About my concern with my son eating habits

[elsoar]

I just wanted to talk with forum about my concern with my son eating habits. I'm concerned that my son current safe foods are going to cause him to have diabetes and was curious if anyone feels like this or has there child health resulted in diabetes.

I have already taken away fruit snacks and fruit bars, he no longer has these options to eat.

My son foods consists of frozen blue beery pancakes, eggo waffle french toaststicks, lunchables, yogurt, oranges, apple sauce ( sugar free), apple juice, and milk.

I have tons on guilt and shame about this and want to change to healthier options, but concerned he will not eat other foods.

Thank you for reading my post.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

I just wanted to talk with forum about my concern with my son eating habits. I'm concerned that my son current safe foods are going to cause him to have diabetes and was curious if anyone feels like this or has there child health resulted in diabetes.

I have already taken away fruit snacks and fruit bars, he no longer has these options to eat.

My son foods consists of frozen blue beery pancakes, eggo waffle french toaststicks, lunchables, yogurt, oranges, apple sauce ( sugar free), apple juice, and milk.

I have tons on guilt and shame about this and want to change to healthier options, but concerned he will not eat other foods.

Thank you for reading my post.

Probably the biggest thing you can do as a parent to prevent type II diabetes, is encourage your child to exercise and maintain a healthy weight. Hard exercise will use a lot of glucose stored in the body and bring those insulin levels way down. Obesity is one of the biggest contributors to type II diabetes. Another thing to consider, over 75% of children with type 2 diabetes have a close relative who has it, either due to genetics or shared lifestyle habits. So model a healthy life style as a parent. Encourage your child to eat fresh fruit in moderation (25–40 g/d.), its loaded with nutrients. Fructose does not acutely raise blood glucose. As such, fructose has a lower glycemic index than do starch-based foods, and it has been used as an energy source in diabetes patients because it may aid glycemic control. Check your food however, for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Sodas and most sweetened food have included this (syrup/sodas). These are a big problem in high insulin levels. Fruit snacks and fruit bars can be substituted for fresh fruit.

Uusitupa MI. Fructose in the diabetic diet. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Mar;59(3 Suppl):753S-757S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/59.3.753S. PMID: 8116561.

Fructose in the diabetic diet - PubMed

Fructose is an energy-yielding sweetener coming from different natural sources (fruit, berries, and vegetables) or is added to soft drinks, bakery products, and candies. The current content of fructose in the diabetic diet seems to be within recommendations. Because of the low glycemic index of...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Is fructose the optimal low glycemic index sweetener? - PubMed

Fructose is a monosaccharide which is abundant in nature. It is the sweetest naturally occurring carbohydrate. The availability of fructose increased substantially when it became possible in the 1960s to economically produce high fructose syrups from corn starch and other starches. Such high...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

One thing I teach in diets is to never completely cut foods, instead limit them. Occasionally being able to enjoy an eggo waffle is not a problem and helps avoid those horrible cravings for them.

Good luck @elsoar!

 

[elsoar]

Probably …

thank you for the diabetes education, I feel better now after hearing your input. I just didn't want to be a caused due to a health condition. I'm always stressed about the foods my toddler is eating and wished it were healthier foods.

 

[nodoctor]

Let him pig out on the healthiest whole plant-based foods You can find that are incredibly delicious. Even very sweet snacks like pomegranate seeds, bananas, and dense foods, like legumes, almond butter, etc. are generally protected against diabetes I suspect largely because of the fiber and intact cell walls. Same with fatty foods like nuts and avocados.

 

[sammmy]

Fructose actually is not as benign as some think. It doesn't raise blood glucose but goes straight in the liver and turns into fat. On top of that, it is sweet and fuels the typical sugar addiction in the population.

For weight loss and taming sugar addiction, avoid fast carbs of any type: added sugar or sucrose, glucose, fructose, lactose that are naturally in fruit, honey, milk (yogurt and cheese allowed because lactose is almost missing in them). You can get the same vitamins from vegetables.

 

[Coach_D]

Very saddened by what I am hearing here. Who is in charge in your home, you or the kid? The kid eats what you tell him to eat period, there is 0 negotiation. !st, throw that rubbish about turning him vegetarian in the trash. You don't take kids and turn them into paste eating morons because they are pushing the boundary of authority!

Have some one qualified design you a diet plan that compliments the fact that he is a growing child with nutrient/macro requirements. There must be included a balance of all foods. Red Meats, pork, chicken etc grains, dairy etc. There should not be any soy or anything derived from soy!

If your kid turns his nose up at something then fine, off to bed with nothing. He gets the same food again cold for breakfast. He'll eat when he's damned hungry I guarantee it.

You ever hear the expression "spare the rod, spoil the child". if not look it up and learn the lesson. Kids should have 0 issue maintaining an active lifestyle and if they do its only because the parent has allowed them to become sedentary and lazy...listen carefully...thats YOUR fault and you need to fix it. As little as 10-15 minutes brisk walking post every meal can change lives. Look up something called "The Vertical Diet" by Stan Efferding. It can easily be modified to suit children!

I'm curious as to how many children the folks making suggestions like going veg or letting him pig out on anything healthy etc etc, have raised. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess 0 big fat goose egg or if they have raised kids I wonder what their physical conditioning levels are? Letting him "pig out" at all simply defies common sense and does not teach any semblance of all things in moderation. Later in life when he refuses to put the GD fork down that will be on you!

The bottom line is that 1st you need to take back control of this situation. You do not negotiate with kids, you don't bargain. You tell them to jump and they ask how high sir! Do take the time to tell your son that you are worried about his health and that until he is legal age these concerns are your responsibility, and that you sincerely hope he will so what lengths yu are going to in order to help him be healthy.

BTW kids raised quite successfully, 2 extremely healthy/active kids of my own. I took in a cousin when his parents split and a foster from a really broken home so thats 4 alltogether that I either as a single dad or as half a couple with my now wife have raised. All healthy, all athletic and all either having gone to and completed university or are doing so.

Further, there is no such thing as sugar addiction.. People develop
hard to break, very negative habits as concerns sugary sweet foods but there is absolutely no science to support that anyone has ever become or could become addicted to sugar! Very much like that knob Gabor Mate and a few of his peers claim that drug addiction is not a choice lol these ridiculous notions serve nothing but to alleviate the necessity of taking responsibility for one's own actions and mistakes!

Take back control, thats where this all starts in the right direction!

 

[Fernando Almaguer]

thank you for the diabetes education, I feel better now after hearing your input. I just didn't want to be a caused due to a health condition. I'm always stressed about the foods my toddler is eating and wished it were healthier foods.

Dude as a fellow hispanic it is imperative that you learn to say no to poor food choices. Waaay more often than yes.

My daughter loves her sweets but I will be damned if she eats them more than 10 % of the time before eating whole foods. I need to do better but ..... they will eat when hungry. When my daughter is really hungry she will eat the shell off a boiled egg.

We need to stop placating them. No means love , yes means enabling and anti love.

 

[Systemlord]

If you provide all the food supplies in the household, then the next move is an easy one.

 

[sammmy]

It's not gonna work if you turn sugar into "the forbidden fruit". People are more attracted to sin than to virtue, as an expression of their freedom of choice. The more you try to repress something, the more they will do it.

The woman in the MicrosoftResearch video talks about that at the end of the video.

Teach them equally fulfilling healthy alternatives to sugar. I personally prefer high fat like yogurt mixed with cocoa with a pinch of sucralose artificial sweetener. Tastes like icecream and actually makes me feel full and satisfied. With real icecream it never ends - you always want more and more and more ...

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Dude as a fellow hispanic it is imperative that you learn to say no to poor food choices. Waaay more often than yes.

My daughter loves her sweets but I will be damned if she eats them more than 10 % of the time before eating whole foods. I need to do better but ..... they will eat when hungry. When my daughter is really hungry she will eat the shell off a boiled egg.

We need to stop placating them. No means love , yes means enabling and anti love.

Sweets are pushed on our children pretty heavily by our media. Watch children's TV shows and see all of the advertisements for candy type products. I certainly agree with you, just don't buy this stuff and keep it out of the house. I watch parents in the grocery store with their small kids and placating them is exactly what is going on. They kids want chips, and candy and are given them in the store and of course a soda to wash it all down. In our school you always have the "candy man" who buy bags of candy and sells it at school so kids have access to this stuff all the time. Candy, chips and soda and the lack of physical exercise is what is causing obesity and type II diabetes in such young children.

As others menntion, a balance meal should be given to children. They need to be able to try a variety of food so they can discover what they like. Meats should never be left out and diets should never be used, especially if the parent is useing it. The glycemic index is a very handy tool to use in meal preparation.

As I preach in nutrition classes, keep the high GI food sources to less that 10% of your total carbohydrate intake. Encourage low GI foods as a substitute. I would be very careful forcing a kid to eat food they don't like. If they just don't like it try something else next time. Or change the way it is prepared.

I always mention McDonals in my lectures about food choices. I thnk it should be limited because McDonals and most fast food places are very high in high GI foods, the bun, the fries, the soda....all high GI (monosaccharides and disaccharides), in a very large supply. However, once in a while is not going to kill you.

 

[gallant]

The macros on the cheeseburgers at McDonalds aren't too bad. I eat the double cheeseburgers and Diet Coke several times a week and they fit in nicely. Adding the fries, desserts and sugary drinks is where you get into real trouble. I see the minivans packed with families and kids ahead of me in the drive thru and can see the dessert items and ice cream cones being loaded into the vehicles all the time. I'm surprised how popular those dessert type items are there with people. I never thought of getting that stuff at McDonalds.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

Double Cheeseburger McDonalds - 442 cals
Protein:24.8 g(23.6%)
Carbs:30.3 g(27.8%)
Fat:24.1 g(48.6%)

Carbs (all higher GI)
starch 19.13g
sugars 5.37g

Fats
Omega 6 - 1.30g
Omega 3 - 0.26g
Saturated - 10.87g 54%
Cholesterol - 76.14g 25.4%

Soda - 98 cal
Protein:0.1 g(0.4%)
Carbs:24.9 g(99.2%)
Fat:0.0 g(0.4%)

Carbs
Sugar 22.05g high fructose corn syrup

Fries - 484 cal
Protein:5.6 g(3.2%)
Carbs:65.7 g(54.6%)
Fat:23.0 g(42.2%)

Carbs
Starch 51.89g (higher GI)
Fats
PUFA - 10.78g
Omega 3 - 1.33g
Omega 6 - 9.25g

Total calories - 988 calories

The carbohydrates in these food react in the body much like table sugar and elicit a high insulin reaction. This combined with saturated fats is what has been suspected in science to cause cardiovascular problems. The high Omega 6 to 3 ratio is also what causes inflamation in the body, which is thought to contribute to cancer and heard disease. The high fructose corn syrup used in sodas is way over a 70 GI and reacts it the body just like sucrose.

I would suggest that all of us take the time to watch SUPERSIZE ME. It is an eye opener.

As I said, once in a while this food isn't so bad but eating it frequently is not such a healthy food choice. But then it your life.

 

[Systemlord]

In our school you always have the "candy man" who buy bags of candy and sells it at school so kids have access to this stuff all the time.

We used to have this janitor in our grade school that would throw candy onto the playground from the roof above. we are brainwashed as kids to want candy, sweats without knowing the health consequences.

Sugar in our foods and drinks is causing a pandemic of sick unhealthy people and what does the FDA do about it, virtually nothing and stops short of calling sugary food and drinks as public enemy number one.

Sure our parents are responsible for raising us, but it’s the job of our elected officials to protect the public.

 

[sammmy]

The sugar industry is in bed with the medical organizations and that's why they will never admit that the high sugar consumption is the cause of increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Instead they have been blaming the "unhealthy fats" for decades.

I am trying to avoid added sugar in foods and it is almost impossible to find a packaged food that doesn't contain sugar for inexplicable reasons, even potato salads in US come loaded with sugar !!! It's insane! They know that it is addictive and makes you eat and buy more. They deliberately try to get us all hooked on sugar. It's about their money, not about our health. This sounds like a conspiracy nutjob but it is the actual reality in US:

Sponsorship of National Health Organizations by Two Major Soda Companies

From 2011 to 2015, the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo were found to sponsor a total of 96 national health organizations, including many medical and public health institutions whose specific missions include fighting the obesity epidemic. During the study period, these two soda companies lobbied against 29 public health bills intended to reduce soda consumption or improve nutrition.

Conclusions: There is surprisingly pervasive sponsorship of national health and medical
organizations by the nation’s two largest soda companies. These companies lobbied against public health intervention in 97% of cases, calling into question a sincere commitment to improving the public’s health. By accepting funding from these companies, health organizations are inadvertently participating in their marketing plans.

 

[Deleted member 16042]

The macros on the cheeseburgers at McDonalds aren't too bad. I eat the double cheeseburgers and Diet Coke several times a week and they fit in nicely. Adding the fries, desserts and sugary drinks is where you get into real trouble. I see the minivans packed with families and kids ahead of me in the drive thru and can see the dessert items and ice cream cones being loaded into the vehicles all the time. I'm surprised how popular those dessert type items are there with people. I never thought of getting that stuff at McDonalds.

Big Tex is on target. and Diet Coke? You need an intervention man! Those chemicals you are ingesting are literally affecting your brain function! You are doing yourself no favors drinking that crap. They are addictive stimulants and have harmful effects on the human organism. Just do a search on harmful chemicals in Diet Coke. Here are a few results:

-Artificial sweeteners and "Natural flavors" are nerve stimulants that leave you craving more. Drinking them causes people to eat more, and crave carbs. It is well documented that those that drink Diet sodas are no better off in terms of obesity, and have increased rates of metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and double the rate of kidney disease.

-There is evidence that artificial sweeteners disrupt gut microbiome.

-Phosphoric acid leaches phosphorus from bones. There is high correlation between diet soda intake and osteoporosis

-Sodium benzoate and Potassium benzoate preservatives in diet sodas cause changes in mitochondrial DNA that block their ability to function. This means impaired production of energy in your cells.

-these preservatives are also causative of allergic/inflammatory effects.

-The acids erode tooth enamel

-Though not a bad substance unto itself, caffeine is addictive. If your source of caffeine is diet sodas, No bueno. It addicts you to the chemical soda. Better to get it from a natural source like coffee or tea, which both have actual health benefits.


I'll add that it wasn't diet soda for me, but was the food additives and flavor enhances in food additives, natural flavors, isolates, concentrates, etc. The food industry is loaded with chemicals that stimulate the nerves... the taste buds, and the craving centers of the nervous system. This stimulation is pathological. For me they were the primary cause of migraines. After abandoning all food additives, my migraines vanished.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

The sugar industry is in bed with the medical organizations and that's why they will never admit that the high sugar consumption is the cause of increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Instead they have been blaming the "unhealthy fats" for decades.

I am trying to avoid added sugar in foods and it is almost impossible to find a packaged food that doesn't contain sugar for inexplicable reasons, even potato salads in US come loaded with sugar !!! It's insane! They know that it is addictive and makes you eat and buy more. They deliberately try to get us all hooked on sugar. It's about their money, not about our health. This sounds like a conspiracy nutjob but it is the actual reality in US:

Sponsorship of National Health Organizations by Two Major Soda Companies

I will put up this graph again done by Dr. Jeff Volek. Amazingly enough obesity and type II diatetes rose in the same line as carbohydrate consumption after people weere discouraged from consuming fats and protein.

Yes, @Blackhawk these man made chemicals we use to substitute for natural food have backfired on us over and over. Un the early 70 we invented margarine to substitute for butter. We were told it was much heaalthier for us until we found out it was loaded with trans-fatty acids which have since then been positively linked to cardiovascular heart disease. But then the FDA keeps approving these chemicals.

 

[Deleted member 43589]

I wanted to add this study I mentioned.

DiNicolantonio JJ, Lucan SC, O'Keefe JH. The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2016 Mar-Apr;58(5):464-72. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2015.11.006. Epub 2015 Nov 14. PMID: 26586275; PMCID: PMC4856550.

When saturated fats are replaced with refined carbohydrates, and specifically with added sugars (like sucrose or high fructose corn syrup), the end result is not favorable for heart health. Such replacement leads to changes in LDL, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides that may increase the risk of CHD. Additionally, diets high in sugar may induce many other abnormalities associated with elevated CHD risk, including elevated levels of glucose, insulin, and uric acid, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin and leptin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and altered platelet function. A diet high in added sugars has been found to cause a 3-fold increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.​

​

The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease - PMC

Dietary guidelines continue to recommend restricting intake of saturated fats. This recommendation follows largely from the observation that saturated fats can raise levels of total serum cholesterol (TC), thereby putatively increasing the risk of ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

....generally in the forms of sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in processed foods and beverages—also appears to be especially potent for producing diet-induced leptin resistance.82 Leptin, —the satiety hormone , suppresses hunger and regulates energy balance, and thus is a key hormone in the maintenance of normal body weight. Leptin resistance may be a fundamental cause of obesity,82, 83 itself a risk factor for CHD.84​

 

[nodoctor]

What an incredibly misguided post by Coach D. I’m in way way better shape than you, have raised three incredibly healthy kids, have coached many people, through incredible health, and have numerous competitive bodybuilder friends that are strict vegans. Hope this helps. I know I know, I’m feeding the troll. Sorry.

I do agree with most of the other comments. Fructose has its downsides, but it definitely is better than all the other refined stuff. There are some pretty well supported studies on the significantly reduced detrimental effects of fructose when combined with high levels of whole plant-based fiber. Everyone is different, but I literally am not aware of any instance where anyone has experienced less than stellar results going to a whole plant-based diet as long as they are properly supplementing and eating thoughtful, well-rounded meals.

 

[JohnTaylorHK]

I just wanted to talk with forum about my concern with my son eating habits. I'm concerned that my son current safe foods are going to cause him to have diabetes and was curious if anyone feels like this or has there child health resulted in diabetes.

I have already taken away fruit snacks and fruit bars, he no longer has these options to eat.

My son foods consists of frozen blue beery pancakes, eggo waffle french toaststicks, lunchables, yogurt, oranges, apple sauce ( sugar free), apple juice, and milk.

I have tons on guilt and shame about this and want to change to healthier options, but concerned he will not eat other foods.

Thank you for reading my post.

I have 2 sons (20 and 18 yo) and a daughter (8 yo). My older son is autistic, but incredibly smart with a near-photographic memory, graduating with First Honors from Senior High School. He often skips breakfast only to replace it later with candy bars and chips, despite my appeals. He does little to no exercise. My 18 yo works out every day and, for the most part, eats a healthy diet. They have both received the same advice from me regarding diet and exercise, but have reacted markedly differently. I sympathise with elsoar as, even though I'm the one buying the snack foods, one has developed a good understanding of health whilst the other has not. My plan is to stick with trying to educate them both and just realise that some kids get it, and some don't.

@elsoar BTW, I only consider milk from your list as being advisable (usually fortified with a good b6 content) the rest is garbage. Fruit is NOT healthy, especially when juiced and neither is anything made with processed flour, added blueberries or not. I shudder to think what is in "eggo waffle french toasticks". Your diet should consist of whole foods, lightly (slowly) cooked if needed. No sugar, no PUFA oils, nothing processed whatsoever. Use an app (I suggest Cronometer) to discover just how lacking your current diet is in all major nutrients. Keep to a caloric input commensurate with your desired BMI, and try to get at least 150% of the RDA of all vitamins and minerals. An "average person", if there is such a thing, needs at least 80gms of protein per day. Top up any caloric deficit with either coconut oil or olive oil.

 

[nodoctor]

Agree with all except milk is incredibly unhealthy. Measurably and consistently raises inflammation markers, causes allergy flare ups, is a less healthy source of fat, etc. Almond milk is not amazing because the fiber is removed, but it is dramatically healthier than milk.

Totally agree vegetables are healthier than fruit in many cases, but fruit and its whole form is incredibly healthy, full of fiber, dense with nutrients, lots of water, content, low, calories, etc.

None of you subscribe to nutritionfacts.org? Or check out game changers, or check out, Cowspiracy, or Seaspiracy, etc.