It's good for everyone. It is actually the current recommendation for a healthy nutritious diet to have half of your plate be fruits and veggies, not meat. Hopefully we will be able to incorporate that into our own diets here soon, that way he will affect our kids and their outlook on food. We want to teach our kids to eat to live, not to live to eat!

Kyle and I really do want to follow through on all these things. I know some of them sound extreme, but that's okay. Luckily you have your own kids or future kids to feed whatever you want to. All we ask...really...we expect people who are with our twinnies, is that they follow our rules. One little taste of something might seem harmful to you, but if it's something like candy, our babies will never forget that taste and will always want it again. We don't want that kind of exposure for as long as possible. We are planning to be really hard-nosed and stubborn about this, too. After they are born and are older to where they start eating, we will see how it goes, but the point is, we, as the parents, should be in control of our children's eating habits and what we expose them to, no one else should it upon themselves to pump my kids with crap with we don't want it. We want healthy babies that live a long, long time and have the best chance possible at avoiding any nutrition related issues!