16. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Aug 13, 2005, 10:18 pm PDT

It is important for our children to understand that "skinny" is not necessarily healthy. It is about balance - we must educate them that food is to our bodies what fuel is to a car - the higher quality fuel we use, the better our engine runs. In addition to good nutrition, it is vital that we set a standard on the importance of exercise. Remember what happens to that car that sits in the driveway without being driven? By developing a lifestyle which includes BOTH nutrition and exercise, we empower our children to maintain physical, psychological and social well being, which they most certainly deserve. In Good Health...

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17. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Aug 14, 2005, 5:17 am PDT

as another reader mentioned "The majority of the food you put for snacks is high in sugar, which is one of the reasons why there are so many children with diabetes" this is simply not the truth behind diabetes!!! Diabetes is not caused by sugar- if this were true the cure for diabetes would not be such a difficult search. Keep in mind that the foods listed also have beneficial vitamins and minerals and plus there are so many parts of the body that cant simply run without carbohydates (do some research and you will see) and sugar is a carbohydrate! Carbohydrates are essential!!! If you want to ward off diabetes in kids, keep their weight in good check and get them out excercising (or back in the day we called it "playing outside"-away from the video games). L.T.- R.D. & Certified Diabetic Educator

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18. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Aug 14, 2005, 11:55 am PDT

I truly believe after raising 3 sons, 29, 26 & 15 years old most of the time they eat healthy but they are also very athletic, hard working young men & very respectiful of their bodies & their appearance. I never did not allow "sweets" but everything is in moderation & that is the key to a healthy & fulfilled life. Parents should keep that in mind when raising a family within the city or rural.

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19. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Aug 14, 2005, 9:42 pm PDT

I agree with everyone who is praising fresh fruits and veggies. I am 62 and raised two active sons now 33 and 26 years respectively. I always had cut up veggies, fresh fruit, 2% Milk, Lowfat String Cheese, Old Fashioned Peanut Butter, Multigrain Bread, and lots of homemade stuff ( I baked on the weekends) for them to have after school, before dinner, and during homework time after dinner. They both left home to the military and later on to marriage able to select fresh produce better than me. I taught them both to cook from scratch because they did not like the taste or texture of most processed foods. I made their school lunches because most American school lunches are not fit to feed rats. Their friends liked these homemade lunches so much that they bought lunches like my sons from me with their lunch money ( with parental consent of course). I used whole grain breads, veggie snacks, a medium size apple, a dill mini pickle, string cheese, and homemade cookies. My boys and their friends made two snacks and lunch from this. Also, my sons never left home without breakfast. . .when they were in high school I taught myself to make things that they could eat on the way to school. . .hard boiled egg and a multi grain bagel with peanut butter or lowfat cream cheese. My sons also drank their milk quota at home. . .I taught them to love chilled water!!!!! Eating "fast food" was a sometimes thing. Beta_goldie is right about making the process fun. . .this is important!!!! Kids get a big kick out of cooking/baking and helping to prepare meals. I miss having my sons' help with the grocery shopping. They were very good, like I said before, with fresh produce and meat. They loved dairy products like cottage cheese and yogurt. Also, diabetis is not caused by too much sugar in the diet. . .we all need more whole grains, brown rice, and less fat in our daily meals. Overweight and not exercising enough is also another big factor. What about short walks around the block after dinner? or "twisting the night away?" or mowing the lawn with a non-power motor? Hey folks, this is not rocket science. Use your heads, tough love your kids, see to it that they love themselves as much as you do, and whatever you do do, do it together in kindness. One step at a time will get you where you want to go!

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20. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Aug 14, 2005, 11:43 pm PDT

I am weighing 69kgs with height of 5'7'' can i reduce my weight

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21. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 4:19 am PDT

i totally agree with wild flower lady we should encourage our kids to eat more of natural foods

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22. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 5:23 am PDT

Nix Nay on the Granola Bars they are loaded with sugar, instead try the South Beach Diet Cereal Bars, the chocolate ones are delicious and 13grms of protein. But for those with really young children at home the best idea is to not have them get used to sugary snacks in the first place. I have two boys raised them on fruit, and frozen yogurt with carob coating instead of ice cream, they will both pass desserts up now as young adults...I see too mamy kids living on hotdogs, mac and cheeese and pb and jelly and not much else. Eating should be fun and exciting, expose your children to foods from different cultures, don't pass on your bad habits to them. Heavy children and not happy children.

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23. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 7:48 am PDT

iam 17 but notupto 17 in height pls tell me what to doso

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24. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 8:33 am PDT

Hello Jean Carrillo here, kids have a lots of energy and need to exercise more than watching tv and playing electronic games. The more they exercise the more they need food, good food. Foods are energy, and when kids eat more energy and burn less, we are facing obesity. I never see a 10 years old kids to the grocery store buy junk food by himself :-) Parents control the basket :-) Jean Carrillo Author of the book "What's Next?" Nutritional, mental and Fitness Answers you've been searching for.

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25. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 12:56 pm PDT

Hi. I am the reader who stated that feeding snacks to children high in sugar is "one of the reasons why there are so many children with diabetes". You replied that this is not the cause of diabetes. I understand that there are other essential factors to having or becoming diabetic, but I have always thought that a high sugar diet and no exercise were contributing factors to diabetes. I have also heard that a high fat diet and no exercise contributes to heart disease. If these facts are "wives tales", I would really like to know, for I've been being told this all my life. Please set the record straight "mmbikinikill on Sun, Aug 14, 2005".

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26. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 12:59 pm PDT

The list is ok on one hand but i agree with the others about fresh fruits. I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and sometimes she doesn't eat three meals a day and 2 snacks. I never force her to eat but when she is ready i am there to feed her a healthy meal. It is up to us a parents to teach our children the right and wrong way to eat. My daughter loves sliced apples dipped in peanut butter. She also like bannana sandwiches which i put peanut butter on and raisins. No 2 kids are the same nor do they have the same taste in foods but if given the right foods from the start they will make better decisions in life later on.

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27. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 1:05 pm PDT

PS. Yo mmbikinikill...By the way... thanks for the advice that,"the body that cant simply run without carbohydates (do some research and you will see) and sugar is a carbohydrate!" Please read again and note that I suggested fruits and vegatables which are also carbohydrates. Bread is also a carbohydrate... and the less processed (because of the sugar content and no nutitional value) the better. You stated that "the foods listed also have beneficial vitamins and minerals". I disagree. Not all the foods on the list have nutritional value... however all of them do have a high content of sugar. Sorry that my observation got your panties in a bundle....

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28. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 3:28 pm PDT

My son is just turning five. Since hemoved past Gerber snacks his diet just declined mostly because I went back to work. I,m constantyly in struggle to regain control, but it still fluctuates. He won't dip or eat sauces on food. He refuses vegetables to the point of physical upheaval. Some vegetables he tolerates now but only if standing over him. I've had many doctor and mother suggestions some work most don't because he won't even try dips and sauces which most kids cover food tastes with. Any suggestions please send. This can be very upsetting sometimes.

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29. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 3:29 pm PDT

Hi I think that this is going to help me eat better because i always like to eat junk food and i think that you should do something like send newspapers to kids like so they could know that junk food is something bad for them.

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30. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Aug 21, 2005, 7:16 pm PDT

Hey, I'm just a kidlike every other kid, but im bi-polar so when i get in my depressive mode its hard to not try and fill my face with food. i barely have any fat on me but that is just my belly but i want to look great like every body else at school. so what i have been doing is looking up all heathy foods that i haven't tried that i say i dont like but now im going to try them and eat some of them that i like so i can look fab... too and staly heathy which is even more inportant.

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