M. Metzger

O.k. Here is a real life question. My son has, what seems to the rest of the family, an addiction to sugar. He can't eat just a few cookies. He eats the whole pack. If we don't have any sweet goodies at the moment, he will eat sugar directly out of the canister. This is a problem for two reasons. 1) No one in the house will get any sweet snacks, if he is allowed to eat all he wants. 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat sweets if allowed. Our house always has fresh vegetables and other healthy natural foods, because we have parrots.

We don't go overboard on the nutrition thing. We have a lot of knowledge and discussions because of the parrots. We have often mentioned when we are having McDonalds that we would NEVER allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food. :-)

He agrees that he feels better when he limits his sugar. I agree that I feel better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make it easy. Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to grow, we worry about his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition. He is not overweight, so that isn't a factor.

How would an unschooler handle this?
Margie




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/4/04 1:07:28 PM, msmetzger@... writes:

<< 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat sweets if allowed. >>

http://sandradodd.com/strew/ifilet

<<We have often mentioned when we are having McDonalds that we would NEVER
allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food. :-)>>

OFTEN?
You've said something like that often?
Seems a bad idea to have said it even once.

<<How would an unschooler handle this?>>

Different ones different ways, I'm sure.

Here's something about principles vs. rules:

http://sandradodd.com/rules

Sandra

[email protected]

How old is your son?


a message dated 6/4/2004 3:07:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
msmetzger@... writes:
O.k. Here is a real life question. My son has, what seems to the rest of the
family, an addiction to sugar. He can't eat just a few cookies. He eats the
whole pack. If we don't have any sweet goodies at the moment, he will eat
sugar directly out of the canister. This is a problem for two reasons. 1) No
one in the house will get any sweet snacks, if he is allowed to eat all he
wants. 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat sweets if allowed. Our
house always has fresh vegetables and other healthy natural foods, because we
have parrots.

We don't go overboard on the nutrition thing. We have a lot of knowledge and
discussions because of the parrots. We have often mentioned when we are
having McDonalds that we would NEVER allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food.
:-)

He agrees that he feels better when he limits his sugar. I agree that I feel
better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make it easy.
Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to grow, we worry about
his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition. He is not overweight, so that
isn't a factor.

How would an unschooler handle this?
Margie


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

J. Stauffer

<<How would an unschooler handle this?>>

Depends on so many factors. Different people have different body
chemistries and so can handle different levels of "not so
nutritiously-dense" foods.

For some people, it simply isn't much of a problem....for other people, it
causes tremendous health problems.

I wouldn't set some arbitrary limit on the amount of sugar I think is
appropriate for him. I would watch his health. I would continue to offer
nutritious things. I would talk about how there are other people in the
house who might like a cookie too.

If there were no health problems, I wouldn't get in a twist about it.

My son (age 10) developed serious dental issues due to sugar and vinegar (he
lived on sweets and pickles, refusing almost all other food). The dentist
said if he kept eating those things he would have dentures by the age of 20.

So I no longer bring those things into the house. I no longer offer them to
my children. But if we are out, or they are at a friend's house, and have
some cookies or pickles, it isn't a big deal because it is occassional.

I think the way unschoolers handle things is to deal with real life issues,
not arbitrary ones.

Julie S.
----- Original Message -----
From: "M. Metzger" <msmetzger@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 9:41 AM
Subject: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Real Life


> O.k. Here is a real life question. My son has, what seems to the rest of
the family, an addiction to sugar. He can't eat just a few cookies. He
eats the whole pack. If we don't have any sweet goodies at the moment, he
will eat sugar directly out of the canister. This is a problem for two
reasons. 1) No one in the house will get any sweet snacks, if he is allowed
to eat all he wants. 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat
sweets if allowed. Our house always has fresh vegetables and other healthy
natural foods, because we have parrots.
>
> We don't go overboard on the nutrition thing. We have a lot of knowledge
and discussions because of the parrots. We have often mentioned when we are
having McDonalds that we would NEVER allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy
food. :-)
>
> He agrees that he feels better when he limits his sugar. I agree that I
feel better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make it easy.
Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to grow, we worry
about his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition. He is not overweight,
so that isn't a factor.
>
> How would an unschooler handle this?
> Margie
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> "List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
>
> Visit the Unschooling website and message boards:
http://www.unschooling.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

M. Metzger

----- Original Message -----
From: Moondancermom@...
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 4:38 PM
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Real Life


How old is your son?


12 years old today!



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

M. Metzger

Why?
----- Original Message -----
From: SandraDodd@...


<<We have often mentioned when we are having McDonalds that we would NEVER
allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food. :-)>>

OFTEN?
You've said something like that often?
Seems a bad idea to have said it even once.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Deirdre Aycock

> msmetzger@... writes:
> O.k. Here is a real life question. My son has, what seems to the rest of
the
> family, an addiction to sugar. He can't eat just a few cookies. He eats
the
> whole pack. If we don't have any sweet goodies at the moment, he will eat
> sugar directly out of the canister. This is a problem for two reasons.
1) No
> one in the house will get any sweet snacks, if he is allowed to eat all he
> wants. 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat sweets if
allowed. Our
> house always has fresh vegetables and other healthy natural foods, because
we
> have parrots.
>
> better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make it easy.
> Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to grow, we worry
about
> his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition. He is not overweight, so
that
> isn't a factor.
>
> How would an unschooler handle this?
> Margie

Margie - Sounds to me like he is having hypoglycemia (episodes of his blood
sugar dropping too low). I would be take a serious look at making sure he
is eating before he gets so hungry that he craves the sugar. If his blood
sugar is plummeting, he really does feel like he *must* have the sugar.
When my daughter went through this (after a stomach bug), I just started
putting things in front of her every hour or so--things that she would
normally eat. It was kinda like what my husband did for me when I was
pregnant. If I had to think of something that sounded good to eat, I think
my blood sugar would fall and then I couldn't eat. So he would just fix
something and stick it in front of me (something with protein in it). It
got me back on track.
Deirdre

M. Metzger

Deirdre-
My instincts were good. I felt like he acted like he felt better when he would eat more protein. It also fits because he is great at skipping meals when he decides that they don't suit him. You can tell this bugs me. He is welcome to get something else to eat, which is what my other children will do. My son will just skip eating. (Part of me is probably jealous, because food means nothing to him and I'm really making an effort to lose weight right now!)

Thanks for good input.
Margie





Original message-----

Margie - Sounds to me like he is having hypoglycemia (episodes of his blood
sugar dropping too low). I would be take a serious look at making sure he
is eating before he gets so hungry that he craves the sugar. If his blood
sugar is plummeting, he really does feel like he *must* have the sugar.
When my daughter went through this (after a stomach bug), I just started
putting things in front of her every hour or so--things that she would
normally eat. It was kinda like what my husband did for me when I was
pregnant. If I had to think of something that sounded good to eat, I think
my blood sugar would fall and then I couldn't eat. So he would just fix
something and stick it in front of me (something with protein in it). It
got me back on track.
Deirdre





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Andrea Burlingame

> > msmetzger@... writes:
> > O.k. Here is a real life question. My son has, what seems to the rest
of
> the
> > family, an addiction to sugar. He can't eat just a few cookies. He
eats
> the
> > whole pack. If we don't have any sweet goodies at the moment, he will
eat
> > sugar directly out of the canister. This is a problem for two reasons.
> 1) No
> > one in the house will get any sweet snacks, if he is allowed to eat all
he
> > wants. 2) He will choose to go without food and just eat sweets if
> allowed. Our
> > house always has fresh vegetables and other healthy natural foods,
because
> we
> > have parrots.
> >
> > better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make it easy.
> > Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to grow, we
worry
> about
> > his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition. He is not overweight,
so
> that
> > isn't a factor.
> >
> > How would an unschooler handle this?
> > Margie
>
> Margie - Sounds to me like he is having hypoglycemia (episodes of his
blood
> sugar dropping too low). I would be take a serious look at making sure he
> is eating before he gets so hungry that he craves the sugar. If his blood
> sugar is plummeting, he really does feel like he *must* have the sugar.

It was kinda like what my husband did for me when I was
> pregnant. ...he would just fix
> something and stick it in front of me (something with protein in it). It
> got me back on track.
> Deirdre

My midwives always told me to eat protein when I was craving sugar, too. I
try to remember that when I give them a snack. Now that I think about it,
if I wait too long to give them something, they, especially Stella will want
nothing but sugar and is pretty grumpy about it. Hmmm...this might be what
made her so sick during all that movie watching. She was so occupied, she
wouldn't think to eat or ask for anything, and I would be so busy cleaning
house or whatever while she was occupied, I probably didn't think of it
either. Though often, I would bring them food while they watched, so I'm
not sure. Still, there were times, when they were just in there watching
and not eating....

~Andrea
>
>
>
>
>
> "List Posting Policies" are provided in the files area of this group.
>
> Visit the Unschooling website and message boards:
http://www.unschooling.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>

[email protected]

----- Original Message -----
From: SandraDodd@...

<<We have often mentioned when we are having McDonalds that we would NEVER
allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food. :-)>>

OFTEN?
You've said something like that often?
Seems a bad idea to have said it even once.
>>

<<<< Why?>>

It makes it seem as though you care more about the parrots than the kids.
Saying it once is a cold-hearted dig. Saying it OFTEN? Why?

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/5/04 6:59:41 AM, aycock@... writes:

<< Margie - Sounds to me like he is having hypoglycemia (episodes of his blood

sugar dropping too low). I would be take a serious look at making sure he

is eating before he gets so hungry that he craves the sugar. >>

Good idea. And though it was mentioned way down in that paragraph I want to
mention it bigger:

PROTEIN. He needs protein three or five times a day. Cheese or nuts if he
doesn't like meat. Eggs. Beans. If he does like meat, consider jerkey, or
little cubes of ham or chicken that he can grab a few of from an
easily-accessible container when he's feeling that need.

He can learn to know he needs it if after a few instances of protein making
him feel better he can "self medicate" (as it were).

Sandra

pam sorooshian

On Jun 4, 2004, at 7:41 AM, M. Metzger wrote:

>
> How would an unschooler handle this?
> Margie

Unschooling is not having the trappings of school in our homes. So - I
wouldn't make him take a required course in nutrition, I wouldn't give
him tests on the quantities of sugar in different foods, and I wouldn't
grade him on his eating habits.

Okay - little tongue in cheek.

But - when we talk specifically about unschooling - it is really about
not "schooling" at home.

The other stuff - all the respectful, open, generous, gracious,
non-punitive, thinking parenting stuff - is a more or less natural
outcome of living an unschooing lifestyle, but people who control their
kids diet can certainly still be unschoolers and many are. Lots of
unschoolers don't allow ANY sugar in their homes and eat only organic
foods and don't eat meat or whatever.

So - I just wanted to say that there is no specific "unschooling"
answer to this question. BUT, there are answers from unschoolers. And
MANY unschoolers find that when they've let go of control over their
chidlren's learning and seen how their kids can think and learn and
make decisions and experiment and - be trusted - that it only seems
logical to let go of other areas that they are exerting parental
control. Those other areas, such as food, bedtimes, how kids dress (or
don't <g>), seem to be obvious next candidates for close examination
and letting go of arbitrary rules and replacement with family
discussions, joint consideration for ourselves and each other, and
coming up with principles to live by.

So you will get LOTS of unschoolers' advice. Not the "unschooling
answer."

-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

pam sorooshian

On Jun 4, 2004, at 7:41 AM, M. Metzger wrote:

> He agrees that he feels better when he limits his sugar. I agree that
> I feel better when I'm not carrying extra weight. That doesn't make
> it easy. Because he is a growing boy and his body needs nutrients to
> grow, we worry about his sugar intake, and lack of proper nutrition.
> He is not overweight, so that isn't a factor.

Not sharing - not being considerate of other family members - eating
the whole box of cookies, for example, is NOT a nutrition issue.

Maybe you could ignore the nutrition issue - he seems healthy. But
start talking about and modeling and encouraging and helping him be
more thoughtful and generous and sharing and considerate.

-pam
National Home Education Network
<www.NHEN.org>
Serving the entire homeschooling community since 1999
through information, networking and public relations.

[email protected]

This came directly to me and while I THINK it was intended for the list, I'm
not positive. So I'm sending it on without the name, because I think its good
input!!


>It makes it seem as though you care more about the parrots than the

kids.<


This was the exact feeling I had.


When I was a kid, my mom always said things about my eating habits.

I weighed more than she did, though I was also 5 inches taller by

the time I was 12. My defense was to eat. My comfort was to eat.


Still have those defenses and comforts almost 20 years later. Hard

habits to break.


I'm sure my Mom thought she was being helpful.


What you say to a kid means everything. What you meant never

matters if you use the wrong words.

[Someone who might or might not want to reveal herself. <g>
Forwarded by Sandra Dodd]

Jennifer

>
> [Someone who might or might not want to reveal herself. <g>
> Forwarded by Sandra Dodd]

That was me. I was wondering what happened to my two posts. You
should probably expect another one.

Thanks for sending them along. Not sure how I did that since I'm
sending them through Yahoo and I'm just hitting reply.

Hmmm

Jennifer

christy_imnotred

--- In [email protected], "Deirdre Aycock"
<aycock@b...> wrote:
> Margie - Sounds to me like he is having hypoglycemia (episodes of
his blood
> sugar dropping too low). I would be take a serious look at making
sure he
> is eating before he gets so hungry that he craves the sugar. If
his blood
> sugar is plummeting, he really does feel like he *must* have the
sugar.

I'm glad you wrote this, I forgot about this as a cause for sugar
craving. I've always been hypoglycemic and before I knew what it was
I craved sugar all the time. The downside is when you eat sugar, you
get an insulin spike and your sugar levels end up even lower than
before you ate the sugar, so you crave even more sugar. What has
helped me is eating complex carbohydrates combined with protein. The
body slowly breaks these down and the blood sugar stays more stable.
When I start craving sugar I eat multi-grain bread with peanut
butter. It makes the craving go away without the subsequent drop in
blood sugar. Eating often is important too. I have to eat multiple
snacks during the day to avoid the drop.

It is hard because you are craving the thing that will make it
worse. See if you can encourage him to breads, pastas and protein.

Christy O

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/5/04 10:49:39 AM, christy_imnotred@... writes:

<< See if you can encourage him to breads, pastas and protein.

>>

Carbohydrates are sugar too (bread and pasta) at some level.
You can chew a saltine cracker without swallowing until it starts to taste
sweet, if you need a way to remember it.

Protein is the thing that will keep they hypoglycemic effects down, and those
are generally headache and confusion and irritability at a low level, and
weird hallucination (audio mostly, as far as I know, and depth perception
weirdness) if it's been a whole day or so since protein.

Sandra

[email protected]

Yes, I find w/us that even just a small chunk of cheese helps w/sugar
fluctuations, especially if we eat it with the sugar product or right after. With
Shane, I keep powdered Stevia in the fridge easily accessible to him. Stevia is
great for regulating blood sugar and helps to stop sugar cravings. He wets the
tip of his finger, sticks it in the cup and puts the stevia on his tongue.

My midwives always told me to eat protein when I was craving sugar, too.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

Yes, I find w/us that even just a small chunk of cheese helps w/sugar
fluctuations, especially if we eat it with the sugar product or right after. With
Shane, I keep powdered Stevia in the fridge easily accessible to him. Stevia is
great for regulating blood sugar and helps to stop sugar cravings. He wets the
tip of his finger, sticks it in the cup and puts the stevia on his tongue.

Debbie~:)

>>>My midwives always told me to eat protein when I was craving sugar, too. <<
<


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Cally Brown

These words define my childhood - in fact my whole relationship with my
parents even until they died when I was 36! And I have been reminding
myself of this all through the last 23 years of being with my kids.

>What you say to a kid means everything. What you meant never
>
>matters if you use the wrong words.
>
I'd just add something to the first sentance, so it read, 'What you say,
or don't say, to a kid means everything.' It would have been nice to
have had a parent say 'I love you'.

Cally

M. Metzger

"We" refers to my children also. Because my children have choices, and because we eat out too much, we eat at McDonald's. McDonald's burgers and fries are truly unhealthy on a regular basis. A way to bond with your parrots is to share food. There have been instances, in office buildings, where a parrot has gotten sick after two months of McDonald's, especially the fries. An office worker, or several, save some of their lunch to share with the parrot. After the parrot is at death's door and they try to trace what could have made it sick, they discover the McDonald's eating habit.

I think we all mention McDonald's food being unhealthy as a way to remind ourselves that we do have choices and our birds don't have as many. It is up to us to make sure the birds only get healthy food.
Margie

----- Original Message -----
From: SandraDodd@...
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] Real Life


----- Original Message -----
From: SandraDodd@...

<<We have often mentioned when we are having McDonalds that we would NEVER
allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food. :-)>>

OFTEN?
You've said something like that often?
Seems a bad idea to have said it even once.
>>

<<<< Why?>>

It makes it seem as though you care more about the parrots than the kids.
Saying it once is a cold-hearted dig. Saying it OFTEN? Why?

Sandra



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

M. Metzger

Thank you to all who posted in response to my question. I came away with new information that I'm sure will help.
Margie



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Fetteroll

on 6/6/04 2:07 AM, M. Metzger at msmetzger@... wrote:

> I think we all mention McDonald's food being unhealthy as a way to remind
> ourselves that we do have choices and our birds don't have as many. It is up
> to us to make sure the birds only get healthy food.

Which is different than "we would NEVER allow the parrots to eat such
unhealthy food."

Providing the option of good food that people enjoy is better than standing
between someone and something they want. It's about providing *more* options
rather than criticizing a well liked option that you don't like.

> Because my children have choices, and because we eat out too much, we eat at
> McDonald's.

Why are you eating out too much?

The daily routine is your responsibility. If you're out too much at lunch,
it isn't your children's responsibility to choose healthy food to make up
for your not having them home at lunch where you can make them something
that's better than McDonald's.

That situation is really no different than your husband bringing home boxes
of Godiva chocolates and then when you choose to eat some saying "I would
NEVER allow the parrots to eat such unhealthy food."

It's up to us to create the environment not up to the kids to make the
choices we want them to. If we're creating the environment that has them out
at lunch where McDonald's is a convenient and tasty (to the kids) choice,
the responsibility for the situation isn't theirs. It's ours. If you'd
rather they chose soup and sandwiches for lunch it's better that you fill
the home with the smell of homemade soup and fresh baked bread than to drive
by McDonald's when everyone is hungry. We can't make our kids choose soup
and sandwiches but we can create better choices for them than being near
McDonald's at lunch and then blaming them for making that choice.

Joyce

the_clevengers

--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
> PROTEIN. He needs protein three or five times a day. Cheese or
nuts if he
> doesn't like meat. Eggs. Beans. If he does like meat, consider
jerkey, or
> little cubes of ham or chicken that he can grab a few of from an
> easily-accessible container when he's feeling that need.
>
> He can learn to know he needs it if after a few instances of
protein making
> him feel better he can "self medicate" (as it were).


So, just out of curiousity, what happens with a child who likes *no*
forms of protein? This is the biggest issue with my daughter. She
gets hypoglycemic, cranky beyond belief, but there are virtually no
proteins she will eat and definitely none once she gets to the cranky
phase. We were at a friend's house for a BBQ last night, and I packed
along chicken for the BBQ, veggie burgers (both of my kids go back
and forth on whether they want to eat meat or not), a bag of almonds,
and a peanut butter sandwich. None of them were a go for her. We've
sat down together and tried to come up with a list of proteins that
she would be okay with eating. She'll say a few things, but when the
time comes and I suggest protein, she doesn't want to eat any of
them. If she eats more carbs or sugar, we're back into the crabby
cycle. She did eat one peanut butter sandwich this week (a first!). I
can very occasionally get her to eat eggs if I cook them flat in a
pan and give her cookie cutters to cut them into shapes, but mostly
she plays with them and leaves them on the plate.

None of this is an issue with my son, who is most easy-going about
food and eats a pretty healthy balanced diet all on his own. If I
suggest he eat some protein or get a snack because he's starting to
get that cranky/hungry thing, he'll go right ahead and get something
or ask me to fix him something. Ironically, this is the kid whose
diet was completely and totally controlled due to multiple, severe,
food allergies when he was younger (no longer an issue though), and
he's the easy-going one about food. My daughter, who had no such
issues (well, she's allergic to dairy, but it's not a life-
threatening allergy) and fortunately didn't have to go through that
total food control just doesn't seem to make the mood-food connection
(even though if, by some act of God, she does get protein, it makes a
huge difference - literally, within 5 minutes, she's back to her
cheerful self) or have any inclination to eat any form of protein at
all.

<sigh> Any creative ideas welcome.

Blue Skies,
-Robin-

[email protected]

In a message dated 6/6/04 8:25:17 AM, tri_mom@... writes:

<< So, just out of curiousity, what happens with a child who likes *no*

forms of protein? >>

Protein drinks? Protein powder in juice?
Keep trying to find things she'll eat?

Fish sticks?
Tuna salad?

Salmon "cookies"? (Salmon patties made for finger food might work, possibly.)

You can make some little food-bits by mixing various combos of raw sausage,
grated cheese, ground nuts, grated apple, honey, raisins or dried cranberries
or currants, a little flour or bisquick, roll them into little balls (an inch
across or so?) and bake them. They keep well. They're high in protein and not
a large quantity of food.

There's a similar recipe (or used to be) on the bisquick box, which made
biscuits with sausage and cheese in them. And there's a variation I found in a
Santa Fe cookbook that just added a can of green chile to that (not recommended
for kids!) but I prefer to make them sweet, with honey and apple.

Sandra

christy_imnotred

--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
> Carbohydrates are sugar too (bread and pasta) at some level.


Yes, they are sugars, but much more complex so it takes longer to
break them down and helps keep the blood sugar level stable. By
keeping the blood sugar level stable you avoid the drops in blood
sugar that cause the cravings. Protein is very important too but we
need some sugar (in the form of complex carbs) to keep our blood
sugar stable. Our body does need some sugar to make ATP.

Christy O

TreeGoddess

When I'm needing some protein I like to snack on Tofurky Jerky -- my
kids love it too. http://tofurky.com/products/jurky.htm Maybe you
could see if your DD likes it.
-Tracy-

the_clevengers

--- In [email protected], SandraDodd@a... wrote:
> Protein drinks? Protein powder in juice?

That's a good idea. She does occasionally drink smoothies, which I
always put some kind of protein in.

> Keep trying to find things she'll eat?

LOL, that's definitely a constant!

> Fish sticks?
> Tuna salad?
>
> Salmon "cookies"? (Salmon patties made for finger food might work,
possibly.)

Alas, all have been tried and nixed.


> You can make some little food-bits by mixing various combos of raw
sausage,
> grated cheese, ground nuts, grated apple, honey, raisins or dried
cranberries
> or currants, a little flour or bisquick, roll them into little
balls (an inch
> across or so?) and bake them. They keep well. They're high in
protein and not
> a large quantity of food.
>
> There's a similar recipe (or used to be) on the bisquick box, which
made
> biscuits with sausage and cheese in them.


These sound interesting and I've never tried any of them - I guess I
need to find a box of Bisquick and give it a try. I think if I can
just reach a critical mass of things that she will eat at least every
once in a while, I can rotate them. The problem right now is that
there's so few protein things that she likes, I think she gets bored
of them, and I don't blame her. Thanks for the ideas.


Blue Skies,
-Robin-

Cynthia

Robin:

Just a suggestion for adding protein to smoothies...
We use a whey protein called American Whey. Usually I buy the
banana flavored. It has an excellent consistency and it doesn't
leave that horrible whey aftertaste the way that some products can
(like Designer Protein or Twinlabs which are very popular brands you
will come across at GNC). They also have a LOT of flavors. You
might find a local supplier by going to www.americanwhey.com. I buy
it at my gym. Generally, I will make a smoothie with OJ, ice,
strawberries, half banana and a scoop of whey. Make sure to adjust
the whey or any other protein to appropriate levels for your childs
age/weight, etc., she probably can't absorb a whole scoop of whey
protein (my kids use 1/2 to 3/4 scoop).

If you do decide to buy a supplement, it can be expensive trial and
error to buy large containers of powder and find out you hate the
taste. If you live in an area with a lot of gyms, you could always
stop in and try a protein shake at the juice bar. This is a good
way of testing the different types of supplements for a few dollars
before you decide to buy a whole can for $30-40; most gyms carry
several brands and brands differ between gyms usually. Plus a good
juice bar often has fun "recipes" for making protein smoothies.

Other protein ideas for smoothies include blending in pasteurized
egg whites. If the concoction is frothy enough and it's well
blended, it's not bad (and cheaper than whey)! Many powdered
protein supplements can be blended into puddings, etc. Most of the
women's BODYBUILDING magazines (Oxygen, MF for Her - but not the
diet magazines like Fit, etc.) have great recommendations for
preparing high protein meals, snacks and ways to incorporate more
protein/less carbs into traditional recipes.

Good luck.
Cindi

christy_imnotred

There are a lot of things that have small amounts of protein in them,
like cold cereal, Wheat Thins, Nutrigrain bars, chewy granola bars,
pudding etc. They each have about 3 grams of protein per serving.
If she will eat a variety of foods with small amounts of protein, it
may add up to enough throughout the day.

Christy O