"Rules" for healthy eating

[Mickey'snewestfan]

My DS14 has decided that he wants to get in better shape for wrestling and football, and has asked my advice in changing his diet. He's a kid who does well with rules or strategies, stuff like, do your homework before you turn on the TV. So, I'd like to give him a set of rules and guidelines for what a healthy diet looks like, and then let him decide to what degree he follows them.

He's far from a picky eater, and generally likes food that is more strongly flavored. For example, he's been enjoying this trail mix I bought him that has habanero peppers in it, and would much rather eat that that then a more traditional trail mix that's simply sweet or salty.

I don't want him counting calories, or depriving himself of food. He's a growing kid and an athlete, but if he ended up dropping a weight class because he's eating healthier, I'd be OK with that.

I'm going to put what I told him today as what I thought would be good rules in the next post, because I'd love it if people replied before they read it, so I can compare their rules with mine and maybe change things.

 

[DisneyDreamer2504]

Very general guidelines: minimize salt and sugar, drink LOTS of water, eat a variety of fruits, veggies and legumes, and minimal amounts of foods that come in bags and boxes.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

OK here's what I told him:

1) Drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Seltzer water (which he loves) or adding a splash of lemon or lime is fine.

2) Things to avoid most of the time: sugar, artificial sweetener, processed carbs (e.g. white bread, white rice).

3) Eat regularly -- 3 meals a day, plus a couple snacks. When feasible, bring lunch and snacks from home.

4) A good snack is a protein, and at least one fruit or veggie. You can add a whole grain if you want. Examples of healthy snacks:

Apples with peanut butter
1/2 a PB and J sandwich on whole wheat and a banana
Carrots and hummus
A hard boiled egg, some edamame and a brown rice cake
A bowl of greek yogurt with frozen cherries
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruits, plus a couple of clementines

5) A good meal is a protein or two, two fruits or veggies, and a whole grain. For example:

Breakfast: Smoothie with fruit, spinach and kefir, scrambled eggs and whole grain toast
Lunch: Romaine lettuce with dressing, left over roast chicken in a sandwich, apple
Dinner: Salmon, brown rice, broccoli and cauliflower, fresh pineapple

6) If you follow these rules, and eat healthy at home and at school, it's fine to go out with your friends and have a treat. If you're going out and you want to make it a little healthier some things you can do include, having a snack before you go so you're not starving, ordering a salad or a veggie to go with whatever you're having, and ordering water instead of soda.

 

[John VN]

Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter, interesting read.

Ditch all rice in favor of Quinoa. Add spices, peppers, whatever to water when cooking. Eat warm, cold, in cereal or salad

Have him make his own natural trail mix

McFlurry John

 

[anniemae]

To start, I would say to:

cut out processed crap and start eating real food.
More fruit and veggies.
Portion control
water instead of soda

 

[Granny square]

It seems low calorie to me. My athletes burn a ton of calories. I can't keep food in the house. Does he workout? Does he need to lose weight? We've never seen any reason to limit salt either.

 

[Poohforyou]

I personally would have him start by keeping a food diary for a week. Don't go crazy by measuring things but you need an idea of how many calories he's eating now to maintain his weight. Once you have that info swap not so good things for healthier ones.

I'd have him stay away from packaged convenience food and try to consume whole foods. I personally don't eat any wheat products or sugar and try to stay away from all flours since they're very processed.

 

[Granny square]

A fold diet is a good idea. Probably not Christmas week though

Fill him with real food and he should balance out pretty well

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would try to adjust your whole family's diet to be healthier and include him in the planning. Wait till after the New Year to start. Clean out your kitchen of the processed foods. Boxed Mac and Cheese, frozen pizza, highly refined/high sugar cereals etc. Go to the store together and shop the outside of the store first. Load up on fresh produce, reduced fat dairy products, lean meats. Then choose whole grain grain products: pasta, bread, cereals, rices, old fashion oatmeal etc.
Cook meals at home from these type of foods and pack lunches from them. Assure him that it is just fine to have pizza and the occasional soda when out with his fiends. Make sure he knows that eating healthy MOST of the time is great, but not to deprive himself of an occasional treat.

 

[thejunker]

I really like the Go, Slow, Whoa program the NIH produces, it is really easy for kids to understand. Here is the PDF (might be a little young targeted for a 14YO)

The main "Eat Right" website is here or you can search Google for "Go, Slow, Whoa" and get a bunch more info.

 

[DLgal]

It seems low calorie to me. My athletes burn a ton of calories. I can't keep food in the house. Does he workout? Does he need to lose weight? We've never seen any reason to limit salt either.

I agree. You actually do NOT want to limit salt for an athlete, especially a wrestler who probably sweats buckets intentionally to "make weight". It can be very dangerous to do that. Athletes need MORE salt, not less.

OP, your son needs probably 3000 cal per day. Now is when you teach him about healthy fats. Whole milk, 2% fat Greek yogurt, whole fat cheeses like cheddar (not processed), nuts, avocados, WHOLE eggs (not just egg whites), olive oil sauteed meats and veggies, olive oil based salad dressings, etc.

The best things to limit are refined sugars and empty calorie snacks like cookies, crackers, chips, soda, etc.

Water is not that big a deal. As long as his urine is clear and light colored, he is drinking enough. The old "8 cups a day" is irrelevant advice. Drink when thirsty is all he needs to do. And hydrate before physically strenuous activity.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Thanks everyone!

I put the water there because he's got asthma, and there's evidence that staying well hydrated can make a difference to asthma. He's also never been a kid to drink enough and now he's doing a sport where they encourage dehydration, so I want to be clear that while I'm OK with him dieting a little to "make weight", I'm not OK with him restricting liquids or "sweating off" the weight.

I'm a little unclear about the salt thing. I don't look for or buy reduced salt ingredients, except for a few foods where I think it tastes better (e.g. unsalted butter), but if he's moving from processed to more whole foods, I assume that will mean a reduction in salt intake. For example, if he's subbing out a sandwich of homemade grilled chicken for one with deli meat, and taking carrots with ranch and grapes for his side instead of potato chips, I'm assuming that's OK, if I'm offering him salt for his chicken and the bread and ranch are regular, not low salt, version.

I'm not looking to reduce his calories or his portion size. I do think he'd benefit from calories more spread out across the day. Before he started trying to eat healthy he'd regularly skip meals, and then eat enormous portions of a single food (e.g. a whole box of cereal with milk) when he got home from school and hunger caught up with him. I want him to know that it's fine to eat until he's full, but I think it will take less to do so if he had a good lunch, and a snack before practice, and if he's mixing in some protein and produce with that snack, like adding chopped almonds to the cereal, and a banana on the side.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Make sure he also eats healthy during long tournaments! Make sure he doesn't eat fatty food or anything heavy because it will slow him down when he gets on the wresting mat.

My son's coach said not to bring anything heavy and preferably no meat. So basically granola bars or energy bars, energy drinks/water, lots of fruits to hydrate them, pasta salad/salad, vegetables/dip.

I do have my son eat 6 inch subway for lunch. They do get to eat lunch as the referees and the scorers get breaks too. But don't let him eat too much because like I said, it will slow him down, but just enough where he does have the energy for the next match. I hope this helps.

My son is 17 and he has been wrestling since 6 grade. He has no problem sticking to "wrestling diet". He wants to make it to state champion, so this is very important to him. Everyday morning/afternoon/night he weight himself to make sure he is within the weight limit. This keeps him from eating too much. It's easy to gain than lose.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The experienced wrestlers have told him that what you eat at meets and tournaments are: apples, bananas, pb and j sandwiches, and Cliff bars. He missed a lot of practice because he had surgery, and then the coach had him act as the videographer at a couple of meets because he was still learning the basics. Since he was cleared they've only had a varsity meet, so he was the videographer there as well. Nonetheless, he shows his support for the team by eating apples, bananas, pb and j's and Cliff bars.

 

[VAfamily1998]

Eat foods in their most whole and natural state as possible

Eat a "rainbow" of fruits and vegetables every day--some reds (red bell peppers, tomatoes), some orange/yellows (carrots, oranges), some greens (broccoli, spinach), some blue/purples (blackberries, blueberries, beets), and some whites (jicama, bananas)

 

[low-key]

I live by one food rule and one food rule only, eat it before it eats you

 

[VAfamily1998]

The experienced wrestlers have told him that what you eat at meets and tournaments are: apples, bananas, pb and j sandwiches, and Cliff bars. He missed a lot of practice because he had surgery, and then the coach had him act as the videographer at a couple of meets because he was still learning the basics. Since he was cleared they've only had a varsity meet, so he was the videographer there as well. Nonetheless, he shows his support for the team by eating apples, bananas, pb and j's and Cliff bars.

What kind of peanut butter? I would have him stick with a natural peanut butter--make sure to actually read the ingredients. It shouldn't list anything but peanuts and salt (unless you choose unsalted).

 

[*Fantasia*]

The experienced wrestlers have told him that what you eat at meets and tournaments are: apples, bananas, pb and j sandwiches, and Cliff bars. He missed a lot of practice because he had surgery, and then the coach had him act as the videographer at a couple of meets because he was still learning the basics. Since he was cleared they've only had a varsity meet, so he was the videographer there as well. Nonetheless, he shows his support for the team by eating apples, bananas, pb and j's and Cliff bars.

I'm the videographer! Lol.. I've done it too many times. But now, I video less. It's too much work especially when there are many wrestlers in the team! I'm glad he was cleared to participate and he is okay now.

Those food you mentioned are perfect food for wrestlers. Whether they wrestle or not, no one eats food that other wrestlers cannot. And the coach will surely get upset. He wants everyone to stick to the same food at the tournament. And this is why we sign up of what and who is going to bring the healthy snack. With meets, they basically bring their own little snack because it's only for a couple of hours.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

What kind of peanut butter? I would have him stick with a natural peanut butter--make sure to actually read the ingredients. It shouldn't list anything but peanuts and salt (unless you choose unsalted).

We have natural peanut butter at home, but the foods seem to be divided up with different parents sending different things and the boys all sharing round. So far, I've been the apple parent. I was also the apple parent for every pre-game football meal, so I'm getting pretty good at buying apples. I think my son might wish I was the pb and j sandwich mom though, as we live about a mile from school and apples are heavier than sandwiches.