What's wrong with this picture? According to a recent study by Laroche and the University of Michigan, adults living with children tend to eat more fat than grown ups in kid-free homes. This study found that adults with children eat up to 5 times more fat grams a day (91 grams) than their "childless" counterparts (86.5 grams). An adult eating a 2,000 calorie diet should have less than 65 grams of fat a day, and less than 20 grams of this should be saturated. This study found that adults living with kids in their homes ate as much extra fat, from the non-child home adults, as was found in an indivual sized pizza.
The study collected research data from the Federal Government's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which provided detailed food questionnaires to approximately 7,000 adults with children under 17 residing in their homes. These questionnaires reflected food eaten by these adults within a 24 hour period. It is believed that adults who have children in their homes are eating more high fat convenience foods, like cookies, chips, crackers and processed meats and cheeses.
Is it due to time pressures; adult perceptions of what kids will eat; or keeping the kids happy while in the grocery aisles, church, or some other place where you need them to stay pacified? As a parent myself, I say that all 3 three of these situations arise. But what are we doing to ourselves and our children when we let the children influence our diets so much? It should be the adults who are the influence of the children, not the other way around.
I can see where it would be easy to fall into a rut, where we are just trying to get our kids to eat. Believe me, they'll eat whatever you put in front of them if they get hungry enough - or you give them incentives that they can relate to. (Of course, one of the incentives that I've been guilty of using is desert - if they eat enough regular food off of their dinner or lunch plates). It's usually a cookie, or an icecream treat. There are healthier alternatives, though, to the typical oreo or chocolate chip cookie (which I'll mention later). You can also fall into a rut when you have a lot on your schedule for one day - and it only makes sense to stop at a fast food restaurant than to go to a regular restaurant or eat at home in between errands. There are some healthy alternatives there too, and you can probably find them by asking at the front counter - or doing a little research on the net (which I might do in a future blog). My biggest excuse is having something on hand wherever I and my children go, in order to pacify them so that they're not the brat screaming down the way that I often hear in most stores. (I supply snacks, and small, portable toys. There are some healthy alternatives here as well).
It is suggested, that if you're one of these adults who is eating around 91 grams of fat a week, you adopt one or two healthy changes a week. In this way, you are less likely to become confronted by rebellion and sheer stuborness. It is also a good idea to have the children "own" these changes. That's not to say that they still get to pick the new foods completely. It would be a good idea, rather, to offer choices. For example, you can ask them whether they want grapes or apple slices. This is not an open-ended question, so they must choose between one or the other.
Below, you will find some healthy alternative snacks, and several links to some great recipes I've found:
grapes and raisins - porbable and high in antioxidants
nuts - high in protein (Portable, and many are high in fat as well, but it's the good type of fat ; ) (Excluding Macadamia nuts, which are high in saturated fats).
trail mix (Portable, and contains nuts and raisins, and a few naughty m&ms)
granola and granola bars (Portable and high in fiber)
fruit bars (portable, and high in fiber and many essential vitamins & minerals)
zucchhini or banana cookies (protable - just like bread, just make into cookies for easier portability)
100% fruit juice (portable in a sippy cup and healthier than regular high-sugar juices)
Caution! Too much juice could cause loose
stools and heavy diaper rash. Offer milk or
water after they've reached the 4-6 oz quota.
sweet potato chips (as opposed to regular potato chips, they
are high in B6, C and folate! Portable!)
baked chips and crackers (still not the best alternatives,
but they're not fried. Portable!)
yogurt (high in calcium)
quesadillas (high in calcium, and you can sneak spinnach and
other vegetalbes into them - as well as meats -
increasing their intake of protein and essential
vitamins and minerals)
hummus (high in B6, folate, and iron)
fruit! (some is portable, like grapes)
pasta (high in complex carbohydrates, and one of my older
daughter's favorite finger foods!)
light popcorn (portable! not the best alternative, but lower in fat than regular or high butter varieties that can clog
the arteries).
Great links to kid-friendly, nutritious recipes:
www.kidshealth.org
www.bulkfoods.com
www.Parents.com