Results tagged “nutrition” from Momtourage: Blogger Knows Best

 

  Every parenting expert out there warns us not to engage in food battles with our children because it's one of the few places they can exert their control and we'll lose.  Lily has suddenly at the age of 6 begun a nightly ritual of refusing dinner.  I'm of the belief that 'forcing' them to eat is a waste of time and energy.  Life is just too short for all that conflict.  My philosophy has always been, I'm not making her a special meal she eats what we eat and if she doesn't and wants a snack later - tough, no way.  Too bad.  Eat your dinner.  However, last night, I had to work and wasn't around to supervise.  Apparently, my husband gave in and quicky replaced her pork chop with chicken.  I was livid!!  I'm surprised he just didn't give her ice cream for dinner. (I can see it.)  Whatever happened to I have your back?!

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I'm writing this because we had a troubling notice come home from our school yesterday:  apparently, there are several children in our school who have life threatening allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk and eggs.  The officials in our district are actually contemplating segregating these children from the rest of the children during lunch.  I don't remember hearing about all these allergies when I was growing up: the attitude in the 70's was basically - "Oh well, it sucks to be you."  However, that is not the case today.  We can all debate why these allergies exist (pollution, pesticides) but that does nothing to solve the issue of anaphylactic shock.  When a kid can't breathe because of peanut butter fumes the 'why' debate helps no one. 

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When Lily was a tiny baby, my husband and I joined the organic food revolution.  We started shopping at Whole Foods and went out of our way to find local farmers' markets.  Every time we'd pass a McDonalds we'd shudder and say, "The horror, the horror."  However, with our current household budget shrinking, I've had to make cuts (many) where I can and sadly, organic food is one of them.  We can always go back to our healthier, more expensive, nutritional lifestyle when things improve but for now, we'll just have to stomach preservatives, fill-ins and chemicals.  Which all makes me sad because contrary to what you might think, I don't believe organic food makes us live longer it just makes the time we have here healthier.  In a strange twist of fate, I believe it's all those preservatives that actually make people live longer and at the rate things are going - global warming, potable water shortages - I don't know if I want to be around for all that.  I hadn't planned on it.  However, I had to remind my husband last night that we should just be thankful we have food in the fridge to even debate over (and now we at least have a little extra for the beer we need to help us forget).  What cuts have you had to make in your budget?  Please share, you'll feel better about it.

 

We had four kids over this afternoon for an after-school playdate as it was waaaaay too cold to meet at the park.  We actually did meet on the playground but after only 25 minutes of that bone chilling, blustery north east wind, we were all headed for the comfort of the indoors....our indoors and I found myself scrounging for snacks for five hungry kids. 

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by educationmom

Attention parents of young children... the end of a beloved childhood tradition is near. Thanks to our nation's schools--and their efforts to combat childhood obesity—there is a new entry on the endangered species list--the cupcake.

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by theducatedplate

I think by now most of us have heard at least one reason why soda is just not that good for any of us to drink, but especially our kids. The other day I was flipping through the November Issue of Family Circle in my doctor's office (where else do you get a chance to read it?) when I came across another disturbing reason why we should all stop buying soda.

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My daughter Lily is in Kindergarten in the local public school. There is a new phenomenon in going on in New York City elementary schools:  students watch movies and television instead of playing outside at lunchtime. On this one I'm not going to be a-political and try to show both sides of the issue because as far as I'm concerned, there is no valid argument for this besides furthering the interests of the fat, lazy, overpaid staff at her school... and I say that with all due respect.

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I've written about it before in past blogs, juice boxes are full of sugar.  Lily's class is going to have a little Halloween party next week.  I was elected to bring the juice boxes.   Now considering how much sugar these little munchkins will be consuming later that day and at the party (with all those sugary, frosted baked treats), I'm bringing lowfat milk and wateroos instead of juice boxes.  I'm sure none of the kids will be like, "It's not apple juice?!"  Well if they do who cares anyway?!  What's the matter little Johnny?  Need a fix?  Juice boxes are like a gateway drug for meth.

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There's a rumor in the entertainment industry (well at least among us comics) that Sesame Street retired the Cookie Monster character because of his unhealthy eating habits.  "He's a monster...he has a different metabolism than humans for gods sake!  And he never actually ate the cookies...more like crushed them."  I'm quoting fellow comic Karen Bergreen with that joke.  I don't see him anymore on new episodes of the popular childrens series.  Am I missing something?  Is he still on them?  Are we just not seeing the episodes featuring him in the northeast?  If it's true it makes me very sad 'cause I really liked him.  His complete lack of decorum around baked goods is rivaled only by my Hungarian grandmother.

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Lily starts school at 8:05am, eats lunch at 11:50am and has snack at 10:30am.  We, the parents, were advised at first grade orientation by her teachers that we are to send in only healthy snacks.  I've been sending in what I believe to be healthy snacks:  cut up fruit; pretzels; yogurt; organic oreos.  Only to find out, that her teachers have been withholding her snacks because they don't feel they're healthy enough and I quote, "are loaded with sugar."  Do teachers really have the right to tell your children what they can and can not eat?  Should teachers supercede your judgement when it comes to your childrens nutrition?

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One of Lily's classmates was sent to school today with one of her mother's many old Starbucks cups full of juice for lunch.  Now that's definitely an urban child.  I know which mother it was too.  I could just see the poor woman desperate to get her five (that's right I said five!) elementary school children ready for the day.  She probably forgot to turn the dishwasher on the night before and just said, "Oh the heck with it."  Washed out a few old cups she had rolling around the floor of her Cadillac Escallade (someone's got to tell these people that Brooklyn Heights is just an expression not a mountain range) and voila - Lily's friend had espresso apple juice to wash down her PBJ.  She may have started a new trend...espresso apple - for the kid who falls asleep after lunch.

Now despite the negative feedback from readers, I still give my five year old a sippy cup in her lunch bag because sports bottles leak like crazy.  It's not because I have issues with letting go this issue is I've had enough of irate Kindergarten paraprofessionals cornering me at pick up time complaining about sports cups leakage or as they like to call them 'drippy cups' in cubbies.  Generally, when other adults send me notes about 'leakage' it's usually in those naughty spam emails - you know what I'm talking about.  In fact, several terse notes have come home about leakage in the past two months. 

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Not only is she a goddess and a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. but Angelina Jolie's also a real mom.  This photo warms the cockles of my heart.  She might be on the raw diet along with all the rest of her Hollywood friends but when the chips are down and her kids get the munchies chips will do....and Cheetos for that matter...not even the baked kind.

I wonder how many bags of Cheetos Heather Mills can buy with $22 million.

What is it with Easter and colored eggs?  Is it a symbol of spring fertility?  The whole rebirth thing?  'Cause it's a bit of a stretch to tie in eggs, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans with the crucifixion.  Actually, it's even a bit insensitive.  Sounds more like a Hallmark invention.  I don't think there are any egg hunts in the bible.

Any rate, Easter and Halloween are Lily's favorite holidays.  She was so excited coloring eggs yesterday that I thought she might need a paxil to calm down.  It's my turn to do Easter dinner this year so we're having 10 adults and 4 kids over on Sunday.  So far the menu is: ham; carrots; turnips; roast beef; asparagus; salad; and mushroom risotto.....and of course cocktails.  'Cause a big ole' martini is the only way I'm going to get through another family get together.  Dysfunction Junction here we come!

Is it your turn to cook this year?  What are you making and how many are you making it for?

  My nephew just told me he doesn't like fish because it tastes too fishy.  Sounds about right.  I remember hating fish too when I was growing up and that was problematic because we lived on the coast so it graced our table at least twice a week.  I remember my mother griping, "You'll eat it because it's good for you not because you like it.".....as she blew second hand smoke from her Benson & Hedges all around the house.

As an adult, I love to eat fish and shell fish but not more than twice a month because of mercury.....despite the heart health advantages.  Lily eats salmon or as she likes to call it 'pink fish'.  I've been giving her farm raised salmon until I learned that farm raised fish are often higher in PCBs than wild salmon.  Now I'm not exactly sure what to do.  I've been told canned salmon is an option as canned fish are often wild.

The way I got her into eating fish was to involve her in the cooking process.  She actually likes cleaning fish.  Who knew?  What do you do?  Do you serve your children fish? 

My friend's daughter, Hillary, is only 11 and she's menstruating already.  In fact, she started last fall when she was just turning 11.  Like me, my friend is also into organic food.  That's how we met actually: we struck up a conversation on Flax Seed Oil at our local farmer's market.  She started her kids on an organic diet when they were just infants and she's quite the enthusiast, prompting me to rename her the Nutrition Nazi.

Well Hillary just announced to me yesterday that she has PMS.  It caught me quite off guard, I had no idea.  Not that I would, it's clearly none of my business.  I was like. "You have Pre Math Syndrome?"  I mean, she's 11 for god's sake....I hated Trigonometry too.  Then I suddenly remembered my friend from college, who was quite the hippy, also raising her daughters on organic food and that they all entered puberty quite early too:  like 10 or 11.  My college buddy didn't start menstruating herself till she was 14. 

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The only thing worse than seeing yourself in the mirror of a department store when trying on bathing suits is finding out that the one you bought last year mysteriously shrunk, over the winter, in your closet.

That's right....the disgust I felt for my ever-growing, size 10 frame last year, was just replaced by a new loathing for the size 12 I've become!  What the heck is going on?!  So the tankini with the built-in skirt that I sported last summer and brought along to Florida for my official Winter Humiliation Week is now too tight!!  I swear ladies, I'm eating the same amount of junk food juxtaposed with guilt relieving organic salads this year that I ate last year.  I always balance my calories:  when I stop at Taco Bell for their Burrito Supreme I always get the diet coke.

I'm a mom.  I don't have time for the gym and I just can't keep up with diets and I've done 'em all.  Remember the Atkins Diet:  couldn't eat bread, bread crumbs; you couldn't even get a yeast infection on that.  I started running again this afternoon....in the rain....as soon as we flew back from Florida...and now my knees are aching (I deserve it).  What do you recommend?

At a recent parent teacher conference, I was advised that Lily is having trouble paying attention in school because she is literally falling asleep at her desk.  She is not participating in story time nor does she respond when called upon.  Her comatose state is really affecting her performance in school.  Even though we make sure she eats breakfast the foods she was consuming in the morning were Cheerios and toast - carbs.  Sometimes, I give her fruit but she likes her carbs.  Eggs are out of the question because like her father, she's literally skeeved by them.  She eats PB&J for lunch and fruit so she does eat well.

I was advised by a nutritionist to modify her diet in the morning:  give her more protein and to get her on fish oil capsules.  She's been eating these great apple/chicken sausages with fresh strawberries washed down with a protein shake for two weeks in the am.  If it doesn't have a face Lily isn't eating it.  She gets her fish oils before she goes to bed. 

Today, I received the second of two congratulatory phone calls from her teaching team this week.  Her O.T. said that Lily has literally come out of her fog and is paying attention, focusing, participating and that even her voice is louder now (I give 'em two days before they start complaining about that).  Her teachers and her principal are saying that Lily's awakening is quite phenomenal.

Larry and I couldn't be more thrilled.  It's lovely to get positive feedback from our child's teachers for a change.  I can get used to this.  What nutritional changes have you made to your kid's diet that has affected their behavior positively? 

That's right!  You heard me.  The children's menus at restaurants are always full of crap:  hot dogs; hamburgers; french fries; chicken fingers (I've yet to meet a chicken with hands); etc.... Nothing but fried foods and carb filled pasta.  A truly unhappy meal.  And they wonder why our children are suffering from obesity in record numbers!  Why not just have smaller portions of the healthier foods on the adult menus:  like pint size baked chicken breast; or salmon; or something like that?!  Believe it or not kids like good food too.

I was raised on the four basic English food groups:  sugar, grease, alcohol and salt.  However, we know better now.  Who started this ridiculous trend of offering only crappy, tasteless, fried foods to children?  Are restaurants trying to compete with McDonalds?  If I wanted my kid to eat fast food I would go to a fast food chain....and I'd pay a lot less too.

I tend to share my food with Lily.  I'm famous for ordering an extra clean plate for her.  I've had waitresses make comments to the effect that I'm cheap for doing this.  I'm not trying to save money just her arteries.  

What do you do?  When you go out to eat do you order for your kids from the adult menu or the children's side? 

Now that Lily is officially 5 she's feeling her oats....but not eating them. She used to be such a great eater but now she snubs her nose at even her old favorites like lasagne and says things like,"Ooh that looks dithguthting (heavy on the lisp)" and/or "I'll only eat two bites and then I'll be excused". Lily treats every meal now like a hostage situation.....she's always ready to negotiate. Who is this person at my table? Is it Lily or Lindsay Lohan in front of the judge?....any judge.

Above is a happy reminder of days gone by: my friends' baby, Cheston aged 15 months, wearing his pasta. I don't know if you can tell from this photo but he has sauce in his ears. I took this photo the same night Lily told me that lasagne is groth!!

Quick Quiz:

• Does your child normally get all As and Bs?
• Does your child have good behavior?
• Does your child have two or less absences in school?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions (and you live in Florida) your child could receive a coupon for a free Happy Meal.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, recent school report cards in Seminole County have a promotion from McDonald's restaurants printed on the side, encouraging kids to get free fast food as a reward for good grades. (see image below)

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