My son is almost two (I hope you all care!) and when he gets up every morning he asks my fiance (his mom) for oatmeal (plain, old fasioned). When he’s done with that, has asks for cottage cheese (sounds like caage cheeee) I also make protein shakes made with 80% egg white protein, 20% flax meal and a tbs of flax oil. When he hears the blender, he comes up, grabs my leg and PLEADS for “Daddy’s Juice” (his name for it). Off to a great start or what?
[quote]derek wrote:
My son is almost two (I hope you all care!) and when he gets up every morning he asks my fiance (his mom) for oatmeal (plain, old fasioned). When he’s done with that, has asks for cottage cheese (sounds like caage cheeee) I also make protein shakes made with 80% egg white protein, 20% flax meal and a tbs of flax oil. When he hears the blender, he comes up, grabs my leg and PLEADS for “Daddy’s Juice” (his name for it). Off to a great start or what? [/quote]
My son eats the same way. That’s amazing. No one believes me until they come over and see him eat.
BTW, my son is 2 also
Cool! I was wondering if anyone (especially the ones w/o kids) were rolling thier eyes at my post. Thanks for replying. Think about how much difference this will make as they grow, along with the doctor and dentist visits we wont have to make. As I type this, he comes over and gives me a bapple (apple) and asks me to peel it ('cause he chokes on the skin.)
I made an Atlas Stone ( for strongman) and keep it outside. It’s sooo funny seeing him walk over and try to “hug” it while he grunts and groans trying to get it off the ground!
I swear I don’t know where he gets it (he, he)
I just saw you are from Ma. Me too… Haifax. And I just saw your name STRONGMAN after I made mention of my Atlas Stone!
That’s awesome guys. I hope when I have kids that they have the same, healthy habits.
Did you start feeding them that way, and then they grew to like it, or do they like it because it is what you do? Just wondering.
That is truly awesome. I hope when I am lucky enough to have children they will live such a healthy life. Believe me, I was not rolling my eyes, I was thinking that that is how I want to raise my kids.
If America had more parents like you, the obesity problem would be near non-existent, and healthcare would be much easier.
Keep up the good work!
This is an example of how children pick up the habits of their parents. This is the reason why your children are eating the same foods you are and are healthier for it.
On the other hand, almost an entire generation of children watch Daddy sitting on the couch stuffing his face with chips, candy and soda and they do the same.
I watch shows and news specials all the time about this kind of stuff. Fat mother brings in her fat daughter to the doctor to get a consultation about her stomach being stapled. Come on, everyone has seen at least one of these specials. The obese adolescent is a miniature of the obese parent. The solution isn’t gastric bypasses.
Just like how smoking in the house where you child can see, or worse, inhale, poor eating habits can be deadly too. Monkey see, monkey do, remember?
It makes you think. Realizing how much influence you have over your children. I am writing an article titled “Convenience is killing us”. In it, I write about how convenient it is to eat poorly (think pre-packaged junk) and how inconvenient it is to eat healthy foods (think food that needs to be prepared. ie: cooked, baked, bolied etc.) A lot of parents are satisfied driving through the drive-thru for doughnut holes and juice for their kids’ breakfast and think it’s ok when if they just took a bit more time, they could provide them with much better nutrition… but THAT’s too inconvenient!
To answer the question about how it happened? My wife and I just made a choice to feed him good food…we never introduced junk/processed foods, and he ate what we gave him.
On a daily basis he eats:
- Frz Broccoli
- at least 1-2 apples
- at least 1-1 anmanas (bananas)
oatmeal (the bad kind, but I can’t get my wife to switch from the little sugar-packages, but it is watered down with regular rolled oats.)
yogurt - (lowest sugar content available)
meat, lots of meat
cottage cheese
green beans
squash
chicken
and the worst things he eats are chix nuggets and the occassional pasta.
We don’t give him cookies, cake, ice cream, chips, soda. All his juices are watered down 100-200%. And he drinks 2% milk daily.
I was a couch potato, but changed my habits just in time to influence him.
I am glad I changed my habits, I think that it’ll change his life for the better as well as mine.
BTW, I choose the screen name from the 60s cartoon charactor from the “Mighty Heros”, which I believe was featured on “Mighty Mouse”
derek:
Way to go my man!
That is one kid that will not be a “fat statistic” someday. Keep it up, nothing more important than raising healthy, happy well adjusted children.
By the way, my son loves to down Grow! shakes! He’s a T-boy.
[quote]ZEB wrote:
derek:
Way to go my man!
That is one kid that will not be a “fat statistic” someday. Keep it up, nothing more important than raising healthy, happy well adjusted children.
By the way, my son loves to down Grow! shakes! He’s a T-boy.[/quote]
That’s my goal too…I was laughing this morning when I came back from the gym, my son was begging for some of my shake. After finishing it, I emptied out the leftover coffee, and poured his milk into it…so he could wash down his oatmeal.
I had him doing squats and lunges last night…he was just mimicking me, but it was fun. I’ll have his form down before he even gets under the bar =)
I have never seen a kid so interested in lifting, and he’s never seen lift any weights…I’m not even sure if he’s congnesant that I lift.
I brought him to the park one day, and brought him down by the resevoir. He was picking up 5-10 pound rocks and tossing them into the water. He was ~24 months old, and only weighed 27lbs. He must have tossed 2 dozen rocks in the water…he was a little cranky the next day (my guess: DOMS)
I just wish I had his energy level =)
Thanks Zeb and everyone else as well. I’m happy to see that I have something interesting to say! Colby (my son) is awesome. Strongmans’ post reminds me of a day a few months ago. I came home from shopping and put a big jug of liquid laundry detergent on the floor. I heard a faint ummmmm, uggghhh, errrrr! I went to check on Colby and he was trying soooo hard to lift the jug. Just like daddy and his kegs and atlas stone! Man it’s GREAT being a dad! By the way he ate a little less than a 1/2 chicken breast, a 1/2 cup of carrots and his own sweet potato. His mom (my fiance’ taught him to “dip” in ranch dressing, though) Dammit!
[quote]derek wrote:
…His mom (my fiance’ taught him to “dip” in ranch dressing, though) Dammit! [/quote]
Doh! My wife does that too (ugh)
My son carries in the 1gallon milk jug (full) and says “heavy” (with strain in his voice) … it’s histerical
Well done guys! Its a brilliant achievement.
I’ve tried to indoctrinate my 5 year old nephew with healthy eating and exercise habits, but now that I’m away studying I’m afraid alot of its going to waste.
Credit to my sister (his mother), she has him enjoying his fruit and veg, and his 2% milk, but she’s pretty blind to the importance of protein. He does get to the park or the local forest alot, and he’s such a naturally energetic kid that he’s always running.
When you think about how small his stride is and how much of the time he spends sprinting, he probably does the equivalent of running 400metre sprints about 20 times a day. Maybe I should be the one learning from him!
I remember bringing him to my home gym and helping him do pull ups and leg extensions (I know it should have been squats but I didn’t want to risk injuring the little guy!), and I was so proud of his enthusiasm.
Another time I was doing deadlifts in my backyard. I was in a foul mood and just wanted to be by myself. Then I looked up, and saw him copying me with a light dumbell. He had my tortured facial expression down cold - convinced it was a requisite to prove he was putting everything into it. It makes me proud just thinking about it.
Congrats on a great start. Unfortunately, it gets alot more difficult as they get older and they see the garbage others eat. In my case the worst culprits are well meaning grandparents. Combine this with pop, snack machines and crappy lunches in the schools and it becomes a real struggle.
Best of luck.
Ray
[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Congrats on a great start. Unfortunately, it gets alot more difficult as they get older and they see the garbage others eat. In my case the worst culprits are well meaning grandparents. Combine this with pop, snack machines and crappy lunches in the schools and it becomes a real struggle.
Best of luck.
Ray[/quote]
Yes. Outside influences are my biggest fear. But there is hope to well-formed habits.
When my son turned 2 in July, my wife made him a “Car” cake. We had the family over, and all the other kids were freaking out, waiting for a piece of cake and ice cream. My son had 2 bites of that cake, and a lick of ice cream, came over to me and ask me for some nuts (he loves mixed nuts as much as I do).
My parents (and family) seem to think that I am cheating my son from the pleasures of childhood. But with a history of obesity, heart disease, and other crap-food/no-exercise related problems, I don’t feel like I am doing anything unfair. I don’t blame my genes for the family health history, I blame behaviors.
I hope by the time he starts going to school, his cravings for protein and veggies/fruits will dominate.
Personally, I think that the processed food should be banned from schools. Coke and Snapple should not be sponsors of a school system.