Do you restrict your kids food intake for financial reasons?

Bnei Berak 10

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 6:29 am

amother Oleander wrote:

Id like to comment as the mother who was raised in a very food restricted house and now struggles with my relationship with food and metabolism.
There's a huge difference in the two scenarios

1) mom prepares chicken (or meatballs or hamburgers or whatever) according to what her family normally eats, maybe with a dot extra. A child asks for more than they usually eat and there's not anymore so the child takes extra of the starchy (cheap) sides

2) mom deliberately preparing smaller than usual protein portions. (1 drumstick per person, or 3 meatballs when an average portion is 5, etc) And deliberately preparing larger portions of the starchy cheap sides expecting that the family fills up on doubles and triples of that.

#2 is what I'm strongly against and I believe messed me up. Where a meal was 1 drumstick and then triples of rice and peas. Or 3 meatballs and multiple servings of spaghetti. Or a tuna sandwich with just a thin scraping of tuna, so it was necessary to eat 4-6 slices of bread to feel full.

My whole family (all my siblings) struggle with our weight and metabolism. Primarily because we have no way to gauge reasonable starch. Our instinct is 6 slices of bread with a scraping of tuna. 3 huge bowls of pasta with just a tiny bit of cheese. 2 whole platefuls rice with a tiny piece of flounder
That's the deliberate feeding that I object to.

What was the reason for scenario 2? There wasn't money or the idea that one doesn't need that much protein?

amother

Rose

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 6:31 am

amother Lemonlime wrote:

I need ideas. What else do you feed them?

I don't have such amazing ideas. I feel like a hypocrite. I was trying to correct this idea that yogurts are a health food of some type. I probably misunderstood and people were saying they're food vs. junk. That's true. But I still think replacing them with healthier foods is better. (Not that I'm always successful.)

amother

Gladiolus

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 6:34 am

amother Rose wrote:

And I get sick from those foods if I eat more than a small amount. I feel lucky I can have a small amount Wink

because my sister can't have any. And I won't bother making lasagna or ziti because 2 of us can't eat it, plus DH tries to eat low carb. Pizza I will because then I make DD a pareve mini pizza.

But it's not the lactose in pizza cheese that you're reacting to because there isn't any. Look at the label - zero grams of sugar. Lactose is a type of sugar.

amother

Oleander

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 6:46 am

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

What was the reason for scenario 2? There wasn't money or the idea that one doesn't need that much protein?

Money saving mostly.
The idea that as long as there's food, a miniscule amount of protein is ok.

My mom was part of the generation who CHOSE to be a SAHM as a value and chose to scrimp.
The value itself, I'm not going to argue.
And scrimping is fine. Its more how the scrimping was done.

I make plant based meals or use plant based to expand my chicken. A big stew with some shredded chicken and lots of beans and vegetables served over rice can be really good.

My mom was of a generation that didn't really cook like that. The Food Pyramid with its 6-11 servings of starch was the Bible.
And money was tight. It was logical to her to serve triples of rice and just 3 small meatballs rather than using that small amount of chopped meat and adding beans to make a nice chili with just 1 portions of rice.

Bnei Berak 10

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 7:19 am

amother Oleander wrote:

I was also thinking about the food pyramid what you described.
It's interesting how sometimes people can scrimp on something and spend a lot on other things.

amother

Narcissus

Fri, Apr 05 2024, 7:36 am

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

I was also thinking about the food pyramid what you described.
It's interesting how sometimes people can scrimp on something and spend a lot on other things.

I was thinking that perhaps the over-concentration on animal protein in large amounts might have something to do with cultural fears and memories of food shortages among certain groups.

My mother laughs about the enormous quantities of animal protein that were served to the children because her parents had grown up experiencing actual food shortage whether it was during the Great Depression in the USA or in Europe during WWI.

Personally I haven't experienced any kind of food "deprivation" for any reason nor did my parents or other adults eat better or different food because of finances. Because of preferences of course but that is different as I still don't like caviar. LOL