What do you do when kids crave for junk food

[jack123]

Lot of kids these days crave for pizzas and burgers. What do you do then. Do you give it to them. All these things and colas and candys are very bad for kids health. We need to put them into a habit of eating fruits and freshly prepared healthy food. But how do you inculcate this in a child.

[cybele]

You dont buy the junk for them. Pretty simple really.

[jack123]

It is not easy to turn down their request every time. Especially when they see the other kids eating. And even of we dont buy it for them, how do we make them enjoy healthy food. Thats my main concern.

[cybele]

No, its annoying, but if you dont have the food in the house, they are out of options.

[mom2many]

Then make the "junk" food at home, it gives you control and is much healthier. Pick one night away were dinner is going to be your version of junk and let them at it. The trick is to not make it forbidden. If they know that they can have a treat every now and then, having healthy won't be such a big deal.

[akmom]

I know what you mean. I don't have so much of a problem with my kids eating healthy food as getting them to eat balanced food. I mean, kids will eat whatever you give them (eventually), but there's still room for picky eating. I plan dinners with three components: a protein, a carb, and a vegetable. Of course you can guess what they eat first, and it's not the vegetable! It's usually the carb, then after they pick at it for awhile, the protein. I usually have to entice them to eat the vegetable by withholding the drink refill until they make some progress. I do let them choose the vegetable, which sometimes makes them feel "invested" and other times not. It really depends on how good the other options are. Sometimes the "carb" portion is just putting the meat or fish on rice, so it's down to two choices. Sometimes the vegetable is the carb, like potatoes and yams, and those are always a big hit, but they need green vegetables too. Foods that mix everything together (like pot pie) are definitely easier for sneaking in a balanced meal, but they are inevitably drenched in gravy, so not an ideal everyday meal. If they express a major craving and it's not all the time, I'd probably give them a chance to earn the indulgence after dinner. (But for my kids who can actually fill up on milk, eating before dinner is a no-no.)

[IADad]

wow, was I the only one who had to look up inculcate? I'll have to use that in words with friends given the chance.

I think it has to be about consistency. there's nothing wrong with the occasional burger or pizza, especially if you get something fresh not factory made. If you get a burger and salad, it's a reasonable meal. Just because you get a burger, doen't mean it HAS to come with fries, you have options and it's great to teach kids trade off.

We've bee guilty of letting out kids binge on too high of carbs (just like their parents) we're working on more balanced meals, for everyone. So, To me it's not about banning a handful of evil foods. It's about making good choices.

[nwcrazy]

IMO, it's okay for kids to eat junk foods once in a while. Afterall, childhood is the ONLY time where one can eat junk food and not have the detrimental effects. For example, if adults eat burgers and fries, they have to worry about high cholesterol, calories, and other such negative effects on the body. However, a normally healthy kid doesn't have to worry about it. Childhood is the ONLY time where the metabolism is in overdrive because it takes enormous amounts of energy to physically grow. So a candy or burger, once in a while, is fine.

As for picky eaters- most kids learn to accept more foods as they get older. It just happens.

So don't stress too much.

[csdax]

I find that with my 5 year old, telling her about all the things that are good for her body and bad for her body is a good way to help her understand why some foods are only allowed occasionally. She knows that she needs different types of food for energy, growing, muscles etc., and that eating junk food will give her body too much of certain types of foods, like fat or sugar. (I also use this as an analogy for things that are good and bad for her brain, like books and TV). Nothing is actually 'bad', but too much of anything is not healthy.
I've used resources from a local children's centre, with games about putting foods into the right category, to help her decide on the healthy and unhealthy choices. By introducing these concepts very early, it doesn't actually stop the cravings, but it does make it easier to establish rules about how often we eat junk food.

I believe that most of the junk food problems with kids are not actually to do with the taste of the food, but more to do with the images and associations created by the marketing. When we do eat at a fast food place, we NEVER get the kids meals with toys. My kids have never complained about it because it's non-negotiable. (Yes, I'm a mean mom, but they get plenty - just not the crappy stuff that breaks within 2 minutes of playing!) I find that taking the cheap plastic toy out of the equation makes the cravings much less!

[csdax]

Originally Posted by nwcrazy

However, a normally healthy kid doesn't have to worry about it. Childhood is the ONLY time where the metabolism is in overdrive because it takes enormous amounts of energy to physically grow. So a candy or burger, once in a while, is fine.

I kind of agree, but those habits are bloody hard to break! In university, I lived on Mars Bars, Coke and Guinness, and I didn't go over 100lbs until I hit 30. Once your metabolism changes, if you don't have a healthy attitude about food, you're screwed.

But I agree that once in a while is fine!