Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planner

Solutions are often very simple

and

we miss them in the search!

I have tackled weight loss and not, for what seems like always! I have tried lots of special diets and many worked, while I was on the diet but then....................(if you are reading this you like know how this sentence would end!)

If, like for many, weight is an on going issue then weight loss will be an ongoing issue and a 'weight loss diet' will be for a lifetime. This is not rocket science! My nutrition degree may be helpful but the solution is simple. Like changing any behavior you have to want to do it, persist and be consistent.

So when I created the Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planner it was a simple solution and actually grew from The Eating Game that I had invented for children with eating issues! Eating healthy needs to be a lifetime commitment; starting very young with The Eating Game is a good idea. For some of us, starting young is no longer an option but it is not too late to eat healthy! I have had a healthy diet, just too much of it. You too?? So we also need to be aware of what "a portion or serving" really is.

As I started to say at the beginning, special diets are great but a special diet needs to be a lifetime commitment. Some of those diets are very expensive and specific foods must be eaten - not your choices. Some diets are not very balanced and can only be safely used for a limited time - fast weight loss and then back to your old eating habits - been there, done that!

The Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planner, is just the planner, a blank sheet for you to fill in your choices. It is based on Canada's Food Guide so it does guide you to make good choices for a balanced diet. The copy of Canada's Food guide that is included will help you to understand what a serving size is. This is a plan for a lifetime. You can buy foods you like and buy what is on sale this week. If serving sizes were an issue for you too then you will find, like I did, that eating half as much will also only cost half as much!! Now that is a real bonus these days!

Oh, the other bonus is that The Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planner only costs $10 and you only have to buy it once! The same planner can be used from age 19 - age 50. There is a different one for those of us who are over 50. There is also one for 4 - 8, 9 - 13 and 14 - 18 years of age.

Yes, it is for men too! Have you ever noticed that the ads for weight loss diets are always women? This healthy plan is for men and women and I am encouraged by the men that are buying it!

Yes, it is for teens too! So they can have a long lifetime of healthy eating. They can lose weight now and not have 'weight loss' be a lifetime concern!

I decided I better practice what I preach so that the story I tell could be my own story! So I started using my own Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planner. I am losing weight (slowly but it's for a lifetime so slow is good - it will last!) and my grocery bill is less.

Solutions are often very simple

and

we miss them in the search!

Time just flies!

I have not been here in awhile, there just doesn't seem to be enough time for everything!

Eyecan Creations was at The Pictou Weekend Market on Saturday and Sunday and met some great folks. We will go back for at least 3 more weekends - July 4 and 18 and August 22. We'll have The Eating Game and The Eater's Choice Daily Meal Planners too. If you can get there you will find a special market price which is very nice. Of course you will also enjoys the other vendors, artisans and crafters and good eats too!
The Eating Game is being used internationally and still is not reaching all corners of Canada but as of yesterday it is soon heading to Nunavut which I am very pleased about! It would be very exciting to maybe heading north one day to do a presentation!

Twittering for The Eating Game

I have been doing a lot of 'tweeting' lately and am enjoying the challenge of making my tweets exactly 140 characters while trying to share what I have learned about children who have significant issues with eating. I also want to mention The Eating Game and the success enjoyed by so many who are using it!

To me whether your child has a diagnosed disorder or not there are some basic issues that need to be addressed. As with any other challenge children face, the earlier the intervention the better. What are some basic considerations for any child who does not eat a healthy variety of foods over a long period of time?

1) Are there any underlying medical or physical reasons for the difficulties with eating?

2) Are there sensory issues? (texture, color, temperature, shape)

3) Does your child have a diagnosed disorder/syndrome that is characterized by a need for predictability, structure and routine?

4) With no diagnosed disorder/syndrome you know from experience that your child functions better when there is structure, routine and predictability in their environment.

With the help of doctors, occupational therapists and pediatric feeding clinics you have hopefully ruled out numbers 1 and 2 above or discussed interventions that will help your child.

If you have ruled out numbers 1 and 2 it might be helpful to consider the implications of numbers 3 or 4 as related to mealtime. For many family members mealtime is often a time of surprises. Some food for thought................................

If a diagnosed disorder/syndrome also involves a delay in social skill development and their ability to be able to interact in social situations, think about how unpredictable mealtimes can be when you consider the social dynamics in a family at mealtime! Put this altogether and for my money you have a situation where the child is going to look for ways to be in control in whatever way they can be. They may remove themselves from the family table and prefer to eat alone. As a parent this would not be your first choice but if this is the only way your child will eat a meal it becomes an acceptable choice. Also, if your child will only eat a select number of foods, this also becomes acceptable in order to make sure they are eating something!

I have more thoughts about this that I will address here soon............................................

Autisable & Darryl Strawberry Foundation

I was surfing the net yesterday and came across an interesting site called "Autisable". I decided it looked interesting enough to join so I did! The next thing I knew I was setting up a weblog - another avenue for me to let folks know about The Eating Game! Today I had several requests from folks wanting to be friends, follow each other. I want to now tell you about one of those requests..........................

It was from Darryl Strawberry, as a request to be a friend of his foundation. Not being a sports fan I didn't know who he was so I checked it out. I am glad I did and urge you to go to his website www.darrylstrawberryfoundation.com . There is a story to read; not about a ball player, but about a man who is and will surely continue to make a difference in the autism community! The story is about a man who found his way after a long struggle and has now made it his life's mission to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with autism. I am sure his foundation WILL make a difference in their journeys to being their personal best. BRAVO DARRYL! and thank you. I will follow the development of his foundation as I am sure many others will too.

Why The Eating Game?

The Eating Game was created as my response to a friend asking for "HELP!" She needed help for her son Ethan who was a six year old with autism. I knew Ethan well and I understood her frustrations and his with regards to his diet!

She felt that with a nutrition degree,my experience and passion for autism and my creative abilities that perhaps I could suggest a solution. This was not the first time I pondered a solution for helping kids who had eating issues.

Working as a special education teacher for 20 years, as an autism consultant and early interventionist after retiring from teaching, I saw so much need for intervention for children and their eating habits.

We know how important early intervention is for children who are experiencing difficulties of any kind - diet should be no exception! It would appear for most families once a baby is no longer nursing or drinking formula/milk and eating baby foods they are for the most part encouraged to eat what older family members eat and understandably copy adult behaviors when it comes to eating - not always a good plan!

In our efforts to teach children skills for independence we need to pay more attention to teaching them to make good food choices and to learn appropriate portion sizes. In Canada we have an ideal example of how to do this teaching - CANADA'S FOOD GUIDE! And it is free for the asking! It made sense to me to begin with this excellent resource, which is very similar to health recommendations in other countries.

I initially created The Eating Game for 1 child with autism. With it's immediate success I knew I had something that would be beneficial to many more children with autism. Indeed it has been that and much more as many other children have fun using it and improving their eating habits! Of course this is wonderful for today but more importantly it is hopefully the beginning of a lifetime of healthy eating!