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by tknickerbocker
November 4, 2009 3:40 PM
5 Replies
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My 12 year old son was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic. The dr tells me if he watches his diet and excercises he should be fine. He weighs about 180 and it is so difficult to get him to not over eat at meal time. He always seems to be hungry and I can't afford to buy many of the items that have been suggested to me for him, but he can't afford for me not to buy them. Does anyone have any diet suggestions that would work well for a young boy who hates fruits and vegetables?

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John Crowley	John Crowley replied November 4, 2009 4:34 PM That is a very tough question. Does your son really hate ALL fruits and vegetables? Is there not one healthy food that he likes? Tell us a little about what he likes to eat and maybe we can help you build on those ideas. A well balanced meal with protein, healthy fats, and carbs will go along way toward helping him not overeat. Generally, we overeat when we're eating a high-carb meal because it just doesn't ever make us feel full. And as for the financial side of things, most people who think they are saving money by buying packaged food are surprised to find they actually save money by eating a healthier, well-balanced diet from fresh foods. http://www.examiner.com/x-3636-Seattle-Healthy-Food-Exami... http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.as... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/18/earlyshow/healt... Add your reply Flag as Inappropriate tknickerbocker replied November 4, 2009 5:21 PM Last edited 16 days ago Thank you He likes pasta, meat, pizza and most deserts. I can get him to eat green beans, apples, and occasionaly bananas. I try to stay away from prepackaged foods. I am even making my own bread, tortilla shells, pasta noodles to try to cut costs and make healthier for my son. We also canned many vegetables from our garden, to help cut down on preservatives and such. I have a food dehydrator that I use for fruits and vegetables but he doesn't care for them this way either. Add your reply Flag as Inappropriate John Crowley replied November 5, 2009 4:09 PM Well, that is a place to start. Meat has essentially zero carbs and also is very filling. I know it can also be expensive. But watch for sales and stock up when it's cheaper and put the extra in the freezer. It's also great that he'll eat green beans. Green beans are very low in carbs and quite nutritious. If that's the only green vegetable he'll eat for now, you should serve it many times per week, practically every dinner. You can also experiment with introducing other greens once or twice a week. Make a great salad, add to it some diced some ham and cheese in it, perhaps a hard-boiled egg (if he likes those), or other things he might like. Experiment with different salad dressings to help him find what he likes. Dark leafy green vegetables are so nutritious and also do a great job of helping you feel full so you don't overeat. Also, you can try some green veggies that are kind of similar to green beans. Asparagus, edamame (soy beans--look for them in the frozen foods), and peas are a place to start. Plus, look for recipes that combine vegetables with meat. I know as a kid I never liked broccoli until I had a Chinese beef and broccoli dish. To this day I only eat broccoli with meat--and I love it. Your son does need to be careful with pastas, breads, potatoes, and even pizza. A slice or two of pizza can be OK. But if he's inclined to eat 8 slices at a time, that's way too much carbs. Start reading labels and measuring foods and try to keep your sons total carbs per meal to around 45 to 60 grams. And desserts need to be a once-in-a-while treat, not a regular part of the meals. It's easy to get a whole meal's worth of carbs in one dessert serving. Finally, what does your son do for exercise? Is he interested in sports? Skateboarding? Hiking? Bike riding? It is essential to help him increase his physical activity. I hope these ideas help a little. Add your reply Flag as Inappropriate NormaJean16 replied November 9, 2009 8:20 PM Sounds like Mom needs to put her foot down. If you do not purchase the things that are not healthy, and make sure the friends homes they visit also know not to feed him inappropriate food. If he gets hungry enough he WILL eat what is in the house. I know you can't control him every minute, but you must make him understand that what he is doing is killing his body. Not to mention that all of the name calling he will most certainly be enduring from heartless kids. If he weighs 180 at 12 years old, he seriously needs a lifestyle overhaul. Maybe taking away the video games a couple of days a week, and insist on some type of physical activity. All of these things are contributing to your son's Jr. Diabetes. I wish that Congress would get off their butts, and put P.E. back into our schools five days a week, just like we had when we were in school. I hope you will have the courage to encourage your son to love his body in a healthier manner. Add your reply Flag as Inappropriate
cussinwolf	cussinwolf replied November 5, 2009 2:13 AM What I was told was that when you eat the simple carbs like white bead, pasta, cookies, candy, cake...you get my drift...your body craves more and you stay hungry. Now the complex carbs...things made with whole grains they stick around a little longer so you don't feel half starved. Please stay away from the sugar free and dietetic stuff. It really is not going to help him. You need to remember that you are the mom and he is the kid. It really is up to you to start enforcing good eating habits. Portion control is very important. Maybe the two of you can do some research together online and then the two of you can prepare a healthy meal together . Use measuring cups and spoons so you can see what a half cup serving of this or a tablespoon of that looks like. Try to head this off before it takes hold. How is his exercise level. My grandson is 11 and was packing on the weight because he sat in front of the XBOX and TV. He was not a happy camper when his time was limited. He had to earn time by doing different physical activities. He found out he liked skateboarding better than TV. Keep us posted. I was a fat kid. I spent most of my adult life fighting my weight. Add your reply Flag as Inappropriate

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John Crowley

John Crowley replied November 4, 2009 4:34 PM

That is a very tough question. Does your son really hate ALL fruits and vegetables? Is there not one healthy food that he likes?

Tell us a little about what he likes to eat and maybe we can help you build on those ideas. A well balanced meal with protein, healthy fats, and carbs will go along way toward helping him not overeat. Generally, we overeat when we're eating a high-carb meal because it just doesn't ever make us feel full.

And as for the financial side of things, most people who think they are saving money by buying packaged food are surprised to find they actually save money by eating a healthier, well-balanced diet from fresh foods.

http://www.examiner.com/x-3636-Seattle-Healthy-Food-Exami...

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.as...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/18/earlyshow/healt...

tknickerbocker replied November 4, 2009 5:21 PM

Last edited 16 days ago

Thank you
He likes pasta, meat, pizza and most deserts. I can get him to eat green beans, apples, and occasionaly bananas. I try to stay away from prepackaged foods. I am even making my own bread, tortilla shells, pasta noodles to try to cut costs and make healthier for my son. We also canned many vegetables from our garden, to help cut down on preservatives and such. I have a food dehydrator that I use for fruits and vegetables but he doesn't care for them this way either.

John Crowley replied November 5, 2009 4:09 PM

Well, that is a place to start. Meat has essentially zero carbs and also is very filling. I know it can also be expensive. But watch for sales and stock up when it's cheaper and put the extra in the freezer.

It's also great that he'll eat green beans. Green beans are very low in carbs and quite nutritious. If that's the only green vegetable he'll eat for now, you should serve it many times per week, practically every dinner. You can also experiment with introducing other greens once or twice a week. Make a great salad, add to it some diced some ham and cheese in it, perhaps a hard-boiled egg (if he likes those), or other things he might like. Experiment with different salad dressings to help him find what he likes. Dark leafy green vegetables are so nutritious and also do a great job of helping you feel full so you don't overeat.

Also, you can try some green veggies that are kind of similar to green beans. Asparagus, edamame (soy beans--look for them in the frozen foods), and peas are a place to start. Plus, look for recipes that combine vegetables with meat. I know as a kid I never liked broccoli until I had a Chinese beef and broccoli dish. To this day I only eat broccoli with meat--and I love it.

Your son does need to be careful with pastas, breads, potatoes, and even pizza. A slice or two of pizza can be OK. But if he's inclined to eat 8 slices at a time, that's way too much carbs. Start reading labels and measuring foods and try to keep your sons total carbs per meal to around 45 to 60 grams.

And desserts need to be a once-in-a-while treat, not a regular part of the meals. It's easy to get a whole meal's worth of carbs in one dessert serving.

Finally, what does your son do for exercise? Is he interested in sports? Skateboarding? Hiking? Bike riding? It is essential to help him increase his physical activity.

I hope these ideas help a little.

NormaJean16 replied November 9, 2009 8:20 PM

Sounds like Mom needs to put her foot down. If you do not purchase the things that are not healthy, and make sure the friends homes they visit also know not to feed him inappropriate food. If he gets hungry enough he WILL eat what is in the house. I know you can't control him every minute, but you must make him understand that what he is doing is killing his body. Not to mention that all of the name calling he will most certainly be enduring from heartless kids. If he weighs 180 at 12 years old, he seriously needs a lifestyle overhaul. Maybe taking away the video games a couple of days a week, and insist on some type of physical activity. All of these things are contributing to your son's Jr. Diabetes. I wish that Congress would get off their butts, and put P.E. back into our schools five days a week, just like we had when we were in school. I hope you will have the courage to encourage your son to love his body in a healthier manner.

cussinwolf

cussinwolf replied November 5, 2009 2:13 AM

What I was told was that when you eat the simple carbs like white bead, pasta, cookies, candy, cake...you get my drift...your body craves more and you stay hungry. Now the complex carbs...things made with whole grains they stick around a little longer so you don't feel half starved. Please stay away from the sugar free and dietetic stuff. It really is not going to help him. You need to remember that you are the mom and he is the kid. It really is up to you to start enforcing good eating habits. Portion control is very important. Maybe the two of you can do some research together online and then the two of you can prepare a healthy meal together . Use measuring cups and spoons so you can see what a half cup serving of this or a tablespoon of that looks like. Try to head this off before it takes hold. How is his exercise level. My grandson is 11 and was packing on the weight because he sat in front of the XBOX and TV. He was not a happy camper when his time was limited. He had to earn time by doing different physical activities. He found out he liked skateboarding better than TV. Keep us posted. I was a fat kid. I spent most of my adult life fighting my weight.