Are we all 'skinny challenged' compared to the world?

[Southernmiss]

Mom of 4 now adults. One of my kids was a chicken nugget Mac and cheese picky eater. All 4 kids were breast fed and raised the same with home cooked meals each night.

My biggest mom guilt memory is (one time)him crying at the table because he didn't like what was served and couldn't leave the table until he tried his food.

He's now my tallest, thinnest, most adventurous and most world traveled.

So please don't pat yourself too much on the back for 'doing it right' and judge other parenting styles.

 

[Lord Manhammer]

Has nothing to do with the weight topic bit MANY in my expat group come to europe with food allergies/ intolerances ( eggs for example) and discover that here they are fine. There is so much stuff put in feed and our food.

Also interesting I never knew in the US chicken is bleached washed ( yuck) but also banned in the EU/UK. I do notice a difference in texture/ color when I buy here vs back at home (US).

I think it’s also a little things for example, giving kids juice. Here in Germany apple juice is rarely drank pure it’s usually drank as a spritzer so half water half juice. that was probably one of my personal changes I made in Europe. I’ve adapted and personally now fine drinking pure fruit juice too much sweetness and gives me a headache orange juice on it’s own ( unless freshly squeeze with pulp) gives me a headache, unless I dilute it with water. Same thing with milk. I think the US is the only culture where people actually drink milk with a meal. Sure milk is healthier than soda and correct me if I’m wrong has less calories per serving but still makes you wonder why? Other cultures argue not necessary. People drink milk here but I have never seen it as part of a meal.

Wo in Deutschland bist du? Ich habe Familie in Bayern. Haben Sie es dieses Jahr schon auf einen der Weihnachtsmärkte geschafft?

 

[Moliphino]

I was served bread before meals in the Czech Republic but it wasn't free so I never saw people at othet tables eating it. I only knew it wasn't free because I went out with a group (all Americans) and they ate all of the bread and then they saw the charge for it on the bill.

In Spain they'd charge you whether you ate it or not once it was on the table, if it was fresh bread (packaged and unopened they might not). It was only €1-2/person.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I missed this earlier. And to clarify, I didn’t laugh at your content; I laughed at your heading off a possible controversy, lol. I knew once this got into specifics of kids diets (and even breast feeding), it was going straight downhill.

FWIW My twins were 100% bottle fed and learned to love a variety of foods. I do find it an interesting theory, though - there absolutely could be something to it. I almost mentioned our “two bite” rule earlier, but deleted it, same reason. But yes, by the end of two bites, they often ate the rest without a problem, even if they didn’t “love” something. We used to say, “Do we look like people who eat food that doesn’t taste good?”, and they’d laugh. Today they eat a good variety, but, like everyone, they have their likes and dislikes. DD will actually gag if she smells seafood. Kind of weird, living next to the ocean. I won’t tell her I just bought a pound and a half of haddock today, but we’ll cook it outside so she doesn’t have to smell it for the next three days.

Studies show babies’ food preferences start forming as early as in the womb:

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351272/

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Studies show babies’ food preferences start forming as early as in the womb:

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/08/139033757/babys-palate-and-food-memories-shaped-before-birth

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351272/

Excellent articles. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mousefan73]

Same here. And in Germany some places serve it with schmalz. (Rendered fat.)

what region is this. i have never seen a plate of schmalzbrot put on the table as a freebee before one eats a meal they paid for. i would say 99.95 of hte time free bread is NEVER placed on a table without asking for it as least in Germany, Austria. france or italy. Depends maybe on the meal type etc...I have had it rarely but mainly as the appetizer or first round goes well with bread. but never really meant as a pointless filler

and schmalzbrot is not a normal thing that most people eat. it's an old school generational thing. I personally find it digusting.

 

[mousefan73]

Wo in Deutschland bist du? Ich habe Familie in Bayern. Haben Sie es dieses Jahr schon auf einen der Weihnachtsmärkte geschafft?

Unterfranken. und ja. Been to Heidelberg and Erfurt and Frankfurt Christmas Markets this year and some small local... Heidelberg is one of my favorites.

 

[kymom99]

Kids eat what they’re exposed to, plain and simple. Not that they’ll eat and love every single item the first time it’s offered, but it’s how their general preferences are formed. If they’re fed a diet heavy in fats, sugar, vegetables, meats, bland foods, spices, etc., that’s what they’re going to like. Kids (or anyone really) are picky when they have the luxury of choice. Imagine a kid in some rural African village saying “meh, I don’t like goat meat” and choosing to starve because no one will bring them chicken nuggets. Unlikely to happen.

Last week I heard this story from a mother who volunteered in my son’s classroom. They were doing a science lesson involving lima beans. The teacher asked the class, “Does anybody like lima beans?” All the kids started with “Ewww, yuck!” and my son raised his hand and said “I love lima beans.” Lol. I replied that being vegan, my kids didn’t have the choice to not eat their vegetables, or they wouldn’t have anything to eat at all!

I once read that we need up to thirty exposures to a new food before we develop a taste for it, so that’s what I tell my kids. You don’t have to like it, you don’t have to finish it, you just have to try one bite of it tonight… and the next 29 times we serve it.

I have a personal, unfounded, based-on-nothing theory that formula and store-bought baby foods are working against us when it comes to getting kids to develop a varied palate. Nursing babies get flavors in the breastmilk from foods the mother eats, so they’re being exposed to different tastes with each meal, from birth. Formula-fed babies are getting the same taste over and over for however long they’re on formula. Babies who transition to eating solids off their parents’ plates are being exposed to a wider variety of flavors than babies who are transitioned to premade baby foods, which generally seem to be limited to a dozen or so flavors. I think the limited flavor exposure probably contributes to pickiness in the toddler years, whereas a child who has had exposure to a greater range of flavors as a baby will probably be more willing to accept those foods as they get older.

(To head off possible controversy: Yes, formula is a healthy, wonderful, and sometimes necessary choice for babies. I’m not criticizing that choice, my own children have been fed formula. And yes, I know there are certain behavioral and medical issues that contribute to food pickiness in children; that’s not the kind of pickiness I’m referring to in my post.)

My son was formula fed and ate baby food. He has never been picky. My step daughter’s kids (breast fed forever) are all picky, but have gotten better as they aged. They were always given a couple bites of everything in their plates but wouldn’t eat most of it.

 

[kymom99]

I read an article once on why people in France are more slim than Americans even though they consume a lot of bread, cheese, wine etc. The main reasons were portion control (they ate small amounts compared to American portions), and the fact that they walk a lot more than Americans who depend on cars more, according to the article.

It also mentioned that the French eat more fiber in their diet and their food has less chemicals and pesticides than American food. The food in France is more organic and less hormones are added. It also said the French eat slower and meals can last a long time and it's more fresh food whereas Americans rely on a lot of pre-packaged "on the go" type foods a lot.

Not sure if it's true, but it was an interesting article.

I’ve read that the French do not exercise, like at a gym, the way we do. It’s interesting, isn’t it?

 

[kymom99]

Sounds good.

Just going to mention that when we eat out, we almost always bring half of our meals home to bring to work or heat up as a meal the next day.

Also, some people get around it by sharing one meal and/or ordering something like an app to share. We often see people here saying they like to order kids’ meals at Disney if they can.

I feel lIke, in the past, it used to be super expensive to eat out. But with grocery prices being so high today, I don’t feel that way as much as I used to, especially if we’re getting two or three meals out of it. We can order two chicken parm dinners from a local place and it generally feeds four of us, with some put away for later. Of course, we either make or buy a salad to go with it too, so it’s filling. That said, I have no doubt that there are plenty of people who eat the whole thing, and it is often really too much food, so agreeing with you on that, for sure.

I feel like one of the ways we got into restaurants having meals that were too big, was because they somehow had to justify the prices they were charging, so the portions got bigger. Initially. Now we’re getting somewhat smaller portions (thinking of Disney and some experiences we’ve had) with even higher prices. So they throw a big plate of food at you in order for customers to feel they’re getting their moneys worth. (American thinking, maybe.)

We stayed at a Residence Inn recently and got the free breakfast. The powdered eggs I couldn’t eat, but I had the hard boiled. I had oatmeal (not packaged) with a little brown sugar and raisins, yogurt (all they had was Yoplait), bananas, English muffins, and I tried the sausage - all on different days. It wasn’t bad. I’d also gone to the store to stock our fridge with some healthy snacks and drinks (and brought some from home, too) so we didn’t have to eat a lot of junk. I see more and more people doing this.

I really think it’s all about knowing what you’re supposed to eat, and how much. In general, we definitely eat too much! Look at the size of a muffin today compared to a muffin when we were growing up - it’s probably double in size. A serving size of a bagel is half, but no one eats half, they eat the whole one, often absolutely stuffed with cream cheese! A serving of meat should be about the size of a fist. And rice, 1/3 to 1/2 a cup. Again, relatively few eat that way anymore.

All good points.

Last evening we ate at longhorn. We rarely eat out like that but my husband got a gift card from work. Our meal was $100 for 3 of us by the time I added a tip. My meal was bbq chicken with shrimp skewers. It came with rice and I got 2 sides. I picked broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Plus the bread. How could anyone eat that much? I brought half of it home.

 

[leebee]

Last evening we ate at longhorn. We rarely eat out like that but my husband got a gift card from work. Our meal was $100 for 3 of us by the time I added a tip. My meal was bbq chicken with shrimp skewers. It came with rice and I got 2 sides. I picked broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Plus the bread. How could anyone eat that much? I brought half of it home.

Portion sizes in the US are out of control. We often say it'd make sense to reduce the portions, and then they could drop the prices, too. When we go to Longhorn (maybe once a year?) we share a meal. Some of the steaks are huge, the loaded baked potato is enormous, and it comes with a big salad and a loaf of bread (and you can ask for a second loaf). We order the steak with the bone (so I can gnaw on it at home, hahaha) and split the meal. I leave an additional $5 on the tip.

 

[walt34]

what region is this. i have never seen a plate of schmalzbrot put on the table as a freebee before one eats a meal they paid for. i would say 99.95 of hte time free bread is NEVER placed on a table without asking for it as least in Germany, Austria. france or italy. Depends maybe on the meal type etc...I have had it rarely but mainly as the appetizer or first round goes well with bread. but never really meant as a pointless filler

and schmalzbrot is not a normal thing that most people eat. it's an old school generational thing. I personally find it digusting.

I guess it depends on how you define 'free': Many higher end restaurants in Austria will charge you for 'Gedeck' (a base fee per person, usually a few Euros) which is not optional but will include bread and butter. You will have to pay for 'Gedeck' anyway, whether you want the bread or not. In the alpine region you might also get 'Schmalz' or 'Grammelschmalz' in addition to butter.

Italian restaurants inside and outside of Italy often do something similar: You pay for *coperto' (not optional) and this will include bread and olive oil. Sometimes coperto is only charged in the evening and not for lunch.

So, I don't think your 99.95(%) are accurate.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Mom of 4 now adults. One of my kids was a chicken nugget Mac and cheese picky eater. All 4 kids were breast fed and raised the same with home cooked meals each night.

My biggest mom guilt memory is (one time)him crying at the table because he didn't like what was served and couldn't leave the table until he tried his food.

He's now my tallest, thinnest, most adventurous and most world traveled.

So please don't pat yourself too much on the back for 'doing it right' and judge other parenting styles.

My oldest as I said has some pretty significant aversions and a very limited diet. My two younger kids eat things my husband and I do not eat and sometimes try making their own dinners. Example they love salmon. Yuck. No . I have no clue where they had salmon to begin with and why they need to try (emphasis on TRY they’re 20 and 22) cooking it in my house

 

[Moliphino]

I guess it depends on how you define 'free': Many higher end restaurants in Austria will charge you for 'Gedeck' (a base fee per person, usually a few Euros) which is not optional but will include bread and butter. You will have to pay for 'Gedeck' anyway, whether you want the bread or not. In the alpine region you might also get 'Schmalz' or 'Grammelschmalz' in addition to butter.

Italian restaurants inside and outside of Italy often do something similar: You pay for *coperto' (not optional) and this will include bread and olive oil. Sometimes coperto is only charged in the evening and not for lunch.

So, I don't think your 99.95(%) are accurate.

I distinctly remember getting bread in Italy. One day I was feeling sick to my stomach and it was the only thing I could bring myself to eat while my family ate lunch.

 

[gmi3804]

I wonder if some of those poor starving kids in Africa (or anywhere else, for that matter), who never get any food, have “food aversions?” That’s taking the if they’re hungry they’ll eat argument to a tragic extreme. Asking seriously.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I really don’t recall if Euro restaurants offer bread when you sit down but I gave up the carbs in bread back in the late ‘90s and never looked back. About the only time I indulge is when the bread serves a useful purpose like holding a sandwich together. Even then I try for an open faced sandwich when plausible.

In Paris, if you eat the croissants in the basket when you sit down you will be charged for each one sooo only tourists indulge, LOL.

 

[gmi3804]

I really don’t recall if Euro restaurants offer bread when you sit down but I gave up the carbs in bread back in the late ‘90s and never looked back. About the only time I indulge is when the bread serves a useful purpose like holding a sandwich together. Even then I try for an open faced sandwich when plausible.

In Paris, if you eat the croissants in the basket when you sit down you will be charged for each one sooo only tourists indulge, LOL.

IIRC, in Italy there’s a flat charge for plate service (I think that’s what it translates to), which covers the cost of flatware, glasses, plates, and basic (when provided) bread service.

 

[tzolkin]

That’s actually an interesting point. Americans tend to work more hours in a week than Europeans. And a lot of the working poor here work 2 or more jobs a day to make ends meet. There are only so many hours in a day so ppl have to save time somewhere.

Yes, lifestyle/work scheduling are things that I don't think come up often enough in discussions about food. Our family's diet has varied dramatically over the years, mostly because of work. We certainly eat most healthy when we have more free time and less work stress.

When our kids were little, I was a homesteading SAHM so we basically raised, processed, and prepared everything we ate. Jump forward to more recently when I took a very high stress full time job, and our diet changed to mostly grilled and easy/unhealthy foods because I did not have the time or mental energy so that was what the spouse and teens could manage to plan and cook themselves. Now that I have a job with flexible hours and less stress, we are eating a mostly plant based/minimally processed diet (and my son has lost a lot of weight).

And many Europeans have a nice break in the middle of the day, close to home.

Many of us here are an hour or so from home (by car) and have no break during the middle of the day. We leave when it’s dark out and sometimes get home when it‘s dark again. Very little time in the evening to get a lot done.

We had a German exchange student years back and that was notable to us. Their family's primary meal was lunch, so it was not affected by sports/after school activities. It was no big deal to eat something simple (more like a large snack) in the evening when they were on the go because they had already enjoyed a healthy meal together at lunchtime.

This is something I hadn't realized before is very important to me and why I do not do well with a "normal" job. Not only do I prefer to eat "real" food in the late morning/early afternoon (when I would be at work and unable to cook), that's also when I am most motivated to prep and think about meals. Now that I am privileged to be working from home with flexible hours, I can take a break to throw some dried beans in the instant pot or to wash and prep all my fresh vegetables or maybe even make soup since I know we are busy that night and won't have time to cook. I also have the ability to eat things that I would not be able to if I were in an office, like sauteed vegetables for breakfast or crisping up some tofu or brussels sprouts in the airfryer for lunch.

 

[mousefan73]

I wonder if some of those poor starving kids in Africa (or anywhere else, for that matter), who never get any food, have “food aversions?” That’s taking the if they’re hungry they’ll eat argument to a tragic extreme. Asking seriously.

I would say no. Since in the big realm of things, it's a luxury to have an adversion because in the end it means you have a choice or more options to fall back on when you turn away from that . If one has zero choice what are you going to adverse away from ( not sure if that is grammically correct but YKWIM)

 

[mousefan73]

I know of no german family meeting up for warm cooked meals at home during a lunch break. Most have commutes 30 minutes or plus to our jobs that depending on what you do can be from 35 hours a week (factory time stamped) to 60 ( professional job).