It isn’t easy to limit your children’s junk food. I am so often sabotaged. Today we took the kids to the pool club. I had spoken to the owner of the cafe during the week and asked him to add some healthy options to the menu. He agreed to add a “grilled cheese light” item which is two slices of whole wheat bread with three slices of Alpine Lace reduced fat cheese made without any butter, oil, or mayo. So I ordered that for my daughter- and purposely didn’t order any fries for her. I also ordered some fruit salad to start so we could all fill up on the healthy stuff. Well, our food came and I realized that all my friends had ordered chicken fingers and fries for their children. So of course Danielle immediately started crying that she wanted french fries. How could I deny her what all of her friends were eating. I usually do that but I really didn’t have the energy. So I let her have a few fries. We finished eating- but our friends had left over some chicken fingers. Next thing I know, I turn around and Danielle is chomping on a fried, greasy, left-over chicken nugget. So much for all my efforts to make this a healthy meal.
Archive for June, 2008
It isn’t easy…
Sunday, June 8th, 2008
Will kids eat carrots with hummus?
Saturday, June 7th, 2008We had friends over for a barbeque tonight and I put out a nice spread of food. I had a vegetable platter of baby carrots, bell peppers, and baby tomatoes with a hummus dip. I also prepared a fruit tray of pineapple, watermelon, oranges, grapes, and cherries. I could not keep my kids away from the table. Surprisingly, they spent a lot of time around the veggies- particularly the carrots and the hummus. I am sure that if I had other junk food on the table (chips, cookies, crackers), then my kids would have been eating that stuff. But since I kept all the options healthy, they took advantage of what was there. Try it the next time you have guests over; just put out healthy fruits and vegetables and see what happens. I bet (after some initial grumbling)you will be pleasantly surprised.
Are turkey burgers really that healthy?
Friday, June 6th, 2008I was at a barbeque tonight and noticed many people making a very common mistake. The hosts were serving hamburgers and turkey burgers. The hamburgers were made from 93% fat-free ground beef and the turkey burgers were regular turkey burgers. All of the women chose the turkey burgers because they were “dieting”. What they didn’t know was that turkey burgers have more fat and more calories than 93% fat-free ground beef. In fact, even all white meat turkey burgers have more fat than 93% fat-free ground beef. I counsel all of my patients about the benefits of this extra lean meat. It is so yummy and also healthy. So I enjoyed my burger while the other women suffered through their turkey burgers! It is not often that the tastier food is also the healthier choice!
Fast food causes heart disease!
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
Children who commonly eat fast foods have the same risk of developing clogged arteries as an adult five times their age. Can you imagine a 10 year old with the same risk of a future heart attack as a fifty year old man? It is astounding.
Friendly’s should be illegal!
Monday, June 2nd, 2008In a moment of weakness, my husband and I decided to take the children to Friendly’s for ice cream. When I was younger and ordered a sundae, I was served a scoop of ice cream, some hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry. That is not what my children received. They got THREE scoops of ice cream with hot fudge, M&Ms, sprinkles, fluff, caramel, oreos, and every other type of topping that you could imagine. No wonder children these days are getting heavier. Luckily, my kids had a few bites and were done. I wish I could say the same for myself. Somehow I found myself eating my entire sundae and finishing everybody else’s. I try to watch what I eat but I fell into the trap of thinking, “Well, I already ruined today so I may as well really enjoy it”. It is such flawed thinking. Allowing myself a treat was okay- but indulging in everybody else’s because I had already deviated from my normal plan- was just silly.
