Do you restrict your kids food intake for financial reasons?

amother

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:15 am

Just wondering if your kids or husband, or yourself are big eaters, if you restrict heir intake or their portions for financial reasons?
Md what you do if they are still hungry?

Sometimes people here post how the pack of chicken cutlets lasts for 2-3 nights, and I just wonder if it’s because she serves little?, they eat little? They fill up on other stuff?

How about snacks, fruits etc….?

mha3484

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:30 am

Ill make something like chicken lo mein, stir fries, fried rice. Or shredded chicken in a taco or on a bun. Anything that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. I made air fried chicken sandwiches a few weeks ago that were a winner. On a bun with different toppings and a side dish and each person was full with a boneless thigh per person.

amother

Skyblue

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:32 am

mha3484 wrote:

Yes that works, but when I make grilled chicken cutlets for a family of 6 (ok one is a newborn) then I need 2.5-3lbs

Food is food, I don’t restrict

amother

Narcissus

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:35 am

Not for financial reasons but I don't make enormous quantities of food unless it is a dish that I want leftovers for because it makes more sense to cook a large portion.

I think my portions of protein are reasonable - they are larger than the deck of cards which is the theoretical serving but not 1/2 a chicken for one meal. I think for an adult or above the age of a toddler, a half chicken breast is a reasonable portion. Teenage boys excepted of course Smile

ETA - To clarify - half a chicken breast might be one chicken breast - I was counting the chicken's whole breast as one breast and therefore a chicken has two half breasts.

So if someone is not satisfied with a *normal* serving of chicken, there are other foods they can fill up on as I always make a large quantity of vegetables. And a side dish of some kind of starch. My experience is that if you serve a balanced meal with reasonable portions then people (with the exception of teenage boys) don't leave the table hungry.

Any kind of treat is limited for nutritional reasons to one per day. I actually place flavored yogurts in this category since they are essentially just a serving of ice cream.

Fruit is expensive but I don't limit it except that certain very expensive stuff might be eaten quickly and then gone or I don't buy out of season very expensive fruit (or produce) anyway.

Success10

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:40 am

There's no portion control on lunch and dinner or veggies. Expensive specialty food items are limited due to cost, even if healthy. Like fresh squeezed OJ, that's really pricey here. If I get that for after a fast, I won't just let the kids take as much as they want. But fish and chicken we BH don't limit

amother

Acacia

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:43 am

amother Narcissus wrote:

Half a chicken breast is a normal adult portion? I can eat two easily with other sides as well and I like to think I’m a pretty average eater…

doodlesmom

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:44 am

amother Narcissus wrote:

So if someone is not satisfied with a *normal* serving of chicken, there are other foods they can fill up on as I always make a large quantity of vegetables. And a side dish of some kind of starch. My experience is that if you serve a balanced meal with reasonable portions then people (with the exception of teenage boys) don't leave the table hungry.

Any kind of treat is limited for nutritional reasons to one per day. I actually place flavored yogurts in this category since they are essentially just a serving of ice cream.

Fruit is expensive but I don't limit it except that certain very expensive stuff might be eaten quickly and then gone or I don't buy out of season very expensive fruit (or produce) anyway.

What’s half a chicken breast? Seems little to me…

amother

Calendula

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:53 am

amother Narcissus wrote:

If I was your child I would be hungry. I think it’s wrong to restrict things like chicken.
I’m worried for your children, it’s not good to feel so restricted. A yogurt is considered a treat?
Please rethink your approach, it’s not healthy.

amother

Yellow

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 10:58 am

amother Razzmatazz wrote:

It’s takes one look at the lowest income population in this country to see that no one restricts food intake due to finances!

Wow what a judgmental and rude comment

It’s no secret that unhealthy foods are cheaper to buy than healthy ones. Every restaurant you go to French fries will be cheaper than salad.

watergirl

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:04 am

During certain times in my life, yes I did.

Some of my kids like to eat out of boredom, and they'd go for the really expensive things. I made sure to have a lot of cheaper healthy items available and tell them that the meat or chicken or cheese or whatever other thing is for a specific time. Even then, if I had only enough money for one chicken leg per person (thigh and drum), then that's what I had. BH those times are behind us now.

Adjusting is more important than restricting now.

My stepson loved to pour a full bowl of milk into his cereal and then he'd dump it. It was a massive fight every single day, and we lived in a location at that time where CY link was not a given and when it was there, if it was fresh, it cost a TON. We spoke to our rav who said it's better for shalom and also for finances to buy organic milk which was a lot cheaper. He said for us at that time, we can rely on the USDA organic certification that it's 100% cows milk. So we did that, and he could waste the milk as he wanted.

Some kinds of chicken is cheaper than others, for example boneless skinless chicken breast is more expensive than a pack of drumsticks. So I may make a lot of drumsticks for the kids who want to eat real food on YT as a snack and the expensive food is for the meal.

Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Apr 04 2024, 11:06 am

amother Narcissus wrote:

Are they flavoured yogurts in the US *that sweet* that it compares to ice cream? Speechless