Boys are bottomless pits, we all know it. I've heard it from my mother and sisters-in-law for years, and until about 6 months ago, I had no idea just how true that is. Now that I know first-hand, I'm frightened. Cameron and Ethan are eight and six. How in the world am I going to feed them when they reach their teen years? I may have to discourage sports and tell them that all the cool kids are in the chess club, because if we add strenuous physical activity to the mix, they'll be even more ravenous.
Most of my concern came about yesterday. A while back, it was common for Cameron to come home from school and eat a Popsicle or a banana and be fine until dinner. Yesterday, he came home, threw down his bag, and charged the kitchen. He ate one banana, two slices of toast, one frozen burrito and two pieces of licorice while he waited for the darn microwave the cook the burrito at what he certainly felt was an unfairly slow speed. Had this been just one day, I would have thought that he didn't eat a very good lunch, but this seems to be the new trend.
Ethan was doing his best to keep up with Cameron by pounding down one bologna sandwich, a bowl full of goldfish crackers, and a handful of chocolate animal crackers. Not bad.
So I've done some calculating, and I figure that in eight more years, Cameron will be sixteen, Ethan fourteen, and I'll be working a full time job just to earn the extra $1,000 a month it's going to take to keep them from suffering malnutrition.
And there is another problem with food in this house. Andrew battles his weight on a daily basis in hopes of fighting off heart disease and living to teach every one of his grandsons the joy of fishing. So with a family health history that is a bit scary, and not entirely on Andrew's side, when do I start telling my kids when enough is enough? We talk on almost a daily basis about healthy foods and portion sizes, (thus the two hypocritical packages of frozen burritos in the freezer...), but how do I tell the difference between the nutritional needs of growing boys and gluttony?
Over the years, Andrew has become a good sport when it comes to my nagging about food. I have tried to train him to put his snacks in a dish rather than eat potato chips, for example, straight out of the bag. This way he knows exactly how much he's eating. I force him to put fruit and veg on his dinner plate, and then I hide the butter and salt. I quit letting him scoop his own ice cream a while back, and now he is becoming used to what I call the "Norman-size bowl of ice cream". (That's right, I said "Norman", not "normal".) And my husband knows that I do all of these things out of love. I want him to be around until I'm good and wrinkly and ready to go myself.
And not to seem self-righteous, I have to say that I don't do a lot of exercising myself, and I have a sweet tooth. There is always candy in our cupboards and soda pop in our fridge. The kids are allowed to share one soda on Friday nights, but that's about all they get. (Do as I say, not as I do.) And they are used to candy being around, so they don't freak out and try to out-eat each other when they catch sight of it. It's just there. No big deal. They don't have candy every day. (But I do!...when they aren't looking!)
My kids in particular need to learn healthy eating practices while they are young. I'm not concerned so much with the type of food they eat, because we rarely have fried chicken with gravy and cotton candy for breakfast. Not wanting to stunt their growth, however, I am wondering when it's appropriate to reign them in on their quantities of food. Thoughts?
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5 comments:
I totally get what you are talking about. Hold on! I think our food budget has doubled. I spend about $600-$700 a month on food. As long as you are feeding them well balanced meals why not? I have a cut off time for after school snacks. I also only allow the kids 2 snacks. Otherwise, they would think the kitchen is always open. If I don't close the kitchen then we could have serious weight issues. It is funnny I have had to do some of the same things with David as you are doing with Andrew. It is purely out of love. I get it.
That's a tough call to make for sure. When the boys were little and in the 15th percentile for weight, their pediatrician actually suggested I start putting butter on a lot of their food. He said it won't hurt them at all and they need the extra fat. At what point do you draw the line though?
I think your boys get lots of healthy meals and plenty of exercise - you're probably just fine.
When they start sweating from the exertion of eating, then you've got a problem. ;)
I disagree. My opinion is that is DOES matter what type of food you eat. Because you could eat 700lbs of celery and never gain an ounce (not that I recommend it).
If kids snack on fruit and vegetables (period.) they will always be getting the nutrients they need without the garbage they don't and they will learn how to crave what their body needs not what their eyes want. And you never have to limit those. Ever. Thirsty? Water is free. Hungry? There can be a lot of variety in cut-up produce.
Then if your 3 meals are well balanced, fresh and full of good protein, vegetable fats and whole grains... growth will be UP not OUT.
Definitely want to give them lots of healthy options, with a few not-so-healthy ones as well (hey, moderation applies to all things, right?). But I don't think I would be limiting their intake too much at this point, as long as they are active and are still eating their actual meals very well. Like you said, we have to expect pre-adolescent boys to eat A LOT - they actually do need it. But I would say maybe one snack like burritos or cereal after school, then all-you-can eat fruits and veggies til dinner? Sounds reasonable to me!
I'm with you on the sweet tooth thing and don't have a problem with a fun after school snack but they know that if they want more, which they always do, then they can have a multitude of other things. Often it's sandwiches, cheese, left overs from previous dinners, fruit, vegetables etc.. I don't limit there food intake because I haven't needed to yet.
Because we talk about health and weight at home they tend to be monitor themselves. For example Hunter has come to me before and grabbed his sides and said he is putting on some extra weight. He had and so we discussed how he was just coming home and playing video games and needed to get more physical and he did just that. I think educating them is the best way.
However kitchen is totally closed after dinner. Except for Todd and I anyway. Plus during the summer I had to limit how much time they were in the kitchen for my own sanity.
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