x-post Nutrition Lesson for Eye-Rolling Teen

[goldberry]

I am so tired of fighting with DD14 about her eating habits. We eat "ok" as a family. We don't get enough fruits and veggies, could eat more whole food and less processed. DD has never been a big eater. She picks. I give her a handful of carrots for a snack and she asks "How many of these do I have to eat?" I was that way as a kid, so I get that. (Not that way anymore, needless to say! :-)

 

I really worry about her because she eats so little anyway, but has gotten really bad about picking whatever the one thing is that has no substance and leaving the rest. She can go more than one day without any fruit or vegetable. I get the eye-roll when I try to discuss with her what can happen to her body from malnutrition.

 

I've decided to have her do a nutrition unit for school. But it can't be anything too boring. I need something that can hold her attention, even rather shocking. Something to really make the point about how what we choose to eat affects us.

 

Books? Websites? Other ideas?

 

 

x-posting from Gen Ed...

[Live2Ride]

we have to set the example too. Make a decision, do you want all of you to eat better? Then clear out that pantry and start the course with her-make it fun by getting into the kitchen and preparing things. She won't like it at first, but may come to. It will teach her some good skills anyways. I bought my daughter a subscription to Cooking Light since she liked looking at my old ones and a new apron. We got rid of the junk (with occasional bags of chips for treats). We got in the kitchen and started cooking. She complains at times, but she is trying new things, finding out what she actually does like, and learning some good life skills.

[goldberry]

Yep, I do realize that. I just want to have her also do some research on her own, since she seems to be blowing off the seriousness of it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

You might check out SparkTeen. I don't know much about it myself but am planning to have ds15 sign up for our health unit.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I know many will disagree with what I'm going to say, but...

 

I would not be battling a 14 year old over food choices. You can set an example by your own choices. You can make sure there are only healthy choices to chose from in your house. But you can't force a 14 year old to eat right. In fact, you are turning food into a negative thing. You could even create an eating disorder by turning this into a daily fight. She will learn. She will grow up one day and grow wiser. Right now it's just a fight with her mom. You can't and shouldn't try to control her eating.

[Kalmia]

I have been thinking about this a bit in terms of keeping food choices from being a battle between people who care for each other. Perhaps her reading/viewing could include a focus on how the food system is making huge profits off making people sick and "filling" them without "feeding" them. Teens are often interested in justice and fairness. Introducing her to the deceitful marketing practices may inspire her to action. Especially linking it to social justice: Why are there no supermarkets with good produce in poor areas? Why are soda machines allowed in schools? How can companies be allowed to promote their sugary products as healthy or natural? She might internalize that spending the family's money on unhealthy food supports corporations that knowingly push their foods on people who do not understand the ramifications of their choices. In this way, your quest for healthy nutrient eating becomes less you vs. her and instead us vs. them (industrial food). Some excellent ways to do this include:

 

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

 

Fast Food Nation

http://www.amazon.co...ast Food Nation

 

The Omnivore's Dilemma

http://www.amazon.co...e's dilemma

 

Hungry for Change on Netflix

Knives over Forks on Netflix

Fresh on Netflix

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix

Media that Matters: Good Food on Netflix

Food Matters on Netflix

Food Fight (with Alice Waters) on Netflix

 

 

 

 

Also have her grow her own garden. After all that effort and care, she's unlikely to let the produce go to waste!

 

Do preview the videos and books as a few may mention s@xual side effects of eating a poor diet (Fast Food Nation, maybe), and she is only 14 after all.

[Mommyof4ks]

Maybe rather than focusing on her doing research, make it a family project. Have the attitude that we all need to change to make ourselves more healthy. Watch some of the Netflix videos mentioned above, have everyone learn what those ingredients are on the labels of food, make a weekly family trip to the farmers market, have each child research what certain vits and mins do for us. Make it positive instead of negative.

 

In the meantime maybe experiment with smoothies and juicing and make it a requirement that everyone has to try it before saying ewww lol. That will at least get some fruits and veggies in her while she learns how to be more healthy.

 

I applaud you for being so concerned about her health and for making the changes necessary for your family, make it a group effort though rather than a battle of us vs you. :)

[Mom-ninja.]

How is she health wise? How is her growth and weight? Make sure she is growing.

 

If there are health issues going on then take her to a doctor. That's what it took for my ds. Although his issue wasn't that he only ate junk food. His issue was that he basically stopped eating. He also wouldn't touch a fruit or veggie. It caused health problems and weight loss. For example his liver was affected and he has to go in for monitoring blood tests.

 

The whole time he wasn't eating properly I kept quiet. I didn't want to turn it into a battle. However, I had to intervene because he didn't understand that he was harming himself.

 

So, clear your house of everything except healthy options and stand back. But watch to make sure that she does eventually actually eat.

 

If you think she might benefit from it take her for a physical and have blood drawn to check her vitamin/mineral levels and such. I think the doctor talking to my ds about eating made a difference.

 

Also, ask what she likes to eat. Have her participate in meal planning and cooking. At 14 she can be responsible for cooking at least one meal per week for the family.

 

Take her favorite foods/meals and research together how to "healthify" them.

 

Does she like ice cream? Make your own and experiment with ingredients like fresh fruits or coconut milk.

 

Does she like fries? Have her make sweet potato fries, rutabaga fries, turnip fries, etc. in the oven.

 

Does she like chips? Make kale chips, sweet potato chips

 

Get her involved in the buying, planning, and cooking of the food.

[swellmomma]

I would not do a nutrition class I would watch some documentaries perhaps (forks over knives, fast food nation etc)

 

But otherwise I would do a home ec class focused on cooking. I would list guidelines that must be followed like a puzzle to be solved and let her have at it. So for example: Choose, plan and prepare a meal suitable for supper, it must contain x# food groups (here in canada it would be 4 but I don't know you the us food pyramid is split up), and be low carb. Look up the differences between regular and lean cuts of meat before chosing what protein to serve.

 

Then have her choose the menu, plan the grocery list, go with you to shop for list and prepare the meal. During the meal she has to reveal how it fit the requirements of the assignment and why she chose that selection of protein based on her research.

 

Next class might be, choose, plan and prepare a meal suitable for breakfast, it must contain grains,be low sugar, and include a fruit of some sort. research the difference between whole grain cold cereal(shreddies) and whole grain hot cereal(cream of wheat) and note the difference in amounts of sugar before making your selection. Look into sugar content of fruit juice vs fresh fruit before deciding on your fruit selection. Again, plan, shop, prepare and present.

 

Each time being a different meal/snack with different requirements to fulfill that teach label reading, nutrition and get her eating a bit more, without it feeling like another boring class,.

[goldberry]

I know many will disagree with what I'm going to say, but...

 

I would not be battling a 14 year old over food choices. You can set an example by your own choices. You can make sure there are only healthy choices to chose from in your house. But you can't force a 14 year old to eat right. In fact, you are turning food into a negative thing. You could even create an eating disorder by turning this into a daily fight. She will learn. She will grow up one day and grow wiser. Right now it's just a fight with her mom. You can't and shouldn't try to control her eating.

 

Kim, I don't disagree with you. I'm going the route I am because I don't WANT to battle her, but would rather try to get her to self-motivate by learning a little more about it.

 

 

 

I would not do a nutrition class I would watch some documentaries perhaps (forks over knives, fast food nation etc)

 

But otherwise I would do a home ec class focused on cooking.

Each time being a different meal/snack with different requirements to fulfill that teach label reading, nutrition and get her eating a bit more, without it feeling like another boring class,.

 

I like this idea also! She is resistant to cooking though.

 

I have been thinking about this a bit in terms of keeping food choices from being a battle between people who care for each other. Perhaps her reading/viewing could include a focus on how the food system is making huge profits off making people sick and "filling" them without "feeding" them. Teens are often interested in justice and fairness. Introducing her to the deceitful marketing practices may inspire her to action. Especially linking it to social justice: Why are there no supermarkets with good produce in poor areas? Why are soda machines allowed in schools? How can companies be allowed to promote their sugary products as healthy or natural? She might internalize that spending the family's money on unhealthy food supports corporations that knowingly push their foods on people who do not understand the ramifications of their choices. In this way, your quest for healthy nutrient eating becomes less you vs. her and instead us vs. them (industrial food).

 

Yes! This is exactly what I was thinking. A way to get her interested in learning about it rather than me asking her if she ate any vegetables today. Thanks for these resources.

 

I don't want to argue about it, and certainly I did my share of poor eating as a teen and young adult. I did at least know the proper way to eat and why it was important. I want to make sure she has that info too.

[thebacabunch]

buy one of those blender bullet things and a freezer full of frozen fruit. Works like a charm with my teen cause she thinks it is cool.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I was going to suggest all the great documentaries too-Supersize Me, Jamie Oliver, etc mentioned above. I wouldn't comment. I wouldn't harangue. Just present them and good info as part of health class. My 14 yo will dig in just to oppose me. As said above I'd only have the OK stuff around and I'd watch if she actually eats but otherwise I'd quietly stay out of it. I do know that is hard. My 11 yo is still complaining about the junk going away and it's been almost a year. My tongue has tooth marks.