Recently, my daughter came home from school complaining that she's "always starving" by mid-morning at school and that she was embarrassed because her classmates could hear her stomach growling.
Ah...a teachable moment.
If you're a regular reader, you know I'm pretty hands-off when it comes to my kids and their food choices. I make every effort to set a good healthy eating example and I try to offer healthy choices at most mealtimes, but I don't micro-manage every bite that goes into their mouths. Food can too easily become a power struggle and it's one in which I simply refuse to engage.
Personally, I'm a big fan of lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and complex carbs, and my kids see me eat that way. Breakfast for me is often steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries, whole-grain toast with peanut butter or Greek yogurt with berries. They, however, tend to like the bagels, waffles and other carbs that burn off quickly.
We've had talks about energy and protein before. They probably know more about nutrition that the average kid does. But within reason, I still let them make their own choices.
So when my daughter complained of morning hunger, I took the opportunity to mention the value of lean protein one more time. OK, she said, she'd try it.
The next morning, she asked me to make her something "good" for breakfast, so I made her an egg white and veggie sausage sandwich on a whole-grain English muffin. When she came home from school that day, I heard the words that every mother of a 14-year-old longs to hear:
"You were right, mom."
For me, those are the best kind of victories -- those everyday moments when my kids try something new or make a healthy change all on their own. It's in those moments that they realize that what they eat and how they move affects how they feel. I could talk and talk until I can't talk anymore about the value of healthy eating...but nothing beats having my daughter decide on her own to make a healthy choice and really feel the difference in her energy level.
It doesn't always happen this way. But when it does, there's just one word for it: Sweet.
Nice story. So hard to keep my mouth shut waiting for the teachable moment that never comes. But this post shows that dreams do come true.
Posted by: Cindy | 03/10/2010 at 07:32 AM
What kind of veggie sausage did you use? Morningstar, Boca?
Posted by: Rahim Samuel | 03/10/2010 at 01:17 PM
Good one, Mom. I try this for me and my DH, but I sometimes still end of ravenous by 10:30 am. Not sure why. Maybe I need more protein?
Posted by: Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart | 03/10/2010 at 01:50 PM
Beautiful!! :) That's awesome -- I bet it's every mom's dream to hear "you were right!" :)
Posted by: Melissa | 03/11/2010 at 08:39 AM
Cindy, it is hard to wait for that moment, isn't it? Makes it all the more sweet when it finally arrives.
Rahim, I used Morningstar Farms. It was yummy!
Roxanne, my dietitian taught me that a good breakfast is vital to feeling good all day. Still trying to get that message across to both kids and DH, though.
Melissa, you know it!
Posted by: Dara Chadwick | 03/12/2010 at 06:57 AM
Has you heard about vegemeat which is alternative for meat I think that's cool.
Posted by: online consultation | 03/17/2010 at 02:33 PM