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I was talking to a few parents about this and I have come to a conclusion that a child needs at least 2 hours of proper physical activity everyday. That can come in the form of playing (running around) in the park, swimming etc. So, as long as you are not overdoing it, it should be OK to have empty calories because they burn it out.
Of course, we ensure they are getting their protein, fruit, dairy, veggies and carb. On top of that, a cup cake here and a handful of chips there should not be a problem (as long as its not happening every single day).
Well im sorry but as a person who has seen the effects of a child not allowed unhealthy food :ie : mcdonalds . I was sitting in the mcdonalds waiting on someone and was reading a book when I noticed a dad and his daughter I guess she was about 11 . The dad noticed she was getting weepy teary eyed etc ... and her dad asked her what was wrong , she said that she would probably get in trouble with mom for eating this food meaning mcdonalds . She became visibly upset and she would not touch the food .She and dad picked up the food and left and he was just shaking his head and frankly this is what becomes of children not being allowed to eat certain foods and in my opinion too controlling and mom must have issues with body image as well .-
The danger sometimes is in too much "all or nothing" thinking. A kid that eats a doughnut or chips or has a piece of cake with ice cream at a birthday party isn't going to keel over and die. In fact that kid may happen to be healthier than the one not allowed to eat any junk food at all.
I think it is too controlling to deny sweets 100% of the time. I don't have a problem denying it most of the time and allowing it occasionally (birthday parties, holidays, a surprise day mid-month).
Completely withholding something that they know other people get, that other people like, may cause them to crave those forbidden foods. This is likely to be more of a problem once they reach school age.
We practice moderation. We offer healthy snacks and I pack healthy lunches. Yet once a week they may get a serving of potato chips in their lunch. Once a month we may have ice cream. The children are learning to make wise choices for themselves and to judge nutritional content. This will allow them to carry these habits into adulthood, and possibly to apply the lessons to non-food-related issues.
a cup cake here and a handful of chips there should not be a problem
Yes but what a powerful opportunity parents have to shape & form the minds of fresh children. If children are taught that chips simply aren't something we eat because there are so many better things to eat, then that will be their paradigm.
Other people might eat chips & sugary foods, and look how comparatively unwell they are.
Yes but what a powerful opportunity parents have to shape & form the minds of fresh children. If children are taught that chips simply aren't something we eat because there are so many better things to eat, then that will be their paradigm.
Other people might eat chips & sugary foods, and look how comparatively unwell they are.
And the second they get out of your sight......they will binge on the bad stuff.
I've seen it happen too many times with kids that were denied any treats. At one birthday party I caught one girl in the bathroom just stuffing her mouth with a huge slices of cake (which, her mother told her should couldn't have when she was dropped off at the party). When I asked her about it she begged me not to tell her mother, she was going to throw it up later anyway! The girl was 13!!! (No, I did not rat out the child, but I did talk to her father (who seemed much more reasonable) a short time later. The girl was in in-patient treatment for bulimia by the time she was 15.)
No one that eats the occasional slice of birthday cake or a few chips every couple of weeks is going to look any different than someone that never does.
It's about moderation and teaching your kids to make good choices. We never kept sweets or chips in the house....but she was certainly allowed to eat birthday cake at a friends, or have ice cream once in awhile. She's continued making good choices now as a college freshman - even avoiding the very common 'Freshman 15' that caught a few of her friends.....including the overly-controlled ones.
In the early years, there are no drawbacks. Young children don't know what they're missing since they're not exposed to it. My children were 3 and 4 years old before having McDonalds. The babysitter took them. I was flabbergasted when I picked them up and they were eating McDonalds. I didn't say anything because I never intended to keep them sheltered from junk food for eternity.
Nothing makes me cringe more than hearing someone give their children "treats" or "rewards." That puts too much emphasis on the junk. I think it's best to keep a limited amount of junk in the house and allow children unlimited access to it. By not having much junk in the house, the children aren't overly indulging and the parent isn't being a control freak by restricting access to what's already in the house. This way there is no over focus or conversation about healthy and junk and no need for rules about food. It automatically teaches children moderation since moderation is all that's readily available.
You asked what could be wrong with feeding in an extraordinarily healthy manner. That type of parenting often results in eating disorders. Eating disorders aren't healthy.
Yes but what a powerful opportunity parents have to shape & form the minds of fresh children. If children are taught that chips simply aren't something we eat because there are so many better things to eat, then that will be their paradigm.
Other people might eat chips & sugary foods, and look how comparatively unwell they are.
Bear in mind that children's minds are not fresh. They are not blank white boards that parents write on. They are people. People with no experience, but people just the same. Parents have a great deal of influence. But they are not the only influences. A parent who attempts to exert too much control runs the risks of side effects that have nothing to do with nutrition.
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