Table 2 Rules and routines
| Emerging theme: | Quote |
|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable consumption |
“I always try to make sure they have at least one type of vegetable at every meal.”
“He needs to have at least one vegetable per day anyway, that’s for sure.” |
| Balanced meals | “I try to make it varied every day. Every time I’ll include protein, vegetables and carbohydrates.” |
| Consumption of/access to sweet foods |
Strict “They don’t have candy…I don’t buy it, when they do have candy, it’s because somebody gave them a bag. So I hide it.” Flexible “Desserts? Yes, yes. It can be chocolate, it can be fruit, a little cake. We have limits, too, of course they eat chocolate, but in moderation.” |
| No fizzy drinks |
“I won't encourage fizzy drinks at all. Fruit juice. I think, that's all.”
“First I don’t think it’s good because it’s fizzy…fizzy drinks are not really superb for our stomachs.” |
| Finish (or not) the meal |
Strict “It turns into a fight and she screams because she doesn’t want to accept the rules… I try to make her eat. I tell her off, I am severe and I bang my fist on the table so that she finishes her plate.” Flexible “If they’re hungry they eat, if not, it doesn’t matter. I always have a hard time pushing her because my parents pushed me”. |
| We don’t snack |
Participant: “There is no snacking.”
Interviewer: “But are they ever hungry sometimes between meals?” Participant: “It can happen but they must wait for the four o’clock.” |
