Hi Everyone, First, I'd like to make it clear that I am not criticizing anyone in particular. A couple of recent comments in these forums and in another Zone related forum in which I participate, have prompted me to finally speak my mind about this subject. [b:7ba49c2c10]Simply stated, I fail to see why a parent who is in the Zone would not also have their child eating in the Zone for the most part. [/b:7ba49c2c10]This can be easily accomplished with pre-school and younger school-age children. Older children and teenagers will be making their own eating choices more and more as they mature and, in my opinion, will make healthier choices if they are used to only healthy food choices at home. [b:7ba49c2c10] It is not difficult to provide only the best choices of foods at home, because the parents are the ones in charge of the household food shopping. [/b:7ba49c2c10] Yes, I understand the social pressures surrounding children of all ages in regards to food. I'm not saying never to let a child indulge at parties, birthdays, holidays, etc. What I fail to understand is the comments I've read in posts over the past few yrs that state things such as they have to keep candy in the house for candy for their child; they have to buy chips, soda, cookies, etc. so as not to deprive the child; they have to give their child the same things in their lunch as all the other children are eating so they won't feel different. I'm speaking as a mom of 3, now ages 27, 24 and 18, who grew up happily eating healthy while constantly in the midst of the typical American childhood food/social situations. I'd be interested to see some discussion regarding this subject. Sue

My family is a work in progress. Charlie

[quote:b007b425cf="cduane"]My family is a work in progress. Charlie[/quote:b007b425cf] Hi Charlie, Aren't we all! :D Sue

First, let me say that I don't have kids. That said, growing up we had a wide range of food in our house. Everything from fresh veggies to chocolate to whole fat exotic cheeses to whole grain breads. My family moved from Europe in 1984 (I was 10) and I have watched them eat this wide variety my whole life, with nothing seen as inherently bad. My friends whose parents were always on some kind of diet ended up with food issues. My younger sister is 15 and has always been eating what/whenever she wants. That said, she is more likely to eat something relatively balanced and healthy than to reach for available chocolate for a snack, except on rare occassion. As an adult, I can appreciate the zone diet and recognize that a parent could make healthy dinners etc (like my parents did) so that the kids get used to eating well and feeling good. I think making a child overly-conscious of food choices has bad results though. My frinds who had moms in the 80s who were all about low-fat high carb,and fat being bad, tend to have food issues now that they are grown up. Kids have complicated enough lives without trying to get them to count blocks etc when they are out at the mall food court. If a kid eats healthy at home, they will like to eat healthy food and will make sensible choices in general with eating. (With some screwups, like the time,when I was 11 that I found that eating a funnel cake and boardwalk fries for dinner made me feel GROSS! Of course, I still have dietary screwups occassionally to this day! Always learning...) Bottom line, parents can provide parenting by showing a good eating example and making healthful meals and having healthful choices at home/pack lunches. Having kids count blocks will make them obsessive and prone to thinking foods are bad. I always felt bad for those "food-wierd" kids when I was younger and I still feel bad for people who think things like stilton cheese are evil.

I have 2 children, 6 and 11, and am not a junk food junkie. I don't buy pop or chips, we hardly buy pizza or burgers, I zone and try hard to feed my children properly according to the zone, so why is my son overweight? He is active, so is my daughter. It is very difficult to feed children. Especially when they go through times when they don't want to eat something. I have been looking for zone receipes for a family of 4. Does anyone have any? Cheers Dawn [quote:3e2cb7d4a4="Slknorr"]Hi Everyone, First, I'd like to make it clear that I am not criticizing anyone in particular. A couple of recent comments in these forums and in another Zone related forum in which I participate, have prompted me to finally speak my mind about this subject. [b:3e2cb7d4a4]Simply stated, I fail to see why a parent who is in the Zone would not also have their child eating in the Zone for the most part. [/b:3e2cb7d4a4]This can be easily accomplished with pre-school and younger school-age children. Older children and teenagers will be making their own eating choices more and more as they mature and, in my opinion, will make healthier choices if they are used to only healthy food choices at home. [b:3e2cb7d4a4] It is not difficult to provide only the best choices of foods at home, because the parents are the ones in charge of the household food shopping. [/b:3e2cb7d4a4] Yes, I understand the social pressures surrounding children of all ages in regards to food. I'm not saying never to let a child indulge at parties, birthdays, holidays, etc. What I fail to understand is the comments I've read in posts over the past few yrs that state things such as they have to keep candy in the house for candy for their child; they have to buy chips, soda, cookies, etc. so as not to deprive the child; they have to give their child the same things in their lunch as all the other children are eating so they won't feel different. I'm speaking as a mom of 3, now ages 27, 24 and 18, who grew up happily eating healthy while constantly in the midst of the typical American childhood food/social situations. I'd be interested to see some discussion regarding this subject. Sue[/quote:3e2cb7d4a4]

@ Slknorr - I agree. My kids and I basically eat the same stuff. Mine are 21, 17 and 14. I don't buy junk food and always had lots of fresh fruit and veges in the fridge. When I went back to lower carb the kids went with me. (Yes I do have one obese kid but that's from medication and a whole other issue.) The big problem is peers and school. My kids thought a sultana was a lolly (candy for you folks from the US) until school age. School canteens are a big problem - they sell sugar filled drinks, ice blocks and chips/crisps along with all sorts of other junk. There is a big problem when this is combined with kids' pocket money. It's important to trust your kids and I have encouraged my kids to save and spend wisely and even gone so far as to dock pocket money for spending the lot on junk food (which worked!!!) but they did like to occassionally buy their lunches and the school canteen just didn't help with the junk food in the front and the sandwich makings hidden at the back. Of course the schools support the standard carb based food pyramid too. Peers are the next hurdle. Surrounded by friends who eat lots of junk food the temptation is great and I think beyond most kids at least part of the time. The pressure to conform is huge for a teenager and far too many kids eat poor quality foods. @cvc3 - I think your sister is lucky if she is naturally making healthy choices. Most of the kids I know of around that age are obsessively preoccupied with diet. They get it from TV and magazine and MTV. Most go about it the wrong way and alternate between starving themselves (mostly girls) or eating fast food. Lunches of hot chips and coke type drinks seem to be the norm for the 13-15 yr old set when out for the day with friends, or they go the other extreme with loads of low fat products that are full of sugar - and you will be aware of how many food have sugar as an additive these days. There is a reason why fluoride is being added to water supplies. And that's not even starting on most breads, flours and grains that are in most parents' homes or the pizza market for teens. I don't think one needs to be obsessive but kids do need to learn about healthy choices and that means why this product is better than that.

[quote:687e184c41="cvc3"] My friends whose parents were always on some kind of diet ended up with food issues. I think making a child overly-conscious of food choices has bad results though. My frinds who had moms in the 80s who were all about low-fat high carb,and fat being bad, tend to have food issues now that they are grown up. Bottom line, parents can provide parenting by showing a good eating example and making healthful meals and having healthful choices at home/pack lunches. Having kids count blocks will make them obsessive and prone to thinking foods are bad. I always felt bad for those "food-wierd" kids when I was younger and I still feel bad for people who think things like stilton cheese are evil.[/quote:687e184c41] I would suggest that since the "diets" people were on (focusing on low-fat) in the '80's was hormonally incorrect, "food issues" would not be a surprising consequence. It was having the opposite effect (ie, hunger, deprivation, more likely to gain weight)---you're being told to eat a certain way to be healthy, yet you feel miserable (and in some instances it probably contributes to such food issues to the extent elevated insulin and the lack of EFAs results in neurotransmitter imbalances). Since the dietary recommendations of the Zone simply work, the only issue I could see someone having is never wanting to leave the Zone (which is not necessarily a bad thing...) I don't count blocks with my kids, but simply try to have protein veggies and fruit at each meal. What is 'stilton cheese'??

Hi, It's an Englsh cheese resembling blue cheese. Sue

Sue et al: I have three kids, ages 11, 9 and 7. My kids all have horrible food allergies, so we have had "weird" food in the house. I say this, because I am the Koolaid house (sugar-free of course) where everyone hangs out and I don't have junk food, so the kids call it weird. When they're with me, my kids eat healthy, and try new things. My daughter asked me to make her some tofu the other day. However, what I am seeing is that sometimes at school or at parties, they are "made fun of" for eating "weirdly." So they often eat junk to succumb to peer pressure. I don't worry about this, other than when they pester me to buy it - and I will then take them to Wild Oats or Whole Foods to show them a healthy alternative, and most of the time, they will accept it. I know that they will regulate their own selves when necessary, but I do know they'll probably go through their share of cheese fries and oreos, as did I. I think having fresh fruit and veggies, and insisting they drink water after their second glass of Koolaid and/or milk, and asking them to choose a balanced choice before getting the Little Debbies out is fine with me. However, I'm not like my sister-in-law who thinks a balanced meal for her kids is out of a Chef Boyardee can! LOL What I cannot contain is going out for fast food - that is hard when you rush around to practices. We recently had two water pipes burst in our home that put us out of our home in a hotel for three months. My kids were screaming to get back to a home cooked meal! I found that refreshing, as well as the opportunity to get back in my kitchen and eat regular food instead of constantly feeling blah for being out of the Zone! Just my opinion! Jill

How many blocks should a 4 year old girl, rather active be eating?

Hi Alison,

Elementary school aged children usually would eat 2 block meals. For you daughter I'd simply offer her a good variety of balanced Zone meals and snacks in amounts she's comfortable with, usually not exceeding 2 block meals.

Hi, Alison!

I have 3 kids, ages 5-8-11. With my youngest, I have never really limited her intake. Rather, I allow her "belly" to be the judge regarding how much she needs to eat.

I prepare zone-ful choices for my kids, but I allow them to do their own proportions (I do ask that they have SOME veggies). As long as they are given the healthy foods to eat, I think that it helps them learn how to make the healthy choices as they get older.