- No transfats.
- No corn syrup.
- No Red 40.
- Go Paleo.
- Make sure you give them probiotics.
- If you don't give your toddler enough DHA, their brains won't develop and they will grow up and not know how to spell or dress themselves.
- Corn no longer counts as a vegetable and vegetable oil is only used by parents who hate their children.
Feeding kids is no easy task today. Between Women’s Day and Pinterest, mealtime has become a huge source of guilt for most of us. And honestly, it probably should be. At least for me it should be. Truth is, there are days that pass when I look back and wonder if my kids had any vegetables at all. Another day I may wonder the same thing about dairy or fruits. I know it get it right sometimes, but I also know there are too many days when I substitute convenience for quality.
Did you know that the Burger King kid’s double cheeseburger meal with a small fry and a small soda has 1,100 calories, 52 grams of fat and 1,870 mg. of sodium? Or did you know that 16 ounces of Sunny D has the same amount of sugar as a dozen Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies? Yeah, me neither.
Those are my boys up there. Since they were born, their dad and I have been praying specific prayers for each of them. We have prayed for Quinton (the older one) that he will grow up to be a leader in whatever it is that he chooses to do and we have prayed that Micah (the mischievous looking one) will be blessed with a great talent that he can use to God’s glory. I want to be there to see those prayers answered and I want them to live long, happy, and healthy lives.
That picture is going to be the second one I add to my previously mentioned vision board. They are my motivation for a lot of things, and my desire to adopt a healthier lifestyle is certainly at the top of the “things to do for them” list.
I don’t plan on swearing off restaurants. In our lifestyle, it’s just not realistic. But I can teach them that the Bob Evans Smiley Face potatoes have 524 calories as where the home fries have 159. I am not swearing off all sugar and I can’t promise that they will never see Red 40 or Yellow 6, but I can stop buying Cap’n Crunch and those dreadful Austin snack crackers (which have 2 days worth of transfats in one serving). I am not signing them up for kiddy marathons, but I can stop acting like exercise is some huge burden that I have to bear.
I want to be a better example to them so that as they grow, they won’t have to deal with this battle like I do. As their mom, I want to remove as many obstacles in their paths as is humanly possible. I know I can’t eliminate all of them - but at least in this area I can do my part to equip them in the healthiest way possible.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6