Re: sorta OT: Nana's food issues (and mine)

December 27, 2000

For us, we have only recently made serious diet changes. So, I'm not as

strict about the occasional sweet or slip backwards. I do think, though,

that your choices for your children should be respected by other family

members even if they don't agree.

I'm sure they wouldn't want or have wanted anyone putting down their

parenting choices! Of course, that's easier said than done I wonder

what sort of grandma I'll be?

>

December 27, 2000

Well, we aren't eaters off the regular path for the most part. I tend to

have a non-dairy diet and encourage this for my daughter, but am not strict

with it. However, I don't like her to have sweets (at 17 months) or

certain foods. I was very cautious when we were breastfeeding because all

our family wanted to give her just a bite of whatever. Last year was

horrible with a 5 month old people wanted to give pie and whipped cream

to. Other than telling them they were encouraging possible health

problems, they didn't care that we didn't want her to have anything at that

point besides my breastmilk.

I also don't like my daughter to drink anything except water and

breastmilk. She can have some juice now, but it is a

treat. Unfortunately, my in-laws think giving her pop is just fine. I

told them that I can't allow them to be around her with food if they

persist with giving her stuff like that. They live a 9 hour drive away, so

they know this can fairly easily be enforced by not opening my home to them

to visit and not going to visit them myself.

Now, my family has started asking what she can and cannot have. The

in-laws are a little slower to learn since they live a little farther

away. However, while I don't want her to have sweets, I allowed " them " (my

mother and husband mainly) to give my daughter some pie with whipped

cream. This was a special treat and she won't have any probably until next

holidays.

So, in all my ramblings, while we would be considered fairly cultural in

what we eat and give our child, some things we restrict other still want to

give her. We just tell them exactly why we do not allow those foods. Most

of it is reasonable. I do think there are special times of the year and

treats are treats. My daughter had cake at her birthday, but hasn't had

any since because we don't make it. I eat things over the holidays I would

normally avoid. I feel the repurcussions, but I know those in advance and

eat them anyway. While we can encourage the best eating in our children we

feel, they need to learn themselves what to avoid and what to

enjoy. Letting your daughters have whatever it was that gave them a runny

nose was probably good. They enjoyed it at the time and there was no

likely long-term problems. Eventually, when allowed to have different

things at special times of the year (like birthdays and

Thanksgiving/Christmas), they will learn that some things make them feel

bad and they'll avoid them on their own.

HTH

Adrienne

December 27, 2000

Well, my younger daughter is allergic to dairy and wheat and I really try to

stick to her diet which can be very difficult in public places, but she is

understanding enough and knows that her skin doesn't like some of the yummy

things she would like to have.

We don't eat any meat and my friends are supportive, my family doesn't

understand and three years ago while I was back home with my kids they even

gave some meat to my older daughter which completely freaked me out with the

BSE going on in Europe and all.

I just felt completely disrespected and ridiculed by them.

She had asked for it, she was four at that time and saw everybody eating

meat. I was not there, busy with my newborn twins, and so they took the

liberty and let her have what she wanted.

I am not so strict about organic food because I don't get everything

organic. I try to restrict candy and stuff but I still let them " live " and

allow them candy once in a while, still no dairy here for the allergic

daughter.

I don't have any articles that I could forward to you.

Sorry about that.

a.

sorta OT: Nana's food issues (and mine)

> HELP! I need some advice from those of you feeding your kids

> " alternative " diets (we do no dairy, little wheat, no meat but fish, and

> leaning toward macrobiotic) since my mom went crazy over Christmas

> because dh and I won't let the girls have candy, ice cream, and

> non-organic fruits/veggies. We've also been avoiding cold fruits since

> both girls had bouts of diarrhea last week, and my mom could not seem to

> grasp why little Rhythm Joy (2yo) couldn't have an apple out of the

> fridge. I offered her warmed apples with cinnamon but, being a typical

> 2yo, she refused and Nana became convinced I was scarring her for life by

> denying her cold fruit! *LOL* I broke down and let them have some of

> Nana's famous cheese grits (at least the eggs in it were free range) at

> Christmas dinner and they both woke up with runny noses/congestion (yea

> dairy.) Sorry for the rambling, I guess I'm just curious how strict you

> other healthy parents are with eating outside the home - especially with

> relatives who don't necessarily share your dietary beliefs (and sometimes

> even laugh about them at the table!) I know the occasional piece of

> candy or non-organic produce won't kill them, but where do you draw the

> line? At least since my mom got a computer, I can email info to her

> (she's pretty open to the no-vax IDEA at least, just afraid for her

> grandchildren to get sick because of our " religious beliefs " - I was

> fully vaxed, she says, and I never got any of those diseases.....of

> course my ALLERGIES have nothing at all to do with the VAXES! (sarcasm)

> If anyone has a good article or two on feeding children a (mostly)

> macrobiotic diet, I'd love to forward them to my mom. Dh and I have

> several books on the subject, but I have a feeling she'd be more likely

> to read an email. TIA, Namaste, Gretchen

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December 27, 2000

Hi Gretchen...your childrens immune systems and health are going to be/are

so bolstered by eating a mostly macrobiotic diet, that the few times they

eat other " stuff " , it really won't make much of a difference (unless they

are allergic to the foods). Short of taking my own food with me (which on

occasion, I do) you won't be able to avoid it anyway. I mostly pick out the

" best " that is offered, and eat that (or offer it to my son). I have

actually sat down to dinner at my parents, and just eaten a plateful of

squash, or zucchini, or cabbage. As for people who don't understand with or

agree with your lifestyle/philosophies...they will just have to live with

it. This is YOUR choice, and YOUR decision, not theirs, and as long as you

are not asking them to buy or prepare special foods for you and your family,

they really have no choice but to accept your decision. This includes family

and close friends. The firmer you are in your resolve, the faster and easier

it will be to convince others that this is the way that you have chosen to

live, and you wish it to be accepted, if not respected. Sorry, but I don't

have any articles per say on macro diets, just books...Sharon