25 August 2009

Balanced vs. Healthy

Well, so far we have been in public school for two days and Kirstyn and I have had to have several conversations about the difference between a "Balanced" meal and a "Healthy" meal. Just to be clear, the school serves "Balanced" meals to the children. Kirstyn has been taking her lunch and it is a "Healthy" meal.

On day one our conversation went like this:

Me: Kirstyn, how was your first day of Kindergarten?

K: Mommy, they serve gravy for lunch! And the gravy came with chicken. Not like we make but the kind that Daddy gets at 'chickalay'!

Me: Kirstyn, remember that is not healthy to eat gravy. That is a food you get to eat sometimes when you go to Dee Dee's house.

K: I know Mommy, but they said it is a "good" meal....a...ummm, a ummm, not messed up, no, not crooked.... um. Do you know what I'm saying?

Me: Did they call it a "balanced" meal.

K: Yes. Does that not mean healthy?

Me: It should, but apparently it doesn't.


And then today on day two:

K: Mommy, today I saw gravy at breakfast time.

Me: What else did they have with the gravy.

K: Scrambled eggs...but I can't eat those.

Me: Right. Good thing you ate a good breakfast at home this morning.

K: Yeah, Mommy, thanks.


To compromise we are going to look at the school menu and I am going to let her buy her lunch sometimes. I will let her decide... I don't want to dictate and control her decisions but I do want to POSITIVELY influence them. After all, I was very overweight in elementary school and I don't want her to suffer the same fate.


Any suggestions for me?

sign

14 comments:

Gretchen said...

I just have a little question - not a criticism but a question -

Does Kirstyn ever hear "a little bit is okay but you need to eat LOTS of healthy food and try to limit unhealthy foods."

I just wonder if she sees gravy as a BAD food. Because I think gravy would be okay if she ate it in moderation. Same with bacon. Same with butter. That's my opinion about food: it is not evil, but portion sizes are evil.

I just wonder if she thinks kids who eat gravy are unhealthy?

Jamie said...

Well fact of the matter is that anything served at that school is just not real food. I always taught Austin about ingredients. Austin has taken his lunch forever but he is the big part of deciding what goes in it. I was always honest about what that school food is from the start when he was curious about it. I have always made it a point to treat Austin with "healthy" meaning real lol sweets and letting him know you eat very well all the time and thats why its ok to have a treat!

I do not have a problem with Austin knowing the other kids are eating very unhealthy!

Jamie said...

Well fact of the matter is that anything served at that school is just not real food. I always taught Austin about ingredients. Austin has taken his lunch forever but he is the big part of deciding what goes in it. I was always honest about what that school food is from the start when he was curious about it. I have always made it a point to treat Austin with "healthy" meaning real lol sweets and letting him know you eat very well all the time and thats why its ok to have a treat!

I do not have a problem with Austin knowing the other kids are eating very unhealthy!

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

Here in Canada even the high schools do not serve food. It's bagged lunch all the way....

I would say she is well on her way to understanding about healthy eating. And I completely agree, balanced should mean healthy! Way to go Mommy for teaching her!

Sab said...

Such a cute lil conversation. We never bought our meals at school, always had brought lunches.

Natalie said...

oh i have so many more posts spinning around in my head.

yes, kirstyn does hear all about moderation and portion sizes. she is also learning about the dangers of saturated fats (aka both of her grandpas have had to have a bypass surgery) and about how when you eat empty calories (like gravy, m&m's, butter, etc) that you will not be hungry for the nutrients that your body needs to stay strong and healthy! a lesson that i am trying to pound into my own head also!!!

and yes, i pray that she will understand that gravy sometimes as a treat is okay but on a regular basis is UNhealthy. at the same time i am teaching her about sensitivity and not "preaching" to her friends about healthy eating.

Cheryl said...

I used to hide my sandwiches in elementary and then get home and sneak in a pizza pop....which lead to overeating and bad choices in high school and weight gain. Being informed of what is healthy and not is best, kids will sneak in treats and food but they will learn what is right and wrong and will take that with them as they age. Your kids are also active and will stay that way so lifetsyle wise she will stay healthy!

iheartbowheads.blogspot.com said...

Yeah - we circle the lunches that we REALLY really want and then pack our lunches the rest of the time. :)

You are doing great!

Holly

Parker5gang said...

She was sooo excited to buy her lunch today!! FYI she did eat all her pizza but she also ate all her green beans and applesauce!! I enjoy getting to see her at Ditto!!

Anonymous said...

As a child my mom was always obsessing over food and eating healthy. This gave me a complex about being fat which I never was. I would not eat in public and at school I would hide my lunch in the bag and tear off pieces so I could sneak bites. This carried on through college. I would eat healthy in public and eat fast food and sweets when no one was around. As a matter of fact I still hide food and sneak sweets and I am 34. I have made a conscious effort not to impose my issues on my kids. I feed them healthy meals and I let them have dessert and snacks. I make sure they are active, and we talk about eating our fruits and vegetables, but I refuse to give them the same issues my mother gave me. I always wanted to be able to enjoy a slice of pizza with my friends. They always seemed so carefree. Please stop obsessing over your babies food. Lead by example but think about what your words are doing to her.

David D said...

Whoever the anonymous comment is above obviously does not know us at all. My wife may post something later, but I just want to say that our daughter is TAUGHT what is healthy, not forced in to it. And the best part is, she ENJOYS the food she eats. Whether it is healthy smoothies like her mom, carrots, celery, or other fruits and vegetables, she would rather eat the healthy options. But there are days she wants pizza, or junk, or ice cream - and for the most part she gets to eat that stuff. Especially around my mother. I grew up with a complex too, because of my mother's eating habits. It's called "Eat sugar, $#!t, and sweets all day" complex. Which I still struggle with to this day, and I am 30. The last thing we want is for her to be oblivious to the choices most of the world makes. We want her to understand that healthy choices are just that - a choice. And if she chooses to eat junk sometimes that is okay. But she also needs to understand what that crap does to her body. And we do it in a loving way (and NEVER use the word FAT), and for the most part I think she is doing a great job!! I love you Princess! And Honey, I thank you for the example that you set for our kids daily. I know that they will be healthy kids, who can hopefully eat whatever they want in moderation, without being obese like we were...

Honey Mommy said...

Wow. Right now these things aren't even issues at my house! I have toddlers, which means I have a hard time getting them to eat at all 'cause they are so busy!

I understand trying to help your kids eat healthy though! Childhood obesity is starting to be a national health care crisis in our country, so it's something we should all be aware of!

Alpha 1 Vann Clan said...

Hey--speaking of healthy--I just posted a great whole wheat bread recipe on my blog that you make in a bread machine. It was easy and great!

Crystal said...

I think looking over the menu with her is a good decision. I was an overweight child and still an overweight adult. I know you don't want to dictate her but at the same time, you are the parent. But I think you are going about it the right way.