I Do It For Their Health

There is a funny conundrum that comes along with deciding to provide your children with healthy, whole foods, and limiting or avoiding processed foods: others who choose a different lifestyle can take personal offense and feel attacked. It's a difficult situation. I sometimes feel like I have to tread lightly when I decline a certain food for my kids that someone else may be feeding theirs at the exact moment. But please understand, I am by NO MEANS judging you for what you feed your child, I just choose to do otherwise for mine.

The author of one blog that I follow, 100daysofrealfood.com, recently found herself under attack when it came out that her child was sneakily eating junk food at school. For some reason, people saw this as an opportunity to reprimand her for feeding her children only whole foods (with an occasional treat). "Restriction will only have the opposite effect" and all that jazz.  She received about 3,000 comments on her Facebook page about what I would consider a personal family matter. However, beautifully, instead of caving under the negativity of the moment, she found some really amazing positivity. Amongst the ugly things being posted, there were comments of reassurance. People with significant health issues wishing that they had learned the importance of a healthy diet when they were young. [Read the post entitled, "Raising Our Children on a Healthy Diet is Not Going to Ruin Them" HERE.]

 Lando the Monkey

Park the Veggie Monster

This brings me to why a choose to feed my children a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. What I want for my kids is that when they grow up, eating healthy, nutritious food is a no-brainer. Grabbing an apple and dipping it in sunflower butter is a snack they choose because it is delicious, satisfying, and they know it will give them nutrients they need. To me, it's like choosing to teach your children a second language at an early age. When you start them young the language is embedded in them. It becomes second nature and they don't have to over-think it like those who learn a second language later in life (like me in high school Spanish, "What is the word for food?" Oh, como. No, no that's not it.... Ah! Comida. Right!").  Eating healthy is what they know, what they like, and so, inevitably, what they do.

Parenting is about the hardest job around. We are all doing our best. I would never put someone down for what they feed their child, that's their business. I'm not perfect and I'm still learning, but I also will never stop trying to offer my children healthy, whole foods. I am teaching my kids so much right now: how to count to 20, how to sing the alphabet, how to use the potty, how not to put dirty shoes in their mouth (talking to you, Parker). And I also am teaching them to eat delicious, healthful foods that will set them up for a life of good health.