"Clean" Eating for Kids

I am not a food guru and certainly don't know EVERYTHING about nutrition with kids.  My kids have good days and bad days...just like me.  But my kids are pretty good at eating a variety of foods and trying new things.   Since I wrote about MY clean eating, I thought I would mention our method for our children.

Tim and I are not picky eaters and try most things, aside from small aversions.  From what I have heard, we were not super picky when we were little.  I think some people are more sensitive to certain foods and it's important to listen to that.  If something doesn't sound good, don't eat it.  There are PLENTY of other clean foods to eat.  I think that is important for kids too; to know you respect their food aversions can go a long way when they are trying new foods, otherwise you can bet they are never going to try ANYTHING new.  Plus, my tastes have changed from when I was a child...

except for the taste of wet bread or limp lettuce...I can barely type that without throwing up in my mouth a little bit.

I can remember, as a child through my teenage years, HATING tomatoes.  The texture, the flavor...I just couldn't fathom eating them.  However, I was also taught that when we visited a friends home, we did not complain about the food and we didn't pick at it. So one night at my future in-laws, my mother-in-law prepared a salad for me...and it had tomatoes on it!!!  I almost lost it...but couldn't.  I had to eat it...and so I did...and I am SOOOOO glad that I did.  That was the best salad I had ever eaten (and I'm sure it wasn't a glamorous one).  But I'm so thankful I felt like I should try it because I now LOVE tomatoes.  Taste buds change with time and I know texture does too...for some things...

but Tapioca, or cottage cheese...ummmm...I just can't.

These are the things we keep in mind with our kids:

• at Lunch and dinner, there are always fruits and vegetables plus some kind of protien.  
• at breakfast, we try to have a carbohydrate and protein.
• we only eat out once a week, maybe two if Tim is out of town.
• I don't have enough energy to make a different meal for our kids and for us (unless what we are eating is off the wall).  If they don't like everything on the plate, that's ok, they just have to try it, but if they want dessert, they need to eat plenty on their plate.
• we don't make them finish their whole plate...who knows how much (I pull some type of number of "bites left" out of my "back pocket" from my "Mommy makes this s*$t up as she goes" book) which directly correlates to how much they ate before, how close to "wine time" it is, and how much I've eaten.  But I try and ask them, "Are you full? Or are you just wanting to play?"  We've saved their food for them if they didn't eat much, and we've thrown it away...depends on our mood.  But they aren't getting any of Momma's chocolate if they haven't eaten enough.
• They get plenty of exercise and we exercise with them.  It makes it fun.  We never talk about loosing weight or "I look fat" in front of them.  We talk about being "healthy".  "Mommy needs to go exercise so I can be healthy" and sane.
• they eat snacks...at least two snacks between the 3-4 meals. I try to make them healthy snacks like fruits and proteins (apples and pb, hummus and pretzels/veggies) but they have their fair share of goldfish, crackers, pretzels, popcorn, natural cheesepuffs (like that's better), rice cakes, raisins, cheerios, fruit strips, veggie straws.
• they drinks loads of water and milk.  When we eat out they mainly have water or lemonade.  

 This is what a typical plate looks like for dinner.  I made pot roast and this is what they had (don't mind the old lady place mats...they were my Grandmas...OKAY!):

There are fruits and what we had for dinner, the roasted veggies - which took some convincing - and the pot roast.  They enjoyed it though.  I think what is important to remember is that it's not all bad food all the time.  That you try to have good food most of the time.  You have to enjoy life.  Leading by example is a great way.  Enjoying food, enjoying activity, enjoying and indulgence every now and then (that's why it's an indulgence).  And props to all those able to make everything from scratch...sometimes I just need to feed their face...and mine.

I think kids need to know at an early age how to regulate their food intake.  That way when they become a teenager and we have less control of their eating habits, they already know how to take care of their body, or at least will fall back to the foundation you gave them once they have almost ruined their body entirely from enjoying their teen/college years.  I was very unhealthy to the point of not eating much at all.  My parents gave me a fairly good eating foundation: we never drank pop, and we had a home-cooked meal most nights and hardly ever dessert...but we had junk food in the house too.  And now I make much better choices.  They need to make the clean eating choices on their own.  When they go to a friends house, they might make a smart food choice and they might not.  But the foundation is there.  If you provide a foundation for them, I bet they will return to it.

and when all else fails...these ladies can make you feel great about your choices...

#imomsohard

don't put too much pressure on yourself, but don't go crazy either.  Lead by example.