Results tagged “nutrition” from Momtourage: Need Advice?

You might not need to broach the subject at all. She is already declining desserts and seconds so you don't need to tell her to stop eating but you will need to protect her from misinformation. Most girls her age learn what they know about food from advertisers. They incorrectly believe foods carrying nutrition claims such as "low fat", "sugar-free" or "lite" are always better choices than regular foods, and your daughter may eat these highly-advertised foods thinking they do not count. I find snack foods and drinks marketed to kids her age can be a tremendous source of unnecessary calories.

I absolutely agree. Serving fruit and vegetables in recognizable forms is the only way a child will get to experience the food, and it's the only way a child will learn to like it. Parents who sneak foods into the menu have the best of intentions -- they think it makes their child's diet more nutritious. What they don't realize is that many of today's children are well-nourished, but not well-fed.

Age twelve is not too young to make this decision, and it provides her with an ideal opportunity to take on a little more personal responsibility -- very important as she moves into the teen years. There are two major considerations here: what she needs to be a healthy vegetarian, and how she'll get the foods and nutrients she needs in a family that isn't vegetarian.

Actually your job is to serve a balanced diet. It is your son's job to eat it. You started off just fine by serving broccoli along with his favorite pasta or bread. The trouble began when you got into a power struggle. The meal was ruined at that point. And that's a shame, because all of us--moms, dads and children--need the pleasure of a family meal a lot more than we need a bite of broccoli.

That's a great question. You can actually eat any wholesome food but you want to avoid foods, vitamins or substances that could harm the baby if consumed in large amounts before you know you are pregnant.

I am actually happy your son did not take to the flavored milk, since adding chocolate and strawberry syrup turns milk into a dessert. For some kids it becomes the only way they’ll drink milk, and then parents get into a struggle about how often to serve it.

I actually don’t routinely recommend supplements unless your child has a specific need. Maybe he’s a vegan or has an iron deficiency. Or, of course, your pediatrician recommends one.