Worried about my daughter page 4

[Wulf]

I can't get past that you 'cut down' on your 6 year olds soda habit. Unless you mean the occasional treat at a restaurant. If all there is to drink is water or milk, she'll eventually get thirsty.

Same. There should be no soda or junk food brought or left at home at all imo. And if the wife really wants some, have her go sneak it alone while away from home where the kid can't see it... but don't bring it home in the first place ever. Also, milk should be organic/whole/unpasteurized if possible, if not I don't think it's a good option either. Juice can be diluted by half with water with very little loss in taste. A calorie-free, caffeine-free drink option could also be fruity herbal teas, such as "wild berry zinger" by celestial seasonings (conventional, but very easy to find), and if you add some stevia or honey the sweetness can even approach soda. You could brew up a whole bunch of it and let her have as much as she wants of that if she is craving sugar. I also agree a substantial paleo breakfast will cut appetite and cravings and may help her not want any bad foods at school. (I have trouble resisting carbs at work if I don't have butter coffee - a lot of fat early to satisfy for a long time).

[tzulogic]

As a matter of fact, my Dad bullied the hell out of me when I lived with him, that was his way of trying to make me a man. I developed weight issues when I lived with him. When I moved away, I lost the weight. My Mom bullied me too, but by the time I got to an age where I realized that my parents weren't right, and that I wasn't a loser at life, I stopped letting it get to me. I realized that they were just in pain themselves. It took awhile though. And I have had to deal with strong anxiety attacks and social anxiety, stress related illness, and malnutrition.

But yes, bullying CAN make you stronger. But its not an automatic reflex. From chronic illness i.e. I've learned a lot about pain and I'm fully determined to make myself as healthy, strong, and mature as I can. Why? Because I want to be damn happy, and be an example for the ones I love.

Okay.

Here's the deal. If you're going to take junk food away, you need to give your child a thorough education. Try to get her to despise it. I wasn't allowed junk food when I was a child, period. Instead I stole it when possible and despised my mother. I loved it and became a total junkie when I was older.

You need to reward her with something else, bribe her dopamine receptors. Even if its gotta be fruit for awhile.

But SHE needs a reason to do it to. You are her father, but how she feels about it is going to have the biggest impact. Does no good if she just chows on it away from home. Also, she is a kid, so don't expect her to exert much self-control.

[Megatron]

Wait how in the world did this come to arguing if bullying is good for kids?! She's what, a first grader? That's an awful thing to wish on a little kid.

Surviving a terrible illness can also make you stronger, but we don't wish that on children, right? All kids deal with social pressures- no need to add more problems to their life (health, fitness, social, teeth even) by allowing her to be overweight.

It is a parents responsibility to make sure their child is healthy. A 6 year old only has so much they can control over their own diet. Implying that she needs to be self-motivated at age 6 to lose weight (by being bullied) is ridiculous.

[TornadoGirl]

Wow! This thread got interesting. Good for you OP for trying to make positive changes in your daughter's diet. What's done is done. You can't go back and change the fact that your daughter was given soda, etc. I do find some of the posters' holier than thou, somewhat militant attitudes off-putting, btw. Any positive changes you make from this point forward will add up. Your daughter has a long time to grow taller so if she quits gaining this situation will work itself out. It would be great if your wife was on board with a primal approach but sounds like she's not, so do the best you can.

I recently started back on a more pure primal path and my husband is not primal. He will eat most of what I cook, though. I would say he's maybe 50/50 at this point. So, I try to set a good example and I try to have lots of primal options available. Breakfast was easy. I got my daughter off of her flax/wheat waffle in the morning with an egg (boiled or scrambled) and bacon(!). I also make her a little "pie" with almond flour, grassfed butter, apples and/or blueberries, cinnamon and a little drizzle of maple syrup or honey. She loves this and asks to have it for lunch. You can also "hide" lots of nutrition in a smoothie. (yogurt, fruit, stevia, whey protein, perhaps fish oil and probiotic powder and some vit D). I have even frozen the smoothies and put them in a thermal container for lunch. I do suggest that you try to get her to take her lunch. I have worked in schools for a long time and school lunches are far from primal/healthy. You can make gradual changes here like putting in more fruit, any raw vegetables she likes, water to drink, etc. My daughter has been accepting of my manipulations to her lunch. I haven't totally banned the ubiquitous sandwich that she loves because I don't think prohibition always works; it sometimes backfires. I also don't want to make her feel like she can't partake of non-primal food at parties, etc. I take a "moderation in all things, including virtue" stance. One of my next projects is to make a poster for the fridge called "Haley's Healthy Habits". It will have pics of primal food, exercise options, and other healthy habits I'm trying to instill.

The most important thing is to educate our kids about nutrition and help them learn to make good choices. Like it or not, the vast majority of us are not totally in control of everything our child eats and they are likely to resent us if we even try. Ultimately, she will have to decide her own path in life, as all of our children will. I wish you well on this journey.