Field notes · Eating for fat loss
Eating well when the kids eat chicken nuggets
You are not going to cook two dinners every night. Nobody is. So the plan has to work with the family meal, not against it.
Dai Manuel · Coach Moose · Vancouver
Cook one base, build two plates
Pick meals with a simple base the kids like, then add to your plate. Tacos, rice bowls, pasta, a sheet-pan dinner. They get theirs plain. You add extra protein and a big pile of vegetables, and go lighter on the starch.
Batch a tray of chicken thighs or a pot of chilli on Sunday and you have protein ready for three or four days.
The leftovers problem
Finishing the kids' crusts and half-eaten nuggets adds up faster than most dads realise. Put the leftovers in a container or the bin, not in your mouth. It feels wasteful. It is not a waste to not eat food you did not want.
You are the example
Your kids watch what you eat much more closely than they listen to what you say about food. The best thing you can do for their eating is sort out your own.
Common questions
- How can I eat healthy when my family eats differently?
- Cook one base meal the whole family eats, then add extra protein and vegetables to your own plate. Batch-cook protein at the weekend and avoid finishing the kids' leftovers.
Sources
- Canada's Food Guide, cooking and eating with others. Health Canada, 2019.