Nutrition tip from my 6 yr. old,

[FitMomof4]

Today my 6 yr old is standing with me at the grocery checkout, and the (overweight) cashier strikes up a conversation with him. He told her he had just come from a birthday party where they hit a pinata and he got lots of candy.
cashier: "So did you eat it all?"
my son: "No, only 2 pieces"
cashier: "Oh, you're smart, saving some for later"
my son: "That, and I don't want to get fat". :laugh:

OOPS, meant to post this in the nutrition thread.

[ladypilot]

I was at WalMart in the freezer section a few days back. I was walking up and down the aisle looking for soy ice cream - which btw, they don't have. I overheard a woman and her daughter having a conversation.

Girl: I think I wanna get these. (Points to ice cream sandwiches.)
Mom: OK, we can get those. But remember when you said a lot of people had big butts?
Girl: Yeah.
Mom: Well, these are OK, but you don't eat the whole box at one time. You have one today, and maybe another one in a few days.
Girl: OK.
Mom: You can still enjoy foods that aren't so good for you, but if you have too much, that's how people get big butts.
Girl: Oh, that makes sense now.

This girl was maybe 4 or 5. I was so impressed that her mom was teaching her "all things in moderation" so young.

[Marrla]

hahahah Too funny. I had to read it to my coworker. :lol:

[Blondell]

I teach my kids moderation. Of course kids are going to want sugar, but they shouldn't have it all the time. That goes w/ fast foods also. It has gotten to the point now that my youngest will pick something up in the store and my oldest will say "No, David, that's not healthy" :lol:

I love that!

[Marrla]

Originally posted by bdd814@Jun 11 2006, 09:37 AM
I teach my kids moderation. Of course kids are going to want sugar, but they shouldn't have it all the time. That goes w/ fast foods also. It has gotten to the point now that my youngest will pick something up in the store and my oldest will say "No, David, that's not healthy" :lol:

I love that!
hahah A well trained machine! I like it! :lol:

Maybe I could rent your kid for a day to come grocery shopping with me?? ... hahhaa :lol:

[cm13cm]

we were at the stoe and my daughter wanted to buy a jar of goobers peanut butter. i told her no and asked her how she could eat something called goobers? she said i was right and a guy behind us said," i guess i won't be getting any either." :laugh:

[PinkGlitter86]

I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?

[PowerManDL]

Yes. Fat children are rampant. Eating disorders are the way of the future.

[jaleena]

Originally posted by PinkGlitter86@Jun 12 2006, 12:36 AM
I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?
"Should" and "are" are two different things. Letting idealism get in the way of reality can be a dangerous thing.

[Bravogrl27]

I was a fat kid and would have appreciated someone explaining to me those kind of things--i.e., why people get big butts, lol.

[jaleena]

I was a fat kid and didn't appreciate calorie restriction from birth. Made it much harder to un-screw my metabolism. Seems to me that kids are painfully aware of how big butts are made.

[Vanessa]

Originally posted by PinkGlitter86@Jun 11 2006, 07:36 PM
I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?
Obesity is a major health risk. I think it would be irresponsible not to teach kids how to avoid it. It would be like not teaching them not to talk to strangers.

VanessaNicole

[Ruby]

Originally posted by Bravogrl27@Jun 11 2006, 08:55 PM
I was a fat kid and would have appreciated someone explaining to me those kind of things--i.e., why people get big butts, lol.
Agreed. I didn't know I was considered a chunky kid and I didn't even realize it until other kids literally made fun of me. At that time, I honestly thought everyone had a little belly :lol:

[ladypilot]

My mother taught me healthy choices at a very young age. I remember being in 2nd grade and wondering why some of the kids were fat and I wasn't. Junk food was a rare "treat" in my household.

As a former teacher, I saw a lot of kids eat a lot of crap at school. Kids eating adult-sized portions and chocolate yogurt (yuck!)

Kids definitely need to be taught healthy eating and why people get fat. They also need to understand what being fat also does to the inside of your body. It is tough to break habits that are started so early!

[lynne12]

Whenever I go to an event w/ my kids (swimming, soccer, school events), I'm always surprised by how many I see who are overweight. It's quite sad actually. :unsure:

[FabulouslyFit]

My 6 year old knows which foods are good for her body and which ones are not.

One time we were eating dinner at my mother in law's house, and my daughter yelled out " gross, what's wrong with the vegetables ?" My mil completely soaks them in butter when she cooks them. They end up soggy like in butter soup. I told my daughter to eat them. She took one bite and said they where yucky. My mil gave me the meanest look. I apologized and told her that we steam ours and don't put anything on them.

[Fet]

Originally posted by PinkGlitter86@Jun 11 2006, 07:36 PM
I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?
I agree with you. To a 6 year old, the opposite of "fat" isn't "healthy", it's "skinny". And I think we've had enough "skinny fat" threads here to know that thin isn't necessarily healthy.

I explain to my kids why certains foods are healthy or unhealthy. But I'm not going to burden my dd with the threat that her ass is going to get fat. That's all she needs to hear, as she approaches puberty.

I'd rather have an active kid who's 10lbs overweight than a sedentary kid who's 10lbs underweight.

[NCfitnessgirl]

Originally posted by FetQueen@Jun 13 2006, 12:17 PM
I agree with you. To a 6 year old, the opposite of "fat" isn't "healthy", it's "skinny". And I think we've had enough "skinny fat" threads here to know that thin isn't necessarily healthy.

I explain to my kids why certains foods are healthy or unhealthy. But I'm not going to burden my dd with the threat that her ass is going to get fat. That's all she needs to hear, as she approaches puberty.

I'd rather have an active kid who's 10lbs overweight than a sedentary kid who's 10lbs underweight.
Great post!

[Fet]

Thanks! My son, the super-jock, is a little more receptive right now, as the girls are starting to circle, and the scouts are out looking. He's more likely to ask me "Mom, what do you think Sidney Crosby eats before a game?" than "Mom, does my ass look fat?"

[GraceGirl]

Originally posted by ladypilot@Jun 10 2006, 09:16 PM
I was at WalMart in the freezer section a few days back. I was walking up and down the aisle looking for soy ice cream - which btw, they don't have. I overheard a woman and her daughter having a conversation.

Girl: I think I wanna get these. (Points to ice cream sandwiches.)
Mom: OK, we can get those. But remember when you said a lot of people had big butts?
Girl: Yeah.
Mom: Well, these are OK, but you don't eat the whole box at one time. You have one today, and maybe another one in a few days.
Girl: OK.
Mom: You can still enjoy foods that aren't so good for you, but if you have too much, that's how people get big butts.
Girl: Oh, that makes sense now.

This girl was maybe 4 or 5. I was so impressed that her mom was teaching her "all things in moderation" so young.
Wow, that's actually really awesome! :laugh:

[Chelsinator]

I think parents need to teach their kids about healthy eating in a way that gets through to that individual child. Every child, just as every adult, finds certain things of more importance than others, and learns in their own way. For one child (although being 5 or 6 may be young for this) hearing about what makes butts big and what prevents that may work for them, while another kid might not care, but care more about being able to play for longer or run faster, or not get tummy aches. Not every child will be as receptive to the same reasoning, so you just have to teach them in a way that they understand and find important, IMO.

[colo1278]

Originally posted by PinkGlitter86@Jun 12 2006, 12:36 AM
I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?
I don't think the kid sounded "worried". I think he sounded smart and like he has educated, caring parents.

[ShaliHead]

Originally posted by colo1278@Jun 14 2006, 08:47 AM
I don't think the kid sounded "worried". I think he sounded smart and like he has educated, caring parents.
I agree with you. There are some seriously fat kids out there, and it starts really young. I am glad that that child is getting education on how people get "big" butts.

[Pandora]

Originally posted by PinkGlitter86@Jun 11 2006, 07:36 PM
I'm sorry, but should a six year old be worried about "getting fat"?
I don't think that the scenario mentioned is bad at all.

There's a difference between making a child obsess about getting fat (which is bad) and teaching a child about obesity and health. What was said to that child is common sense and very general. I think it was absolutely fine.

[Fet]

Originally posted by colo1278@Jun 14 2006, 08:47 AM
I don't think the kid sounded "worried". I think he sounded smart and like he has educated, caring parents.
I don't think the poster implied the child in question was worried. I think she mean, SHOULD we be making kids worried about being "fat"?

[Pandora]

Yes, but they should be aware of what obesity is and how it is caused. They should be aware of what constitues healthy eating (generally, speaking) and about the consequences of poor nutrition, one of which is obesity (but also, diabetes and others).

There's no reason not to gently teach children and let them know of consequences. That does not mean making them obsessed, obviously, and I don't think that it should be taboo to even speak about it for fear of them thinking about fat.

[Angie]

Originally posted by FabulouslyFit@Jun 13 2006, 09:56 AM
My 6 year old knows which foods are good for her body and which ones are not.

One time we were eating dinner at my mother in law's house, and my daughter yelled out " gross, what's wrong with the vegetables ?" My mil completely soaks them in butter when she cooks them. They end up soggy like in butter soup. I told my daughter to eat them. She took one bite and said they where yucky. My mil gave me the meanest look. I apologized and told her that we steam ours and don't put anything on them.
Classic, I would have been laughing at the table... :funny: