"Drink a milkshake and eat a Snickers every day!" Huh?

[minkajane]

We were doing height and weight in my medical assisting class today and I mentioned how disappointed I was that I'm starting my second trimester I still haven't gained back any of the weight I've lost from not being able to eat much. One of my classmates started talking about how her daughter's OB told her that she needed to drink a milkshake and eat a Snickers every day to gain weight. I said something about how is that going to help, since it has no nutritional value. She replied that the milkshake's healthy since it has milk in it and "there's not that much sugar." Riiiight. Apparently my suggestion of a smoothie with whole milk and protein powder didn't go over well because another classmate told me later that she was really irritated (I had no idea, I just thought we were having a discussion). My whole point was that I'd rather just gain a bit of weight eating healthy stuff than eat crap food and put on weight just for the sake of putting on weight. Her whole point was "The doctor said to."

So why do doctors do this? I've heard about it being suggested for slow-growing kids, too. Give them ice cream every day, put butter on all their veggies, etc. Why is putting on weight so all-fired important that it doesn't matter if you have to eat fast food every day to do it? If you're eating a nutritious, varied diet, won't your body grow the way it needs to? It's not like you can't have healthy higher-fat foods like avocados and olives if it's so terribly important to pack on the pounds. I don't see the point at all of recommending junk food just to gain weight.

[Twinklefae]

Because fat is so very very important for growing brains. The fat in a milkshake or butter is only bad if you already have an excess of it. If your body does not have enough fat, it is nutritious to eat butter. Children's bodies are different than adults. For most of them, a low fat diet is NOT healthy.

Putting on weight is important for a variety of reasons include myelination in the brain and encouraging growth - many children can't grow 'up' until they first grow 'out'.

[Mosaic]

I think in general, doctors do not encourage people to eat junk. But, if the person is not meeting their minimum caloric needs on a daily basis, and a Snickers is the only way to do it, they may suggest it. It's also not uncommon for women with very bad morning sickness or those who have previously struggled with body image or eating disorders to have trouble during pregnancy, so the focus may very well be on fitting food into their life and daily routine first, and then focus on nutrition second.

[lillymonster]

my child had an eating delay - she didn't eat solids until 2 1/2. They pretty much told me to throw a healthy diet out of the window and let her eat whatever and then she could work on the healthy diet later. Which worked because even though I cringed she ate nothing but potato chips and apple juice, now she is 3 1/2 and she has a better diet than most kids (she will try new foods, she doesn't eat much sweets, etc)

She is still small, so I don't cut out ice cream or fast food, she needs some junk. It makes me cringe, but she does. It's hard knowing at what point the limit is.

I also had very bad morning sickness so I ate whatever I could. I couldn't stomach anything healthy - no fruits or veggies or meat, so the midwife told me eat whatever I could because I lost around 8 pounds, and I was like 128 at 5'7" when I got pregnant, so I was around 120 at my worst morning sickness. Some times as much as you want to eat healthy, you can't and you just do what you can

[JollyGG]

I think it is also sometimes how a person chooses to interpret what the doctor said.

I had horrible nausea when I was pregnant and lost around 20 lbs by the middle of my 2nd trimester. The doctor asked exactly what I wasn't having trouble eating. I told her that milk shakes went down okay. She suggested I try a smoothie, if that didn't work mabey I could try making a milk shake with ensure or even slim-fast, but ultimately if all that would go down and stay down was a plain old milk shake then have the plain old milk shake. Basically healthy calories are better than unhealthy calories but unhealthy calories were better than no calories.

But had I chosen to I could have decided to interpret my doctors advice as an okay to drink a milk shake every day.

[mckittre]

Calories are important - energy is the primary function of food, after all. Of course, healthier food is better, but if that's not working out for some reason, getting the needed calories is still important. While the refined sugar in a milkshake is probably less healthy, there is nothing unhealthy about cream or butter if you need the calories. Polar explorers used to eat sticks of butter whole. On long distance hiking expeditions, I've eaten similarly.

[GoBecGo]

nak

food is just food, the "good" "bad" values we attach to it are entirely subjective and relate so much to health, weight and personal interpretation. it's possible to eat so "healthily" you get seriously ill (google orthorexia). if the body is crying out for fats and calories then carrot sticks and hummus, though healthy, are not a good fit - if you can only eat x volume of food in a day and you desperately need more calories then cookies and ice-cream are your friend.

i have met women who think they're doing their babies a favour by eating so "healthy" they never regain their lost first tri weight. Sure those babies get plenty of vitamins and minerals, but how are their bodies supposed to process them without any fats and without enough calories?

Ina May Gaskin writes that she only observes weight gain for potential signs of problems - for some women a 50-70lb gain during pregnancy is optimal for a healthy baby. ultimately you want a diet that allows you to grow a healthy, vigorous infant and sustain it for the 2+ years of nursing. to do that for some women a snickers is going to be a really useful healthful tool, for others an unnecessary but harmless and tasty treat, for still others a dangerous risk (for thise with gd for example). context is everything.

[Strong Mama]

when I was pregnant with ds1, i was gaining weight very slowly, my midwife told me to eat a big mac and drink a milkshake DAILY. i did. my son ended up weighing 7 pounds 14 oz. before she told me that i was measuring very small. dont know if eating the crap or not would have made a difference, but i did it.

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by JollyGG

I think it is also sometimes how a person chooses to interpret what the doctor said.

agreed. I doubt the doctor just put it out there that simply, no matter what that lady believed.

I know with my horrible morning sickness I have talked to my doctor (for all three pregnancies) and midwife (for this one) about my horrible diet and they both said... eat what you can, when you can. Just make sure you try to eat. It doesnt matter what, right now, you just need to get food in you.

Towards the end though it always changed to eat healthy! healthy healthy healthy! LOL... mostly that I had to eat more protein.

[jcregan]

I think I see the point of the OP... if you are someone who can handle and manage eating healthy that should probably be the focus... but that does include fats - they are essential for brain development for example. So if you can handle a smoothy with maybe a full fat yogurt, some protein, fruits etc. then that sounds like a more nutritional option.

The other points made make sense as well... if you really are limited and simply not getting the fats and calories that you are expending and have other eating issues going on then the milkshake might actually be a pretty good option. You could even make your own with if you want to control what products and types of sugars go into it.

[philomom]

Snickers has 5 grams of protein in it. And man, are they tasty!


Milkshakes made with real stuff are great. Some fast food shakes are made with clay. Wish I were kidding.

[roslyn]

I had HG so bad in my last pregnancy all I could eat was McDonald's french fries (they had to be piping hot, right out of the oil), mango smoothies and oatmeal. Sometimes I could tolerate lemon sorbet. It was this was for the last two months of my pregnancy. I was worried that I was essentially getting nothing but carbs, but my doctor said I should eat anything I could keep down.

[elonwy]

OMG now I want a milkshake and fries from McDo's. I normally hate McDonalds but french fries with like 6 packets of ketchup is just the bees knees right now.
I wish I could have snickers, but I am avoiding peanut products cause of my own multiple food allergies. I am not allergic to them, but if I can avoid my child having an allergy by avoiding peanuts, it's totally worth it.

[tzs]

ugh! i so wish this was my doctor!!!!
but then again i have no problems with packing it on.

as far as the butter on all the kids foods, i think pps have mentioned it but what's a healthy diet for kids is different than adults (and you could even argue that more full-fat dairy is healthier for adults as well as it fills you up and you consume fewer calories...i've even heard that skim milk is part of what's making america fat....you don;t even see skim in other countries...or at least not when i've been.) anyway, packing butter on kids food IS what's healthy. they need the fats (and protein.) we don't really have access to kosher butter unfortunately but i dress my babe's food in olive oil as much as i can.

[MommaMoo]

Butter is not junk food, and yes, it is important to put it on your veggies. The vitamin D in butter is a catalyst for assimilation of the nutrients in the veggies. Although I wouldn't touch a Snickers bar with a ten foot pole, I would happily make myself a milkshake. You need fats while pregnant, and kids need fats while growing. Heck, we all need them. Why don't you try looking through some cookbooks to get an idea of what sounds good to you? I know that after all of my MS in the first tri, I am quite relieved to be able to enjoy a variety of foods! This is a good smoothie recipe that I really like while pg. It has lots of calories and high nutritional value. It's very yummy, too!

1 banana
1 cup plain (whole fat!) yogurt
2 raw egg yolks (organic is best, or some other source you trust)
half tsp vanilla
1 or 2 Tbs of honey or maple syrup
Splash of coconut milk

Yum!

[JollyGG]

Originally Posted by roslyn

I had HG so bad in my last pregnancy all I could eat was McDonald's french fries (they had to be piping hot, right out of the oil), mango smoothies and oatmeal. Sometimes I could tolerate lemon sorbet. It was this was for the last two months of my pregnancy. I was worried that I was essentially getting nothing but carbs, but my doctor said I should eat anything I could keep down.

What is it about those McDs french fries? I also had HG and they were surprising one of the few foods that always went down like they should and stayed there.

[nixnc]

Originally Posted by elonwy

OMG now I want a milkshake and fries from McDo's. I normally hate McDonalds but french fries with like 6 packets of ketchup is just the bees knees right now.

the other day i was SOOOO hungry and nothing sounded good. finally my husband reminded a mcd's opened literally across from our neighborhood. i sent him out for a large fry immediately. they tasted like heaven.

now i want a shake, though.

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by JollyGG

What is it about those McDs french fries? I also had HG and they were surprising one of the few foods that always went down like they should and stayed there.

LOL - I was thinking the same thing - I lived off McD fries and chicken nuggets. The only thing that stayed DOWN! Maybe we should write to them and ask why? LOL

You have to look at the person too. I mean, I think if a DR said it, it's possible this person needs it for some reason. I have heard of DR telling parents to give kids milk, cheese, ice cream and unfortunately then it constipates the kid, and you have to add other fats too. But like mentioned earlier, my DD had eating delays and while she is not overly picky, she doesn't eat a lot. 2-3 times a day, I think she lives off air. So if she wants ice cream, she gets it. If she wants french fries, she gets it. If she eats times a day, and those 2 times are only apple slices and avocados, she isn't going to gain weight, or fat. And giving her a supplement, well, that is next to impossible!

[heathenmom]

I had gd with dd#2 and they sent me to a diabetic nutritionist. There were 2 of us in the class, and I had a good 100 lbs. on the other mom (I'm very heavy NOT pregnant). The nutritionist put us both on a 2000 calorie diet. I lost 10 lbs. in a week, at which point she told me I needed to eat cookies & ice cream. Seriously, is it EVER a good idea for a diabetic of any sort to eat that crap?

[34me]

My 14 year old son has major feeding aversions. He eats a fairly healthy diet. The kid actually eats cabbage. But he doesn't eat enough of anything to sustain growth and development. So I have a case of Snickers bars under my bed.