<p>I am a little worried about my son’s eating habits and wonder how you guys have dealt/are dealing with it, since I am sure this is not just my problem.</p>
<p>Son eats lunch at school, refuses to take sandwiches from home (was always that way, have another child who rarely eats at school and loves home lunches). For lunch at school he can have either pizza, a burger, something mexican, something chinese and…I forgot what else, but there is one other choice. He chooses burger (or something like that) most of the time, since he complains that chinese is rice mostly and the line for mexican fare is just way too long. This is just HS lunch, so he has either a burger or a pizza at least 5 times a week. There are also 2-3 days a week that he does not come home till 9 P.M. due to E.C. and eats some kind of a fast food after school. I do ask him to limit burgers and have Wendy’s chili for example (is it any healthier?) or go to Noodle Parlor for a pasta bowl, but the healthier fast food is generally more expensive, is not readily available.
There is no way he would take a made at home lunch and heat it up at school - this is just not cool in his world.
I have managed to solve the soda problem - he takes a big bottle of home made tea with him every day and that is what he drinks (I am sure he occasionally buys himself a soda or a frappuccino, but it is a not an every day occurence). He likes tea and has no problems drinking it while others are gulping down coke. The solid food stuff really bothers me though.
Any suggestions?</p>
<p>You could try giving him gift cards to healthier fast food places (eg, Subway, maybe Panera if you have them, Noodles if you think it is better for him). That, of course, won’t stop him from making unhealthy choices if he wants to even at those places, but it might encourage him away from the burger and pizza places. I also pack a healthy snack for D2 most days; I am making my lunch for the next day anyway, and putting a piece of fruit, low sugar applesauce, a baggie of healthy cereal, or some whole grain crackers or granola-nut clusters in a baggie for her is no big deal.</p>
<p>I have three boys–two still teenagers. They can inhale a lot of food and not show it. If your S isn’t overweight and is doing sports, I wouldn’t worry too much. At least you’re dealing with the soda issue (worst source of empty calories). If your kid won’t take a lunch, I’m not sure what else you can do besides research the healthiest fast-food options on-line, or serve lighter/vegetarian breakfasts/dinners at home.</p>
<p>I make my kids take their lunches (I’m really mean and my kids are nerds. . .) because the school lunches are just too expensive. I don’t let them drink soda, either.</p>
<p>He is skinny, no problem there, but I worry about long term effect. I cook from scratch at home but would not mind a burger once a week or so, but not daily!
Like I said - there is no way he would pack a lunch. He would rather go hungry
He is also afflicted with an oral allergy syndrome (yes, there is such a thing, I was a sceptic that was proven wrong) so most fruits and nuts are out of the game.
There are healthy choices but they are very expensive…</p>
<p>Sort of off-topic, scare them with a root canal to break kids soda habits. I’m dead serious. I used to drink mountain dew every day and my dentist told me I needed a root canal. Just him telling me that was enough to scare the pop right out of me. I really did need to get one (and it didn’t hurt a bit) but the thought of having a root canal was much scarier than actually getting one. </p>
<p>After seeing me go through a root canal, I have had many friends give up pop almost all together. I have dramatically cut back, but unfortunately haven’t kicked the habit. </p>
<p>As for eating healthier in school, encourage them to eat vegetarian. Vegetarian meals are almost always better for you in schools because they tend to stay away from deepfried, overly fat foods and ofter much, much cheaper. Encourage the Noodles place as well (noodles and company is FANTASTIC and relatively cheap if you have one around you).</p>
<p>How is your son affording the fast food? If he’s spending your money, can’t you choose where he eats? intparent’s gift card idea might accomplish this.</p>
<p>If my kid was spending his own money, I’d probably step in with a little incentive (think waitress tip) to make the better choice. An agreement based on fast food receipts is all you’d need.</p>
<p>My money
I am looking for some suggestions of healthier choices for his after school fast meals. I really can’t control much of what he eats at school since everything costs the same ($1.90)</p>
<p>Arby’s makes great market fresh sandwiches that have lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and whole grain bread with a kind of spicy honey mustard on them. A bit pricier than the standard beef cardboard stuff and potato cakes that dominate the menu. But I think they are a much healthier choice, and my kids and I are addicted to them… Do you have Chipotle? A little pricier, but again can get some more veggies into him. Kentucky Fried Chicken sells a baked chicken that is not half bad, too.</p>
<p>For healthy suggestions, don’t forget about your local supermarket. I bet it has a salad bar, ready-made grab-n-go sandwiches, self-serve soup, etc.</p>
<p>If my kid were eating a burger everyday, I’d stop paying for it. Research shows that 16 ounces of red meat per month should be the maximum in a healthy diet for a long life. I personally don’t think pasta more than a couple of times each week is a good idea either.</p>
<p>I think you’re just going to have to be a mean mom and tell him he’s bringing food from home and start negotiating what that will be. Since you cook from scratch there should be some good leftovers. Mine loved a thermos of homemade soup with a whole grain roll, cold grain salads, a healthy sandwich. DS2, a three sport athlete, was serious about eating well to optimize his game.</p>
<p>He’ll get over it and if he needs to be cool he can tell his friends it’s the latest trend to watch what you eat for better athletic performance.</p>
<p>Just kidding. I have a kid who is allergic to (wait for it): dairy, soy, wheat, chocolate, sugar, eggs, corn, tomato, peanuts - you NAME it! Even molds. You can’t BELIEVE her diet! I have no idea how to “help” your son. My D wouldn’t eat a salad if it was the last thing on earth until all these allergies were diagnosed. It’s basically FRESH fruits and veggies for her…and that’s about it. She turned over a new leaf overnight because she FELT so much better. I don’t want to get her tested for anything else. I’m afraid she’ll be allergic to all that too! The list of foods they can test for is a page long!. In just the short list they did, she was allergic to nearly EVERY item on it! (not bananas, chicken or beef…yet of course she’s almost completely vegetarian). </p>
<p>A root canal stopped my daughter from chewing gum! Instantly. But it took the allergy diagnosis to get the REST of the sugar out of her diet. She eats virtually NO sugar now. </p>
<p>I wish I had a better answer for you. No chance of your having an online prepaid lunch option? My D had this at both her schools, and…at both schools, you CAN limit choices. I don’t know what all you can restrict. And if a burger is the standard lunch, I’m guessing he could still get that. A burger itself isn’t bad you know. It’s the sugary/starchy bun, the “cheesefood”, the sauces. </p>
<p>What is his “oral allergy”? My D is so highly allergic to molds her doctor had her on a horrific diet for awhile to try and get any excess yeasts out of her body. I did it with her and it was AWFUL. But I’m telling you when it was over - she APPRECIATED fruits and vegetables like never before. Now she takes her lunch every day (different for a girl though, isn’t it…probably doesn’t seem as nerdy).</p>
<p>D’s school has such a HUGE vegetarian/vegan population that it’s actually “cool” to eat healthy. (Not that either is “healthy” if done incorrectly!). Wish we could get that started at every school.</p>
<p>I think you are right to be worried because when they are at college you lose the chance to at least make sure they get healthy meals at home. I recommend getting some of “Eat This, Not that” books from your library or the store. They also have a website which sends you e-mails of new lists of best and worst food choices. Many times food you think is healthy really isn’t like the Arby’s honey wheat bread. From Eat this, “But it is the bread that proves to be the sandwiches’ undoing, made from a dizzying number of food additives-including partially hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup-which pack a 361-calorie wallop. Request the sandwich on a sesame bun and cut the bread calories in half.” Just getting him to make better choices at his favorite places could make a big difference. Figuring out the best choice is the challenge
for us all!</p>
<p>I have similar problem with a different twist. D2 does not like to eat at school, she prefers lunch packed from home(but no container). That’s left peanut butter, egg sandwich, and cold meat sandwich. But she does not like cold meat sandwich such as turkey meat as much and I don’t like the cold meat because of the preservatives on them. On top of that she has braces, so no big chewy stuff either. What to pack for a healthy lunch is also a struggle here. I’m thinking of making something from similar to a hot pocket from scratch with fresh meat. For drinks, she fills her stainless steel bottle with water everyday so sugary drink is not a problem. So far she does not have any cavity, which is remarkable considering she is 14.</p>
<p>I’m being dead serious here, does she get the nutrients she needs? That is insane. I’m glad you guys are coping seemingly pretty well. Wow, just wow.</p>
<p>Back in Sept I started a thread about HS lunches. There were lots of good suggestions. Unfortunately for me my D did not pick up on the idea of bringing much of a lunch from home. She does on occasion eat in the cafeteria. Mainly she doesn’t eat lunch. I try to have her eat a good breakfast. Often an egg burrito. That way if she is running late she can eat it in the car. I also often bring her a sandwich when I pick her up. Like your son she will go hungry before bringing a full lunch from home. Today she brought an apple and a granola bar and couple of dollars.
Once you give them the money they can buy whatever they want. He can tell you he is getting something healthy but still eat the junk. The gift card to healthier alternatives is one way of at least controlling what fast food places he eats at. You could also get him a Visa Buxx card from Wachovia. That way you know where he is spending his after school meal money.
I also have another child who eats poorly due to food allergies. My other D is allergic to almost every fruit and many common vegetables. She is also allergic to soy and peanut. When she was tested her pediatrician commented that she would never be able to make it as a vegetarian.</p>
<p>Totally off the thread topic, but a warning about Visa Buxx. Our bank started charging a monthly fee (several $$) for each month if D didn’t use it for a 6 month period. Not sure if Wachovia will do this, but just a warning.</p>
<p>Thanks for the warning on the Visa Buxx. We have been using it with one of our college age kids to provide grocery money. I add money weekly for a $2 charge regardless of the amount. In our case the card is used almost daily.</p>
<p>OK…how about a setting up a reserve fund? He brings a sandwich (nothing he has to heat up so it’s simple) and you deposit $2.00 per day into a special fund for him to use at the end of the year. That’s $40 per month. That’s close to $400 after an entire school year. You would pay just a tad more to fund that sandwich each day.
For after school, I think the giftcards from Subway or other healthier merchants are a good way to go.
I do understand your worry. My son was a notorious junk-food eater as a young teenager. I’m happy to report that he got better every year…now 21. No sugary drinks. Actually LIKES whole wheat bread, and chooses turkey over higher fat meats as a rule. He eats lots of apples and has warmed to some veggies he would never touch. I serve REALLY healthy meals for dinner and he actually likes them (he used to call me an alien). Lots of fresh fish, veggies, whole foods. Our pantry is pathetic…just a few cans of canned beans and tuna and a few boxes of whole wheat pasta. No boxed junk. And he doesn’t even complain about it when he comes home! He does still visit Taco Bell at college though…can’t win em all…
So…model good eating habits, and be patient. Most of them come around…</p>
