Changing the way we eat and drink...

Cherokeekid88 said:
This is sort of where I was hoping this thread was going. I am looking for snack alternatives that just aren't fruit and veggies because lets face it, Kids want to "feel" like they are eating something they shouldn't be. Meals, we can control, but the child wants 4-5 snacks (or in between meals) and would love a list (which I am sure can be found on the web) of popular snacks for kids that contain yellow 5 and Red 40 and High Fructose corn syrup and all the things maybe they shouldn't be eating for a comparable alternative that makes them think they are eating something like a Pop Tart, but without all the chit.
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No kid needs poptarts. My kids will eat thier weight in apples if I let them, as a matter of fact no fruit is safe here. Outside of grains, that are not all that good for you, they eat pretty clean. We watch ingredients pretty closely. Were it not for some meds the doc had me on where I could drink water and gain 8 pounds none of us would be overweight. I dropped the meds and have lost 35 pounds.
 
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trailhugger said:
Maybe you should just read the ingredients on the food you buy/consume... or do what any number of people in this thread have said and buy less stuff in boxes that even has to have an "ingredients list". You know, be the adult parent your kid needs and teach her that pop tarts aren't real food.
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but what about the Organic PopTarts and Cheetos?!?! :shaking:
 
I looked it up... those 'organic' pop tarts have 34g of added sugar per serving. Can you imagine putting eight teaspoons of sugar in something you eat in one sitting, much less you'd feed to your kid?

Any discussion of switching to 'healthy' processed stuff is a moot point because the OP has already complained about what they spend on groceries and he's not switching to Trader Joe's.
 
trailhugger said:
I looked it up... those 'organic' pop tarts have 34g of added sugar per serving. Can you imagine putting eight teaspoons of sugar in something you eat in one sitting, much less you'd feed to your kid?

Any discussion of switching to 'healthy' processed stuff is a moot point because the OP has already complained about what they spend on groceries and he's not switching to Trader Joe's.
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I was joking with the comment, because I have heard statements about how the "organic" versions are healthier. Thanks for adding facts. I typically tell them that its easy to be organic when none of it is real.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
I was joking with the comment, because I have heard statements about how the "organic" versions are healthier. Thanks for adding facts. I typically tell them that its easy to be organic when none of it is real.
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Oh, I knew you were kidding but wanted to drive the point home to the OP that the 'healthy' alternatives are real food.
 
trailhugger said:
I looked it up... those 'organic' pop tarts have 34g of added sugar per serving. Can you imagine putting eight teaspoons of sugar in something you eat in one sitting, much less you'd feed to your kid?

Any discussion of switching to 'healthy' processed stuff is a moot point because the OP has already complained about what they spend on groceries and he's not switching to Trader Joe's.
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Let's put that into perspective.
126 mg/dl of blood sugar is considered diabetic.
The average adult human has 5L of blood or 50 dL.
So Diabetes is having 6,300 mg of sugar circulating in your blood stream...or 6.3 Grams of sugar.

Now of course insulin absorbs and uses some of the ingested sugar....but if you have more than 6.3 G of sugar in your blood (fasted) you are diabetic.
Yet how many parents wont blink an eye at allowing a kid to eat 10-20x that in a single setting.
 
I was not stating that I was looking for a healthy alternative for pop tarts BTW. Can't tell you the last time we had pop tarts in our house, but I did read an article that talks about how US versions of the same products (Like pop parts, because that's what they showed) are so much worse and have way more added ingredients than lets say the UK version. Things like Nutrigrain bars which are considered or at least thought of to be a somewhat healthier option than lets say a bowl of fruit loops, when its really not, but I do know that there are companies that make versions of "Nutrigrain bars" that actually have real fruit and real ingredients without all the added dyes and HFCS and sugars.
 
shawn said:
What in the actual fuck?
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where's the confusion? Someone who has a milk casin allergy and can't have cow's milk... guess what? There's almond milk, oat milk, etc without all the Diarrhea after effect.

My child has had a pop tart in her life and enjoyed it. Its not something we buy, but either got it from school or at a relatives house, but if there is a healthier alternative without all the sugar, dyes, HFCS made with real fruit.

Maybe I didn't word it right, but I am simply looking for storebought items other than fruit and veggies that I can get my child to eat.
 
That's what I'm trying to explain, even the supposedly healthier, 'no artificial flavors, real fruit' versions of packaged foods still have at least a full tablespoon of added sugar per serving. The actual 'healthy alternative' is an apple and a slice of toasted bread you made yourself.

Getting your child to eat it means that's what's avaliable and you set the example by eating it yourself. We're not talking about adjusting to accommodate your wife's allergies, we're talking about you trying to bribe your child with 'fun' food. You are the adult.

You need snacks for when you travel, fruit travels. In a pinch, we keep packets of raw almonds.
 
Bebop said:
Best thing you can do is eat 3 meals per day at fixed hours and that's it. Snacks are terrible for your body.
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That depends on your body. For some folks (and kids), 5 meals a day or snacks between meals are good.

I think most of the good food advice has been given. For meal recipes, I recommend looking at services like Sun Basket for inspiration. Don't get the service (it's too damned expensive and about 10% of the stuff they send is on the way to going bad). But you can look their recipes up online and go to Sprouts, Lidl, or other good grocery stores to get the ingredients.

Start making your own sauces and sub in Greek yogurt and healthier ingredients. Kids usually like berry smoothies and stuff that you can make really healthy because they are already sweet. I've got a Vitamix blender that is great for smoothies, making fresh/real mayonnaise, and hot veggie soups.

Overall, don't get too stressed out on cancelling ALL the bad stuff. Just try to make sure stuff like High Fructose Corn Syrup and MSG/Modified Food Starch are not in the first three or four ingredients on the label.
 
trailhugger said:
That's what I'm trying to explain, even the supposedly healthier, 'no artificial flavors, real fruit' versions of packaged foods still have at least a full tablespoon of added sugar per serving. The actual 'healthy alternative' is an apple and a slice of toasted bread you made yourself.

Getting your child to eat it means that's what's avaliable and you set the example by eating it yourself. We're not talking about adjusting to accommodate your wife's allergies, we're talking about you trying to bribe your child with 'fun' food. You are the adult.

You need snacks for when you travel, fruit travels. In a pinch, we keep packets of raw almonds.
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Haven’t we already had this thread by the OP 10 times?

“Give me advice on how to X,Y,Z”
“Here is some real world experience of what we’ve done and worked for us”
“That’s hard. I don’t want hard i want to do it my way. Tell there is an easy way and I am right”

In some ways it’s the John Fuller of life threads.

And I’m the crotchety old asshole in both.
 
Yalls kids don't live off of fruit snacks and oatmeal creme pies?

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My mid morning pop tart and after supper pile of Hershey kisses don't fit this thread at all. I think ill grab my second beer.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
Things like Nutrigrain bars which are considered ... to be a somewhat healthier option
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No. No, they're not, and they never have been. They're fucking candy bars. Look at the labels.

The point about diabeetus is dead on. Insulin sensitivity will kill you. Eat fat, protein, and some fresh fruits and vegetables. Mixed nuts, almonds, etc, are good snacks. Avoid the nuts with added coatings (sugar, seed oils, etc). If you're serious about making a change, baking your own bread is super fucking easy, it's amazing, and you'll know exactly what goes into it (we bake about a loaf of sourdough a day).
 
Weve been doin this for a while and while I have kinda fell off the wagon (a little) the hardest thing for us has been bread.Any of it thats better for you taste like ass.
 
shawn said:
No. No, they're not, and they never have been. They're fucking candy bars. Look at the labels.

The point about diabeetus is dead on. Insulin sensitivity will kill you. Eat fat, protein, and some fresh fruits and vegetables. Mixed nuts, almonds, etc, are good snacks. Avoid the nuts with added coatings (sugar, seed oils, etc). If you're serious about making a change, baking your own bread is super fucking easy, it's amazing, and you'll know exactly what goes into it (we bake about a loaf of sourdough a day).
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Psssshhh! Your doing it wrong.



😂....mine does four 🍞 at once. Less back and forth and freezes them. I don't eat it for the health. It's just damn good. Butter and honey and I'm pretty set.
 
Single serving Greek yogurts? They have some great flavors. I use to eat them regularly, but stopped due to a gas problem, lol.
 
drkelly said:
Single serving Greek yogurts? They have some great flavors. I use to eat them regularly, but stopped due to a gas problem, lol.
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I like the plain Greek yogurts, but it is an acquired taste. I really like the coconut flavored one, but after reading the label I gave it up.

I changed the way I ate last summer. I have tried to cut out all the extra sugar from my diet. I wouldn't say that I am on the Keto diet, but I am on the get rid of all the crap diet. Poptarts and all the breakfast bars were an eye opener to me. I would eat something like that for breakfast almost daily, I didn't think I had time to eat breakfast since I am supposed to be at work at 06:30. Now I get up early and make some scrambled eggs every day. I never was a soft drink fan and switched to unsweet tea 20 years ago. I eat a lot of protein, fruits, vegetables, and some carb containing foods, especially bean. I could eat a platter of pinto beans everyday.

I can honestly say, that I have 100% changed they way I eat. I used to eat for enjoyment, especially after I gave up alcohol a couple years back. I think that I probably replaced stress drinking with stress snacking. Now, I eat to survive. My family gets mad when I grill chicken 5 days in a row to eat, but to me its just sustenance. As long as I get my 2000 calories a day I don't give a hoot if its the same old stuff.

I have gone from 294# to 197# since June of 2022. I wont say it is the right way or the only way, but my body has responded well to getting rid of the crap out of my diet.
 
1-tonmudder said:
hardest thing for us has been bread.Any of it thats better for you taste like ass.
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The store-bought bread has lots of sugar added to it. It's tough to find any that doesn't. Homemade bread is amazing, super cheap, and you know exactly what's in it.
 
shawn said:
, baking your own bread is super fucking easy, it's amazing, and you'll know exactly what goes into it (we bake about a loaf of sourdough a day).
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See the problem is i love home made sourdough bread and will eat a whole loaf by myself if im not careful. Also for my sweet tooth sourdough cinnamon roles hit the spot.
 
Loganwayne said:
See the problem is i love home made sourdough bread and will eat a whole loaf by myself if im not careful. Also for my sweet tooth sourdough cinnamon roles hit the spot.
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Sourdough turned the pancakes up to 11. I also use it to make biscuits, banana bread, scones, and pizza dough.... and I know what's in it and what's not. There's no sugar in the pancake batter and minimal in the 'sweet' quick breads.

I'll share recipes later and I have a sourdough guru who keeps it simple, so I'll share his website/YT.
 
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