My Kids HATE Low carb Meals Any Suggestions?

[Nibby]

Well the title says it all! Since my husband and I started the low carbing
we eat alot more fresh foods, meats, vegtables, nuts, fruit etc and my kids hate it. I find alot of times they wont eat what I cook now and eat potato chips and hot pockets instead:-(
Its about 50/50 if they eat supper or not. If its porkchops and salad or
hamburgers (they get a bun, we eat it like cheeseburger salad) they are fine.
It gets frustrating for me and time consuming. ANY suggestions????
I know I could could just not get the hot pockets, chips, Debbies etc
but honestly 12 and 17 year boys don't want to each that much veggies and fruit. My 17 year old was munching away on some potato chips and I told him "enjoy it now because when you get older you might not be able to eat them!"
Well any ideas are welcome.

Nibby

"THINK OF THE ONE CANDLE THAT IS LITE, NOT OF THE SURROUNDING DARKNESS.........quote from Master Po.....Kung Fu The Movie

[luddybell]

at 12 and 17 ... they should know that this stuff isnt good for them... I say quit buying it, and if they still wont eat it give them a set of rules... " you want it .. you take your money and buy it"... PERIOD

[geo53562]

I'm unclear on this...is it that you want them to eat healthier, or you are frustrated by having to cook two sets of meals to satisfy everyone?

[mkathy6]

I make 1 meal but I add a starch in for them whether it is some time of potatoe or rice. then they eat the protien and the vegtable and sometimes they can have the bread and butter. they haven't complaon to much except for chicken again!!

Every once in a while I will throw in some frozen pizza's for them and do my cheeseburger and salad and it works out fine!

I have other stuff in the house as well. I have 3 skinny kids and 1 skinny husband who don't have problems with carbs. Although my kids do love the fruit - it is what I miss most!!!

[Lisa N]

at 12 and 17 ... they should know that this stuff isnt good for them... I say quit buying it, and if they still wont eat it give them a set of rules... " you want it .. you take your money and buy it"... PERIOD

Yes....but at 12 and 17, they're not likely to care whether it's good for them or not and food likes/dislikes are becoming fairly well ingrained.
I have 2 girls and they're quite a bit younger (almost 8 and 9), but they have always loved fruit and veggies. I have more trouble getting enough protein into them than anything else. Not that they don't like their sweets and junk food as well. What I do with them is compromise...they get 1 treat a week (usually ice cream after school on Fridays) and I allow them 1 bag of regular cereal per month. The rest of the time, they eat like we do with some added starches such as wheat bread and some higher carb healthy foods like fruit, yogurt and milk.
Education is the best weapon. If kids want a type of food (especially at the ages of 12 and 17), they will find a way to get it. Even in 2nd grade, my girls manage to trade what's in their lunch for what other kids have, so eliminating the junk can be nearly impossible. They do, however, understand what is and isn't healthy food for their bodies and what can happen to their bodies if they give them too much junky food (get sick, less energy, not feeling good), so that type of behavior is tending to decrease.
I do like the idea of telling older kids "If you want it, use your own money to buy it". I plan to use that method with high-priced clothing items that I expect to start getting asked for in a few years.


Edited to add: I moved this to the LC Parents forum so that it will hopefully get some suggestions from other LC parents who are struggling with the same issue.

[JeannieF]

The 17 year old poses a real problem. I wouldn't buy the stuff much, but might try eliminating it slowly. The 12 year old will probably look up to the 17 year old and join in his arguments.

I do think the eating likes/dislikes of the 17 year old are already ingrained, but I have my 11 year old eating low carb and loving it. The difference is, he's chubby, needs to lose weight and is seeing results as the weight drops, the clothes fit better and he looks and feels better. It's much easeir when there is motivation.

Also, try looking at the recipe section or get a good book with low-carb recipies in it to try different, interesting things so they don't always say, "Chicken, again!" I've found lots of good tips in these sections and books to help keep things interesting.

Realize that you might never get the 17 yr old to buy into this, but that doesn't mean you have to change what you're doing. At 17, he can make his own frozen pizzas!

Good luck!

Jeannie

[feather]

Why don't you get them to plan and prepare a meal once a week (that's two days off a week for you). They can make what they like BUT they must make something that you can eat as well.

[Kurlylocks]

Hi,

When I was 17 and lived at home , I ate what was put in front of me or didn't eat. You are the parent and should set the rules. My 14 yr. old eats what I do, except I add a serving of noodles or potatoes to his meal. I want him to eat healthier as well as myself. He is very thin but I don't want him to be a heavy adult.

[Wolfiesask]

My 2 cents......I make my food and then a side carb for DH and the kids....no muss, no fuss, no bother, everyone's happy and well fed. If it bothers you to make it yourself then get the kids to help at mealtime. My kids don't have a weight problem therefore I have no problem letting them eat higher carb foods....believe me...at 14, 12, 9 and 7 they burn it off as fast as they eat it.

Nicole :wave:

[luddybell]

hmm maybe i came on a bit strong in my first post, but yea i agree... i still live at home im 21..... I do all my own cookin and buy all my own groceries... otherwise if not, I would eat what was cooked or do with out.. thats just the way ive been brought up

[Lisa N]

Why don't you get them to plan and prepare a meal once a week (that's two days off a week for you). They can make what they like BUT they must make something that you can eat as well.

Excellent idea! Boys need to learn to cook for themselves as well as girls and when they still live at home is the perfect time to teach them. It also teaches them how to plan and prepare healthy meals.
I plan to do this with my own girls as they get older and I'm starting now with teaching them how to read recipes and how to measure ingredients (they made banana bread last weekend with my supervision). Even now, they are responsible for making and packing their own lunches for school (supervised, of course...otherwise it would be all treats and no real food even now). When they get a bit older, I plan to have them each be responsible for one family meal per week. They can make anything they want (within reason), but they have to find the recipe, make the list of ingredients they need and let me know what I need to put on my grocery list for them to make their meal.
They learn how to plan a meal and cook it and I get a break from cooking 2 nights a week...what a deal! :)

[Optimist]

My whole family is lc'ing and there are times when my 12 year is QUITE vocal about how there's 'nothing' in the house to eat and how he misses this or that. But, it comes down to something I had to face: I gave him the very eating habits I'm now telling him are wrong for him. So, it's up to me to change them and since I cook and shop, his choices are (as usual) relegated to what's available. Some days are easier than others but when I saw that being 'flexible' and allowing just a 'little' of something caused him to expect it regularly or to negotiate (if I eat this, can I have that?) I realized facing the hard part all the way through - for however long - was better than flip-flopping. As The Mom you decide how your family eats. If you feel like you're doing a bad thing by not buying their usual snacks, you may not have fully committed to this as a 'family' WOE. That's FINE if that's what you decide but, honestly, sometimes our kids are demanding or picky because we allow it. I know I'm guilty of that. :rolleyes:

I love some of the suggestions, particularly fixing a carb side dish. I eventually changed the side dish to either a second vegetable or something high in fiber like lentils to get them away from the usual rice, potatoes or pasta. Now we don't eat any of those things and don't miss it on the plate.

Parenting isn't the easiest job and I'm sure you'll do the perfect thing for your boys. :thup:

[MontyLiz]

This is only my second day so by no means an expert ! But I'm planning on feeding my kids the same as us but with carbs. Today we've just had chicken fillets, piles of veggies, and they each had a baked spud. If I cook lamb mince as for spag bol - then we'll do without the garlic bread and spaghetti - and they'll have theirs. I guess our plates will just have different proportions of foods. (lots of salad as well for all).

Ours are 8,6 and 4 and I'm glad to hear that other parents agree that if they're not fat then don't restrict anything. Ours are all skinny beans, always tearing around, and like their dad, can eat anything and stay that way. Bless him he's doing this with me to lose his 'love handles' (that I can't see).

Anyway, I agree that teenage boys can eat like gannets and not be easily pacified without their bread rolls, chips and pizza, as we've just had my two nephews to stay, age 17 and 16. I think you'll be doing a fantastic job if you can get them involved a bit in the kitchen. I couldn't get these two to get out of bed before 12 o'clock and pick up their dirty socks never mind cook anything!!

Let us know how you get on?

[Optimist]

Ours are 8,6 and 4 and I'm glad to hear that other parents agree that if they're not fat then don't restrict anything. Ours are all skinny beans, always tearing around, and like their dad, can eat anything and stay that way. Bless him he's doing this with me to lose his 'love handles' (that I can't see).


I agree, MontyLiz, and should have prefaced my post by saying two of my kids need to loose weight. If they didn't I'd continue to give them (small) portions of carbs as you do. Feeding kids is tricky enough without imposing our diets on them unnecessarily. :roll:

Uh, what's a gannet?? :)

[MontyLiz]

LOL - it's a bird of some sort - don't know if it really eats a lot or not, but here in U.K. that's a common expression. (in fact I only think it's a bird, don't really know!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I'm sure they eat low carb though! Liz

[AntiM]

I'm glad to hear that other parents agree that if they're not fat then don't restrict anything

A little off the topic...

I have to respond to this because while I respect all the parent's opinions on this thread, I also know that my weight is partly due to the well meaning food restrictions I experienced growing up. Don't get me wrong, my body weight is completely my responsibility, but just as genetics play a role, so do the early diet patterns.

I was a fat toddler in an obese family, and by age 5 my Mom had me weighing in at WW. In third grade, our family physician had me zipping along on amphetamines. I'm sure had WLS been an option in the '70's, my parents would have arranged for me to have the surgery. Every bite that entered my mouth was monitored and measured, yet I still gained weight. I dieting my way up to 300 pounds by my high school graduation, and did not stop this trend until I got out of my parent's house and discovered size acceptance. Finally, I was eating like a normal person and my weight stabilized.

I feel the diet mentality affected more than my body. The subconscious messages I received as my normal weight brother was encouraged to have seconds, while my initial portions were 1/3 of his and I was limited to that alone was excruciating. I remember feeling like he was far more valued, and as a thin child, he was often praised for his slender form - something he didn't earn, it was simply a natural expression of his physiology.

I encourage all parents to look at what messages you are sending your overweight kids. I guess my message is ... every child deserves to eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Restricting them from eating wholesome foods can backfire.

I personally think the solution is to keep the junk food out the house (Lord knows they'll have access to it in the greater world) and for physical activity to be strongly encouraged.

And you must all take this with a grain of salt, since I don't have kids of my own and can't know how difficult it is to be a parent.

[Optimist]

LOL - it's a bird of some sort - don't know if it really eats a lot or not, but here in U.K. that's a common expression. (in fact I only think it's a bird, don't really know!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I'm sure they eat low carb though! Liz

:lol: Thanks, Liz!!:lol:

[kaeleen]

Like most ot the other posters, I make lc meals and then have soem side carbs for the rest of the family. I have my spaghetti sauce on top of green beans while they have noodles etc But I understand your frustration. My 12 year old eats at his friend's houses alot. I buy the kids thier KD, frozen pizza and ramen noodles. I don't like that stuff so im not tempted to eat it. But they are too lazy to make it.
I just gave up. they either eat the healthy food I cook or go hungry if they cant be bothered to make soemthing for themselves. The kids are healthy and don't have weight problems. Good luck trying to get your kids to cook. If you cant microwave it, mine aren't interested.

[Nibby]

Everyones ideas here have inspired me to not buy Little Debbies, Candy, Soda or snack chips etc anymore.
I do compromise with the kids now on ice cream and kool aid and they still get pasta, potatos, noodles and bread.
Of course my 17 year old now says there is nothing to eat in the house but he is just too lazy to make something himself.
Ny youngest who is now 13 has expressed an intrest in low carbing somewhat and I told him I would let him decide if he wanted to and to what extent. I've taken away most of the "bad" food so I'll let him decide about the rest.

Nibby

[Lisa N]

I encourage all parents to look at what messages you are sending your overweight kids. I guess my message is ... every child deserves to eat a healthy, well balanced diet. Restricting them from eating wholesome foods can backfire.

I hear what you're saying, AntiM, but I think it's also important as parents to think about the message we're sending our kids by willingly buying junk food and bringing it into the house. No, you can't protect them from it out in the big, bad world, but when you buy it yourself and bring it home/keep it in the house, it sends the message of "These foods are okay". We know those foods aren't healthy and many of us have said as much to our kids. When we bring home foods that we have told our kids that we feel are unhealthy, what kind of message does that send? I know as a kid I would have been confused if my mom told me in one breath that chips, doughnuts, Pop Tarts, etc...were unhealthy and she wasn't going to eat them, but in the next breath told me that I could.
When it comes to fruits, veggies, cheese, yogurt, etc...I don't restrict my kids; they can have as much as they like of any of those. When it comes to foods that have a lot of sugar, white flour and transfats, I definitely restrict them; there's nothing wholseome about those foods!