Comments

• Sandy LaPointe 11/17/08

  I agree with Louisa. I raised both my kids the same, My 14 year old son prefers junk food, plain foods, no vegetables except peas just about every day and he will eat some fruits. It's a true battle to get him to eat healthy. My daughter eats anything I give her but for a few things. I pack her lunch for school. Everything is fresh and she will most always choose healthy over junk. My son is too thin for my liking and my daughter has always been in the highest percentile for weight. I limit the junk food at home but my son spends more time away from home these days and chooses he own foods. I feel that all I can do now is make sure he is making good choices at home.

• Louisa Freeman 07/09/07

  My son always called me “the food police,” and wouldn’t try a lot of the new foods I put on the table – even from when he was tiny. But his sister would eat anything, and still does. I remember reading when they were little that you should just put all the food out for the meal at the same time, and they would regulate themselves and not eat only dessert. That worked for her but not him. I think parents can go so far in instilling good habits, and after that, it’s kind of genetic.

• Debbie Ryan 07/08/07

  We eat a pretty balanced diet at home, but I have absolutely no control over the food my teen daughters eat when they’re out of the house. I don’t want to quiz them, and I also don’t want their friends to make fun of them if they refuse the pizza and fries. Eating is such a social thing, and I want them to be comfortable about it. There’s just too much emphasis on not eating with girls, so they’ll stay thin. I would rather have my girls eat junk than be anorectic

• Kathy Reynolds 07/08/07

  My whole family was overweight and ate a lot of fast food when I was growing up. The problem is, that was what was available and I guess my parents didn’t know any better. This article gives me some good ideas, and I think in combination with exercise, they could work. I will definitely try some out.