Does anyone else have a "foodie" kid on their hands?

[LauraGB]

If so, how do you handle the weight issue while supporting the passion?

 

Ds is almost as consumed by food as the food is by him. But I mean that in a culinary way; I know this because he is his mama's boy ;). He loves to cook, loves learning about new ingredients, loves to eat his new concoctions (I think it might be in his dna because I have this problem, too). He spends his tv time watching cooking shows, but he especially loves the Man vs Food guy. Which is a bit of a problem - if you've seen the show, you can guess why.

 

We've discussed portion sizes, ingredients good, and ingredients bad, and my only real caveat for him is that he subs any sugar content with a natural source. So far, so good with that. But, unless this kid starts growing upwards right quickly, he's going to become quite round. His choices are balanced and healthy because I'm on him about it, and he is quite a good little cook, but I'm getting a little concerned.

 

If you have a kid who likes to cook, dreams about what he'll cook next, how do you help him maintain a healthy weight? I so don't want to hinder his passion (and passion it is for him), but I also don't want him to begin a long term battle with eating, and heart disease, and diabetes, and so on, as he gets older.

 

Thoughts? Advice?

[kewb]

I struggle with portion control with my dd. She loves food (and so do I). What physical activities is your son involved in? My dd is on the swim team which helps keep her weight in check. I find it is not enough with her to discuss and practice good eating habits and portion control. She needs a lot of physical activity.

[LauraGB]

I struggle with portion control with my dd. She loves food (and so do I). What physical activities is your son involved in? My dd is on the swim team which helps keep her weight in check. I find it is not enough with her to discuss and practice good eating habits and portion control. She needs a lot of physical activity.

 

He plays racquetball once or twice a week, plays football (since it's fall) at least twice a week, walks with me several miles each week, plays wii fit when there is inclement weather...I try to get things going on in that capacity daily if I can. Maybe that's not enough. But even when we are walking, guess what we talk about? Yep, what we'll cook later that day. Or tomorrow. Or how this ingredient would pair with that ingredient...

Edited October 10, 2010 by LauraGB

[Mommyfaithe]

dd was a foodie when she was little. Swim team helped. She still loves food...but also HEALTH...and she is becoming a certified dietician with a minor in sports nutrition. She is now quite thin...she also exercises a lot. My ds 8 is also a foodie....I keep him active and I say NO a lot. No you can't eat that because I want you to be healthy. I am also thinking of doing a nutrition unit with them because my youngest ds is an anti-foodie...unless it is a treat or a snack...then...watchout. i want to make them a chart and have them check off servings of protien, veggies, fats, water, etc. and then teach them to make healthy choices.

 

I would use his love of food to teach him about healthy habits and maybe how to cook and CLEAN up after as well. My foodies LOVE to cook and create in the kitchen. Don't let them eat out of boredom. Don't be afraid to say no...i love you and want you to be healthy. Don't make a huge issue of being over weight, just start implementing healthy habits a little at a time.

 

~~Faithe

[DarcyB]

I have a little foodie, too, but we also talk about his own portion control, his variety, why food is good but too much of anything even good is bad. I let him help in meal planning so he's learning about balance. He prepares lunch 2-3 times a week based on a food plan we set up for him as a guideline on how to plan it and prep it.

 

He watches a ton of food shows from PBS to FN...we're even going to see Alton Brown next weekend because he's a family 'food' hero, especially DS' (as seen here!)

 

Along with the joy of food, we also have to teach the responsibility of feeding the body. Anymore than that and it can cause more harm than good. We also do TaeKwonDo 3-4 times a week to make sure the boys are getting outside activity - year'round.

[LauraGB]

He watches a ton of food shows from PBS to FN...we're even going to see Alton Brown next weekend because he's a family 'food' hero, especially DS' (as seen here!)

 

 

 

Whoa! So totally jealous! (and I'm not even showing this to ds because he'd want to guilt me into finding a way to go, too!)

[BMW]

My son is a foodie and he gains weight easily. He is naturally stocky compared to his biological brother, who is stick skinny and tall.

 

He LOVES to eat and cook. He is one terrific helper in the kitchen, too.

 

I sat down, heart to heart and talked about health and about greed. Because not only will he overeat or want to eat all the time, but he is quick to finish and ask for more before other siblings have had their first servings (when the family is all together, which is a big family!).

 

I made sure to reach his heart and for him to see this as a health issue. We did not discuss pounds, size, shape or "losing weight".

 

Our general rule is that I dish up his plate and he may not ask for seconds at all if we have everyone home and eating and he may not ask for seconds except for veggies. As I said, that is the general rule. Sometimes, knowing what he has eaten for the day, I might offer him extra of a main dish just because he likes it and he takes a small amount.

[regentrude]

My DD13 is a foodie. Loves cooking shows, loves to cook and bake, loves to eat yummy food and tries everything.

We just make sure she is very active. When the kids were younger we hiked or climbed every weekend, walked every day. Now she is riding horses and is at the barn for about 15 hours a week, riding and doing barn work. That should give her enough exercise so she can afford to eat like she does.

[LostSurprise]

My oldest looves food. He will eat anything and he's getting to that age where it can pile up a little (10-12) before he hits his big growth spurt.

 

What has helped him:

 

*DAILY activity. An hour at least.

*Sharing food. When he makes things he has 1 portion and then he gives to his family and his friends. It's become fun for him to find opportunities to give his creations away or be involved in group preparation.

 

He's still a little chunky but I've noticed in his face that he's firmed up a bit and he's taken a more healthy approach. Best of all he seems to have taken responsibility of it on himself.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

ME! I have one who is passionate about being a chef and loves to cook. My other 2 love food and love to eat! They all will try just about anything--except they each have one or two things they don't eat.

 

I work on exercise with them. We do have a really healthy diet, lots of fruits and veggies with a TON of good lean meat. We make healthy choices and talk about portions a lot too. But, also, one thing we do differently is working with exercising. I tell them that if they exercise every day, they can pretty much eat what they like (within reason). Also, we live by the "everything in moderation" idea.

[Carrie12345]

We're a bit on the opposite end, in that ds is a twig, and *I* don't need the extra calories! ;)

 

Honestly, I've been limiting ds to 1-2 junky recipes/wk (cookies, cakes, etc.). Anything else has to fit into our meals so that it's simply food (vs. extra food). If he wants to make a decadent potato dish, it gets paired with skinless chicken. If he wants to make crazy hamburgers, they're paired with lots of vegetable sides. If he wants to make a high-calorie breakfast dish, we make it brunch.

 

More importantly, I'm trying to steer him toward the healthier cooking shows and cook books. Because he's just starting out with this new interest, the ooey-gooey stuff is obviously grabbing him first, but it isn't healthy to cook that way every day, regardless of weight!

 

Once ds gets his coordination and cleaning skills polished (:tongue_smilie:), I'll be thrilled to turn my kitchen over to him, since I absolutely hate to cook. There are at least 3 meals a day for him to work with, plenty of yummy healthy recipes to try, and no real reason for there to be large amounts of *additional* calories involved.

[abbeyej]

OT: Laura, how's your dd's arm?

[LauraGB]

OT: Laura, how's your dd's arm?

 

We went to the dr on Fri and an xray confirmed there were no broken bones, just a sprain - what a relief! She's been a little testy about not being able to do the sporty things this weekend and next week, though, however I don't hear her crying too much about getting out of dish duty:tongue_smilie:. It seems to be doing much better today, and only really hurts if she bends it a certain way.

 

Thanks for asking! :)

[LauraGB]

I'm so glad I'm not alone in this!

 

One thing I see mentioned is loading up on good sides and keeping the big ta-do main dish - this is something I think I don't enforce enough; it seems all the attention is placed on the main course and less on the sides. Hmmm...I think we may spend some time getting acquainted with more involved sides rather than just going with plain old steamed veggies and a salad, which really does put all the attention on the plate on the main course. We should be working on making the entire plate attractive and balanced.

 

Good stuff!