So I have 2 kids...one who eats no gluten, dairy or eggs. He eats great....loves veggies, lean meats, salads, etc. Not bad for a 10 yr old. But part of it is that he CANT eat a lot of junk that other kids eat or he will physically get ill.

Then there's my other son along with my DH....

They love junk food. Packaged Cookies, cakes, chips, candy. Meal times are fine. I cook a lean meat and veggies, they eat it. But its the snacks! Neither of them have a weight problem, however I believe no one, thin or over weight benefits from eating junk.

I would like to transition my younger son to making more sensible choices, yet he is a child and I don't want him to feel deprived. An occasional treat is one thing, but consistently eating junk food is another.

I am curious to hear from other bandster parents who have transitioned the entire family to a healthier way of eating. How'd you do it? Any tips?

J

My advice would be to not buy those things. If they are not in the house then they cannot eat them. He's too young to drive to the store and buy them himself lol

It might take a few weeks of whining but he will eventually snack on the healthier options you have available. I also have one child that is gluten-free and two that are snack-fiends. BUT they snack on healthy food. My DH & I are the only ones with bad food habits - thank God we made the kids eat right and not go down the same path we were on. We are now making healthier choices since I have my little band helping me out. I hope this helps. Please keep us posted on how it goes and what you switch to as an alternative to those cookies/cakes/candy.

Good Luck!!

I wish I could say I had, but really, unless youre superhuman, you cant fight what society has become. My boys are 14 and 16 and they eat junk away from home, where I cant stop them. I buy limited amounts of snack foods and live with constant abuse about how there's no food in the house, how much better other mothers feed their kids etc. My middle son is very active, but I cant pry the older one away from the playstation and both he and my younger daughter love healthy food and snack on fruit, yogurt etc but they eat TOO DAMN MUCH. They are constantly whining they are hungry - and believe me, that whining DOESNT stop after a few weeks - they graze throughout the day, want big meals, so even though they dont eat a lot of junk, they're both overweight.

Then they go to friends houses etc and get fed utter crap there.

I try, I really do, but in the end, you cant do it for them. I provide healthy food, opportunities for exercise, but really, I can sign my son up to the gym, but can I fight with him every single damn time to get him to come with me? Others can judge if they like, and its true, you can control a 2 year old and what they eat, but I find I've just lost the battle and they're going to have to tackle their own health problems as adults. I really tried!

I provide only healthy snacks in the house. Sometimes we'll bake a cake or cookies or something, but even then we try to make the cake healthier. For example, swapping oil for applesauce, using pureed kidney beans instead of flour, etc. When we're away from home, I choose the healthier options and my daughter models her behaviour on me. We often have sushi when we're at a food court, even when there's McDonalds, KFC, donuts, etc all around.