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The True Cost of Eating Healthy Food

January 24, 2010 By Dr. Mom Online 3 Comments

I know I’ve talked about this here before, but recently, I’ve had several opportunities for further observation into this matter!

Several times each week, I hear someone tell me that “It’s too expensive to eat healthy food.” I’m also often found on the receiving end of comments like, “We can’t buy all the healthy foods that YOU buy!!” That one little jab in particular usually leaves me mopping the floor with my jaw! (If only they knew!)

Sure, sure, there are plenty of healthier foods that do in fact cost more. I like to think it’s because they also bring a higher value of nutrition and purity. BUT, there are plenty of healthy choices that do NOT cost more at all.

Anyhow, I’ve said it before – healthy food is an investment.

The interesting opportunities I’ve recently had have opened my eyes a little bit more to conventional thinking on the subject of the REAL cost of buying healthier foods.

The first incident occurred on a field trip with my kids. I was surrounded by several of their classmates during the lunch break while we all enjoyed our packed lunches. As usual, I experienced a little bit of heart break while witnessing what an average child eats in any given meal.

I saw more packaged, processed, artificially colored fake foods in thirty minutes than I’ve seen in a long time! I’m pretty sure I did not see any naturally occurring green foods entering the mouths of any kids! Could have just been an “off day”, I suppose.

I’ve learned to somewhat detach myself from these events AND to not judge. People just don’t know. That’s why I do what I do. BUT, what I found very, very interesting was that several of these kids belong to parents who have privately consulted with me in the past and told me that it’s just too expensive to feed their kids healthy foods.

That’s when I started looking at these lunches through a different pair of goggles! I started totaling up the probable costs of all the food and drinks packed in these lunches. In no time at all, it was clear to me that I was the one who “couldn’t afford to feed MY kids food like THAT!” It costs a lot of money to buy junk food!

One child sitting near us had a white bread sandwich with some interesting looking lunch meat, a bag of name brand chips, a bag of name brand crackers, a juice box and another name brand juice packet, a bag of name brand candy… and a few grapes! Yes, the grapes were good!!

Another child had half a dozen fairly large cookies, a bag of Cheetos, a juice packet, a couple baby carrots (good) and some french fries from the cafeteria.

Chips, crackers, cookies, cupcakes, juice, milk, as well as cafeteria hot dogs, fried chicken fingers and french fries were evident at every single table… not necessarily all items in every child’s lunch… but some combination at every single table.

As I recalled seeing the advertised prices of some of these products in various stores, and the cafeteria prices, I knew there was some fishy business going on when parents dismissed healthy eating as “too expensive”.

What did our kids have, you ask? Hard-boiled eggs, almond butter/banana roll-ups, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli (all with some hummus for dipping), some fresh strawberries and water. They were perfectly happy with their food – because this is normal for them – until they saw what everyone around them was “enjoying”. That’s the tough part for me.

Socialization isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be!  When you keep thinking like everyone else, and acting like everyone else, and doing what everyone else is doing… you’ll end up with what everyone else has got! In the case of health… that’s not a good thing.

Whatever. This isn’t about “my” kids and the food “we” eat. It’s about my musings on the real cost of healthy food… and the real cost of choosing foods that are NOT healthy.

The second opportunity to assess the cost of eating healthier happened on a recent shopping trip. I headed out to the local store to fulfill two shopping purposes: 1) to replenish our family’s produce for the rest of the week, and 2) to purchase items for a gathering that was happening with some other families later that day. I had been given a partial list by the other ‘grown-ups’ involved and set out to fill the list.

As I was nearing the check-out, I glanced down at my shopping cart and realized how unusual it looked to see a cart being pushed by ME that had so many non-health-building items in it! I also realized that this was going to cost a pretty penny, with no real return on investment… at least not a HEALTH return! Sure, I knew the things in my cart would taste great to most, and we’d all have a great time together… but that’s a lot of money to spend to fill up rather than FUEL up. Thank goodness this is just for a one-time party, I thought to myself. I could NOT do this every week.

Then, I was saddened as I looked around at other carts and other check-out lanes, filled with many of the same items… and MORE!

I had fresh produce for fruit and veggie trays (as well as our own stock) – that was all good. Some was organic, some was not. When organic produce is not available, I use the hydrogen peroxide wash I’ve talked about here before. Not expensive, yet very effective. The prices for organic were all comparable to conventional… or close enough that I chose health over perceived cost. I chose not to purchase the conventional dip for veggies as requested. It’s easy enough to make your own without all the toxic garbage that virtually nullifies the benefits of the veggies!

At the request of other folks involved in the plan, I also picked up pretzels, a type of ‘sun’ chips and tortilla chips, as well as queso dip and salsa. It was a stretch to find brands lacking the biggest nutritional offenders: high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and sweeteners, hydrogenated & partially hydrogenated fats, neurotoxins, soy, etc. Obviously, I gave in on the refined simple carbohydrates issue!

Finally, for beverages, I chose lemonade, vegetable juice and chai tea – all organic. THAT was one of the biggest eye openers! Regardless of whether or not the beverage selection was organic, drinks are expensive! (So are breakfast cereals… in an unrelated note!) We are used to drinking water in our family – keeps things pretty darn simple! (Oh, and an ever-decreasing amount of organic coffee from our local discount warehouse and the occasional bottle of red wine. None for quite awhile now, though.)

I really can’t fathom how families facing tough economic situations can purchase juice & juice drinks, milk, pop, and sports drinks week in and week out. Add to that the price of chips, crackers, cookies, cereal, pastries, snack foods, dips, fast food, desserts and on and on… it’s unreal! Again, how much of it actually builds health? That’s the truly sad part.

I KNOW that we spend more money on organic, free-range poultry and eggs and grass-fed meats. BUT, I’ve become quite skilled at some savvy shopping,  healthy meal planning and a  “cook it once, enjoy it in several meals” mentality. Our grocery bills have sharply decreased since taking a very serious look at this in the last few months.

We do not spend a penny on fast food, pop, juice drinks, milk, or conventional junk food or snack foods. Are you kidding?! That stuff’s expensive!! As you’ve probably guessed, we also don’t spend any money on over-the-counter medicine… no aspirin, no cough medicine, no antihistamines… nada. That stuff’s pricey, too!

I like to think that the money I don’t spend on these things is the money I do invest in better quality meat, eggs, sprouted grains and organic (and raw if available) dairy. I will spend a tad more on organic produce when it’s available, but I also grow a lot of my own and I freeze bulk organic local fruit when it’s in season so I don’t have to spend an arm and a leg throughout the winter months. We also invest our saved money in a handful of higher quality nutritional supplements to fill any gaps.

I won’t run a risky experiment on my own family to truly figure this out down to the penny, but I get the feeling that eating (and living) this way is probably not as “costly” as you may think. I probably don’t spend as much on food as other folks think I do. I also think that some other folks might be surprised by how much more money they spend on food and “health-related” things than I do. It kinda’ all works itself out… probably comes close to evening out!

And, do you know what? Where it doesn’t even itself out financially, I go back to my earlier statement. Making healthier food choices is an investment… not a cost.

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Nutrition ~ Tips for Making the Transition from Toxic to Healthy Foods

November 19, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment
images cupcake

images cupcake

Here are some simple tips and strategies for successfully making the transition from toxic, sickness-promoting foods to healthier food choices and mindset.

No, it’s not about being perfect! HealthIER choices make a healthIER person!

(This article was written for a publication geared toward parenting… but you’ll quickly see that these principles apply for ALL of us!)

Click the link below to read the article. Enjoy… and pass it along!

http://articlesmind.com/?id=59659

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What Will You Do With All That Halloween Candy?!

October 30, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment
hall candy

hall candy

Amidst all the fun and festivities of Halloween comes some stress. No, not the stress of finding Halloween costumes. Stress in the form of nutritional toxicity! Each year, we are inundated with Halloween candy and junk galore as our wee ones are given every Halloween “treat” imaginable.

Back in the day, I can remember receiving chocolate bars, Rice Krispies treats, brownies and licorice. Every once in awhile, a neighbor would throw in an apple or an orange, just to really send us kids over the edge! These days, I can’t even imagine what frightening ghouls live inside those candy wrappers – highly toxic things like high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and colors, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, excitotoxins/neurotoxins and all sorts of chemical concoctions.

Gone are the days when sugar was the worst thing that could happen to a kid!

Our kids (7 and 4.5) have not yet even ventured into the world of Trick-or-Treating. I’m not saying they won’t at some point in their childhood! I’m positive they will. I’ve just been able to side-step and downplay the issue thus far… and I’m perfectly OK with that!  It helps that no one goes trick-or-treating in or neighborhood, so it’s not in their faces!

That’s not to say my children don’t end up with their fair share of Halloween candy. Grown-ups find a way to get candy to children at Halloween, no matter what!

We normally attend a party or two to enjoy the costumes and festivities with friends. Lots of “treats” at the party to sample, as well as the always-present goody bag to take home. We also typically end up at some type of Harvest Festival or other special event.

So how do we deal with all the toxicity in our family, and keep the potentially negative side of Halloween to a minimum?

1)      We don’t call candy or junk food a “treat”. We call them “tasty toxins” – tells you exactly what you need to know! Sure, it tastes great, but it’s toxic. Why would we call something a treat if it subtracts from our health? Sounds kind of funny to knock on someone’s door on Halloween night and say “Trick-or-Tasty Toxin” though!

2)      Like any other time of the year, tasty toxins are limited. First, all toxins are handed over to mom and dad for proper care and feeding! Depending on the size and toxicity level of the tasty toxin, as well as the current state of health of toxin consumers, we may say they can have one per day for a few days following Halloween… maybe more, maybe less. Depends on a lot of things.

That leads to point 2 (a): one toxin at a time. For example, the other night at the gymnastics party, the coach made cupcakes for everyone. She also brought juice boxes and goody bags full of ‘stuff’. We had agreed ahead of time that the kids could have a cupcake. No way to the juice – second ingredient was high fructose corn syrup. We require water for health. We need it even more after adding something like a cupcake! When the kids each asked if they could then have something from their goody bags (like all the other kids at the party), it was a firm “no”. One toxin at a time. Pick your poison!

We’re working diligently on the nutrition lesson, “Just because it’s there does NOT mean you need to eat it!”

3)      I try to steer our kids in the direction of sweets that were made in someone’s kitchen rather than in a chemistry lab. No, they don’t build health either, but it’s probable they don’t move us away from health as quickly as the serious toxins in packaged foods. On our end, I’ll either bake less toxic sweets and/or purchase simple goodies that lack the serious aforementioned offenders that are the most harmful to our health.

4)      They must fill up with Health FIRST. The other meals and snacks throughout the day need to meet the innate genetic nutritional requirements for health: protein, healthy fats & oils, fresh fiber (veggies & fruit) and lots of pure water. In other words, if they’re going to be adding any increased amount of toxins to their diet for a few days, they need to keep things clean and healthy otherwise. If not, the body will always let us know when it has reached its limitations!

5)      Finally, we give the kids the option to turn their Halloween loot in for a gift from The Halloween Fairy. After they select one (or maybe more) “must-have” item from their goody bags, they simply hand over the Halloween candy for mom and dad to put out for the Halloween Fairy that night. The Halloween Fairy in turn leaves the kids a special gift they’ve been wishing for – a special experience with mom & dad, a toy, a book, a game, craft stuff, whatever works!

It’s a win-win. No overloading on toxicity, therefore no “sick” kids for days to come. The kids are happy because they were still able to enjoy the festivities of Halloween, sample some of the traditional toxins, and they receive something new and fun!

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French Fries… The Kiss of Death?

October 5, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

At a Nutritional & Neurology seminar I attended over the weekend, I was reminded of a study I had read awhile back. I thought you might find it interesting as well.

From the New England Journal of Medicine: Children (girls) who consume French fries as little as one time per week between the ages of 3-5 years old have a 27 % greater risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

I always wonder how on earth they can really figure these risk rates out. You can’t compare these same children to themselves NOT consuming French fries… so how do we really know? Plus, what about the million other lifestyle factors that play a role? For example, if they’re eating fries once a week, chances are pretty good that they’re eating other toxic foods, too.

Nonetheless, the trigger, according to the researchers is the trans fats so prevalent in French fries other junk food and fried foods.

I had heard years ago that fries were one of the most toxic foods on the planet, as well as the conventional ketchup that is normally served with them (loaded with high fructose corn syrup). I knew there was a reason we don’t “do” fries!

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Nutritional Choices ~ When Your Food Options Aren’t Very Healthy

October 5, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment
Copy of P1040638

Copy of P1040638

Yesterday was our last day at the seminar (and hotel). Our kids had really been wanting to go out for breakfast the entire time we were there… I’m not sure why, other than the hotel had their breakfast buffet advertised all over the place! Marketing works like a charm on kids!

I’m not a big fan of going out for breakfast… not any more, that is. If I could find a local spot that served free-range organic eggs, my whole world would change!

Anyhow, we decided to give the breakfast buffet a try. Afterall, it was free for the kids. Ugh. Didn’t I just write an article that nutritional choices shouldn’t be based on whether or not a food is “cheap”?! (At least if optimal health is our goal, that is.) Well, it was 3 against 1, so we went out for breakfast.

The “rules” of the house still apply at a breakfast buffet. Fresh fiber with every meal. I loaded up a plate of fresh fruit for each munchkin. Once they were finished with that, they had some yogurt.

By the way, I was mindlessly assuming that the brand of yogurt being served on the buffet MUST be healthier than most conventional choices… because their advertising told me so! (DUH!!!) The brand is one that claims to have such a beneficial amount of probiotics. I know several people who eat it for this reason. It doesn’t. I looked. It’s marketing hype.

Far worse than the pathetic amount and range of probiotics is the level of toxicity in this garbage. It had corn syrup and artificial colors, to name a couple. Plus it was low-fat, which basically renders it useless.

Unfortunately, I discovered this once my kids had dug in! I didn’t make them finish all their yogurt  this time!

The real big deal they were waiting for was the pancakes. Buffet pancakes sitting in that warmer do nothing to excite me. But the kids couldn’t wait. I don’t get it.

They assume that because I make pancakes for them at home every week that they must be OK. Wrong! These conventional hockey pucks are just junk. Made with refined carbohydrates, trans fats and who knows what else… junk. The kids just find it so hard to believe that anyone would make food that could be so bad for us. “Why would anyone do that?” they ask. I don’t think they believe me.

The worst part was the syrup. I just about gagged! I think I could actually smell excitotoxins! Conventional syrup is high fructose corn syrup and artifical color heaven. I felt so horrible and guilty watching my children eat this stuff. “Bad mommy”, I kept thinking! How on earth could these two look so darned happy while they were eating this? Crazy.

Then again, I’ve been there… not with pancakes at a buffet, mind you… but I’ve got my own crazy toxic foods that make me smile temporarily. Maybe their food insanity is somewhat hereditary! (No, I don’t buy into that, as you know!)

So, that was it for the breakfast buffet. No meat – too toxic, full of omega-6. No eggs – couldn’t do it. No potatoes – obviously cooked in trans fats. Definitely no conventional cereal – I haven’t completely lost my mind yet!!

Basically, it was fresh fruit, a bit of toxic yogurt and four pancakes each for the kids. For mom? I could only stomach the fruit! (It helps that I had been spending the weekend listening to one of the world’s leading nutrition experts… I was inspired to keep it clean! It was the 3 against 1 that threw me off with the kids!)

You can be sure that the rest of their day was full of clean and healthy food options… I couldn’t take anymore guilt!

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This is Why You’re Fat

February 18, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

This site pretty much speaks for itself!! To click on the link, click “continue reading” first.

Enjoy!

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

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The Junk Food Thief

February 4, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online 5 Comments

Last weekend, we had a little bit of an issue with our lovely 6 and ½ year old daughter.

As you’ve probably already figured out, we don’t “do” junk. We don’t keep junk food in our house… we don’t go out and buy junk food… we say “no thank” you to junk when it’s offered to us (in the presence of mom and dad!)… we don’t eat fast food, and so on.

Let me clarify. We are NOT perfect!! Not even close! But, we have drawn a clear line regarding “junk”. We certainly don’t say “never” to sweets, but we sure don’t make them part of our regular diet. We always teach our kids to “fill up with Health FIRST” before ever considering to stray from healthy foods. Also, if someone has been “adapting to their environment” recently (what most people might describe as “sick”), then we absolutely say “no” to junk.

If we’re at a friend’s birthday party or some other special occasion, then we say “go for it!”… within reason! Having a piece of cake or a cupcake or a cookie is fine, as long as: 1) you don’t go overboard – no need for 14 cupcakes!

And, 2) you don’t add a whole bunch of additional toxicity to the celebration – for example, we don’t drink pop or conventional “punch” or juice drinks – too loaded with toxic garbage like high fructose corn syrup or Splenda or other artificial sweeteners and colors. Toxic. We’re just fine with water… especially while munching on that cake or other sweets.

If we know we’ll be at a party or gathering where sweets are on the agenda, we plan for it ahead of time by making sure we’ve eaten our healthy protein and lots of veggies before we ever get there. Give your body what it needs FIRST.

OK, so that’s our background.

The other night, we were out at a restaurant with grandpa. We had been waiting quite awhile for our table. Once we were seated, the kids immediately began their usual routine of busily coloring another masterpiece for mom and dad.

At one point, I noticed that my daughter’s body was missing from the other side of the table! I thought she had bent down to pick a crayon up off the floor… but she took about 3 seconds too long. I said, “What is she doing down there?” She popped her head up… hair all astray… and stared at us in a way somewhat similar to the proverbial deer in head lights!

My husband was sitting across from her, so he could more clearly see something odd. She obviously had something in her mouth. So, daddy asks, “What’s in your mouth?!” Silence. “What’s in your MOUTH??” Still nuthin’. We hadn’t been served any type of food… no bread, no chips & salsa… so the only thing I could possibly think of was that she had sampled one of the sugar cubes in the bowl on our table! (If we were talking about my son on the other hand, I’d be certain that he had sampled food off the floor!! The 3 second rule means NADA to that little guy!)

My husband stood up and leaned across the table, napkin in hand, demanding her to spit it out. Once he stood up, he could see that she was hiding some sort of wrapper in her hand! As she wiped the hair out of her face to release the evidence, I could suddenly quite clearly see a large ring of brown all around her mouth… chocolate!!!

WHAT???

Hubby confiscated the wrapper, thankfully still 99% full, and handed it over to me. A Snickers bar!!!!

I was so bloody confused!! Where on EARTH did this come from? How did she get this? I don’t understand??!! Aaaahhhh…. I feel dizzy!!

I looked at my dad, totally confused. Dad calmly turned to me and said one word – the name of the grocery store we had just shopped at before going to the restaurant.

WHAT??!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? She STOLE it???

Pretty sure I felt several blood vessels burst in my head right then and there!

I removed my daughter from the table and briskly escorted her to the ladies restroom. Suffice it to say, there’s not a store manager, police officer or parole officer on the planet that could have affected her the way her mother did!

Long story short, she just had no idea. She didn’t know about “stealing”, really. Sneaking, YES! “Stealing” in the criminal sense? No. I’m sure part of her just thought it was awfully nice and convenient for the store to put SO much junk food on display for her, right down at her level… and several feet away from the check out lane where her parents could only see her head, not her hands!

I was instantly reminded of why I much prefer shopping at a store like Whole Foods, that doesn’t line its check out lanes with a thousand different toxic choices for kids… at their eye level!

She was visibly shaken throughout dinner. After letting her simmer in that hot pot for awhile, I started to feel bad. I wanted her to clearly understand that what she did was very, very wrong, and that she would have to correct her poor choice. BUT, I also needed to make sure she knew that we loved her no matter what and that we forgave her.

She was extremely emotional about the whole thing… mortified, in fact She just had no idea how serious the whole thing was. Knowing her as well as I do, I think one of the things that upset her most was the word “criminal”. She prides herself on following the rules… and making sure everyone around her is doing the same… ad nauseum! She felt crushed. Again, that’s why I made sure she knew that we forgave her, and that everyone makes bad choices once in awhile… and that she’d be bringing this issue to a close the proper way the next day…

OK, so now for the car ride home. Dad rode with me and the kids. He had been pretty quiet during dinner… funny, I recall growing up that “quiet” would have never happened if I had done something like that!! Anyhow, after about 10 minutes in the car, he quietly said to me, “You know, you always hear about how in European cultures, the families allow the children to have small amounts of wine with family dinners… and when they get to be teenagers, they just don’t have the same problems with binge drinking like other kids… they don’t feel the need to go overboard or sneak…”

I think blood can actually boil…..

I quickly regained my composure and calmly said, “Dad, do you think I haven’t thought of that? First of all, it’s not like I say “never” to her! She gets to have “junk” often enough with all her social events. What else am I supposed to do… give her a little chocolate bar every day so she doesn’t go overboard when I’m not around? Bake a little cake for her a few times each week? Give her crap dessert each day with her lunch and dinner…so it’s not a big deal? That’s ridiculous!!! From an emotional, mental and social perspective, that all makes sense… you want your kids to fit in… to not go nuts when you’re not around to guide their choices. I get it! BUT, the part I absolutely can’t let go of is the HEALTH part. Each time I give her something toxic like that, it moves her AWAY from health. How am I supposed to live with that? KNOWING what I know… understanding the physiology??? I just can’t, dad!”

Now it was my dad’s turn to be silent!

Then, just to make my point a little stronger I added, “That’s like a parent saying, ‘Let’s let our 16 year old Susie smoke a little pot on a regular basis… ‘cuz we don’t want her to feel deprived or to go overboard when we’re not around! Or let’s let her have a little sex on occasion… we don’t want her to feel left out or to go crazy behind our backs with that one!!”

Now dad had the silence AND the deer in headlights look!!

I just started cracking up! Sure, I can be extreme… but I feel pretty strongly about how messed up our views of junk food are, and the contradictory, confusing messages we send our kids.

How can we be doing them a favor by saying known toxins are OK? How are they “deprived” when we limit these toxins?

By the way, I actually agree with the whole wine-with-dinner-thing for kids. I’m not talking about a bottle! A small, small glass… or a sip, sitting right there with their family, socializing and being responsible. I know that the toxins in a few sips of red wine are FAR less significant than those found in present day junk food!! The last couple of decades have introduced some insane concoctions of chemical ‘foods’ that are truly frightening!

I grew up with ALL those toxins… and all the justification for them. I remember all those connections: You did something great? You get a “treat”. You got hurt? You get a treat. Good report card? Treat. That conditioning runs deep. It’s hard to shake. The third time our daughter split her head open and needed stitches, we went from the emergency clinic straight to the grocery store where I picked up a container of ice cream… yes, it was organic! The funniest part is that my kids were shocked! “We get ice cream for getting hurt??? Cool!” Conditioning runs deep.

So, how did this story end? (I don’t think the “food choice” lesson will EVER be over! But, as for the rest of the story…)

My husband and I took our daughter back to the store the following day to “make things right”. We spoke to the manager ahead of time and asked him definitely NOT to say, “That’s OK”, and to reinforce what would have happened if she were older. She looked him in the eye, apologized, promised him she would never do anything like that again, shook his hand and paid for the stolen goods out of her own piggy bank.

It was the hardest thing she ever had to do!

In the end she learned about how dishonesty and sneaking will ALWAYS make things worse. She definitely learned what stealing means and what being a criminal feels like. She also learned that, no matter how uncomfortable it feels, in this family we correct a ‘wrong’… we make things right again. She learned one of her mommy’s favorite mantras, “Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.” She learned how families forgive each other and support each other. All in all, she learned a LOT.

The one lesson I will NOT be teaching her as a result of this experience is, if you’re going to sneak junk food, don’t be such a goober as to eat it right across the table from your parents!!!! Man, she could have totally gotten away with the whole enchilada if she had just waited until we got home!!

Don’t think she’s got the knack for being a true criminal!!

(By the way… mum’s the word!! Remember, the poor thing is truly mortified!)

 

 

 

 

 

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“DUDE! I’m Trying to Save Your Life!!”

January 21, 2009 By Dr. Mom Online 1 Comment

A couple days ago, the kids and I were leaving my daughter’s music school. Both kids flew out of the front doors of the school like they had just been released from years of captivity!

 

It was pretty funny and cute at first… they ran into the snow and skipped and jumped… just great kid fun! We were all laughing!

 

Then my son decided to continue his adventure into the parking lot. This is a challenge we are currently working through in our family… the young man is quite certain that he’s invincible!

 

As with most ‘scary parenting moments’, they all take place in a matter of seconds… oftentimes with little or no time to respond.

 

I calmly called out to him to “stop” and be aware that he was now entering a parking lot. No response. I then yelled. Nothing.

 

Another challenge with monkey boy is that he is born to entertain. If he knows he’s got us laughing about something, he’s hard pressed to stop whatever it is he’s doing. Remember, I had been laughing at his antics only seconds earlier… he thought the show was still going on!

 

I had been keeping an eye on all the parked cars from my vantage point, and thankfully, none appeared to have any drivers in them. STILL…. talk about instantaneous high blood pressure!

 

My daughter, his big sister and the reigning (in her own mind) leader of our family, as well as the Free World, was much closer to him. She had joined in the yelling for him to stop. When he didn’t, she took matters into her own hands – literally!

 

In one perfectly choreographed move, she grabbed onto his hood and yanked him away from the cars to the safety of a nearby snowbank! Man! Was he ever TICKED with her! Oh my goodness! The wrath of a 3 and 1/2 year old!

 

The exhange that took place between them was absolutely classic! He turned on her, screaming because she, of course, had ruined his fun and his performance! AND, she had pulled his hood and tossed him into the snowbank!

 

She retorted in absolute, utter disbelief… “DUDE! I WAS TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!”

 

He was completely upset with his sister. His sister simply couldn’t fathom that he could be upset… nor did he “have the right to be upset”, in her lofty opinion!

 

No worries… they made up fairly quickly and we had a relatively peaceful ride home!

 

Fast forward to the next morning. I was driving my daughter to her weekly “school”… a home school group that provides enrichment-type classes for home schooling families. Our daughter takes Spanish, computer, critical thinking & investigation, gym class, history and engineering with Legos, just in case you wanted to know!

 

On the way, I was mentioning that the following week was a “pizza day” lunch at the school. In the past, when she was in “regular” school, pizza lunch seemed all too common! Nonetheless, every time they had it, I simply made our own healthier pizza for her to take to school on those days. I knew where the school purchased their pizza and knew that it was complete junk. Anyhow, it wasn’t a big deal… she was used to our routine and so were all the other kids.

 

This time, in this new ‘school’, I thought I’d let her have her “pie” and eat it, too! There were a couple reasons for my decision…

 

1) The restaurant where they get the pizza is slightly healthier than the previous one. They claim to use fresh ingredients and so on. No, it’s still not “healthy”, but it’s a tiny step up!

 

2) I figured pizza day only comes around every month. Sure, that’s the same as it was in the other school… with one major difference. When she was in “real” school, she was bombarded by other crap food each and every week. The teachers and other parents would give out “treats” on a regular basis. The teachers would actually use junk food as part of a lesson (like counting M & M’s or Skittles for a math lesson, then eating them, of course!) or as a “reward” for some accomplishment.

 

Some parents would stop by and ‘surprise’ the class with a pizza or fast food meals for everyone… with NO notification to the other parents! (thankfully, our daughter was out of school both times the fast food surprise happened… I would have flipped my lid completely!!) Birthday celebrations with cake and other sugary foods took place almost weekly. Irritated me to no end!

 

She also drank less water while in school all day than she now does at home. She was also exposed to the toxic cleaning chemicals, disinfectants and anit-bacterial EVERYTHING each and every day, all day long.

 

I figured she’s a LOT less toxic since she’s out of school, so she can better handle a little bit of toxicity once in awhile! Make sense?

 

Anyhow, in our car ride, I mentioned that I was going to order her a slice of pizza for the following week. “YAHOOOO!” came from the back seat! I then mentioned that we had the choice between cheese pizza or pepperoni pizza AND that I’d be ordering cheese for her.

 

“WHAT??!!” She could not believe her ears! How could her mother rob her of such an experience?? Every other child on the PLANET gets to each pepperoni pizza…. why couldn’t she, she very loudly wondered.

 

I simply, calmly explained that my job was to protect her, nurture her and keep her safe. I explained that there are some things that just cross the toxicity line a bit too much… and poisonous pig protein (aka pepperoni) is one of them.  

 

I love the taste of good pepperoni pizza, too. I feel for her! We DO have pepperoni pizza at home when I can get my hands on one that is made with uncured, organic pepperoni. It’s not like she’s deprived or anything! Shoot… I was letting her have pizza in the first place! Geesh… what’s the big deal?!

 

Back to the car ride story. She and I had come to an impass in our conversation. She simply could not believe that I would be so cruel as to try to protect her from excess toxins and potential harm.

 

I simply could not believe that she could not believe it!!

 

Then, I had an “ah-ha” moment.

 

I asked her if she recalled the situation from the previous day, with her brother in the parking lot. Of course, she did. I then asked her if she remembered how completely insane it was that HE got upset with HER for trying to protect him?  I asked her, “Do you remember exactly how you felt when he got so upset with you?” She responded, “Yeah, it was totally crazy! I’m thinking ‘you’re nuts… how can you get upset with me when all I was trying to do was protect you???’ ”

 

I asked her, does any of that scenario sound remotely similar to what’s going on this morning???

 

Long, quiet pause…….. then a meek, “yeeeeeeessss” from the back seat!

 

I simply explained to her that the exact shock and disbelief that she felt with her brother is how I feel when she gets uspset about me making healthy choices on her behalf. It makes no sense.

 

She got it.

 

I waited a minute, then I turned to her and shouted in my best California valley girl accent, “DUDE!!! I’m like totally tryin’ to save your LIFE!!!!”

 

She laughed and laughed! Totally righteous, dude!!

Filed Under: Kids' Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , ,

“Do You Give Your Kids Halloween Candy?”

October 31, 2008 By Dr. Mom Online Leave a Comment

That was the question of the day that I was asked repeatedly in our practice yesterday. “What do you do about Halloween? Will you let your kids have any candy at all???”

 

Have I mentioned previously that I’M NOT A BIG FAT MEANIE?!

 

Geez! What’s the big deal, anyway?! I’m pretty sure that a child will not succumb to “Halloween-candy-deficit-related-death” as a result of NOT having a free-for-all with candy on Halloween! At least I haven’t seen it happen yet.

 

Sure, sure… I understand that Halloween is a tradition. Super. Our kids dress up and enjoy the season just like many other kids. Do I let them have all the bags of candy? No. Do I let them have some candy? Depends! Some stuff is just so ridiculously toxic that it’s impossible to justify.

 

Remember last weekend? I took the kids to a Halloween party… I let them choose from some HOMEMADE sweets. I may be WAY off, but to me, most of those homemade sweets are far less toxic than the 100% chemical concoctions I see passed off as candy and “treats” these days.

 

“These days” makes me sound old.

 

Speaking of old, the other popular question directed to me seems to be, “But didn’t YOU trick or treat when YOU were a kid??? Isn’t that a double standard???”

 

OK, parents. Are there some things you may have done as a youngster that you’re PRAYING your kids don’t do?? Ha! You know what I mean! Well for me, I don’t look back on my childhood as being one filled with exuberant health! Yes, I trick or treated every year. Yes, I ate junk food. AND, yes, I was sick and on antibiotics a few times every year, too!!! I don’t want my kids taking the same path. My parents just didn’t know. Plus, MY trick or treating took place out in our “country” area… we drove to about 6 homes in total, with our neighbors. We were given mostly freshly baked sweets – some candy, too – and spent about a half  hour in each home as our mothers visited with each neighbor!! Hilarious! My friend and I still crack up about those Halloween nights, and how all our friends “in town” used to hit the jack pot with pillow cases FULL of candy!

 

Different times!

 

I honestly think the “junk” from back then was probably less Frankenstein-ish than the junk being made today. Too many new, fandangled chemicals in our food supply.

 

So, how do we get “around” all the junk, I’m asked. Well, sometimes I tell the kids, “You can have ONE thing from the bag of junk.” Sometimes I might say, “Let’s pick the least toxic thing”. I’ve also been known to say, “If you can find a single healthy ingredient on that label, you can have it!” Sometimes I just say, “No. You had junk yesterday. Give it a rest. Let’s go play!”

 

It didn’t happen this year, because we weren’t in school, but in the case where my kids might receive MANY bags, there’s no way they’re having one thing from each bag. They don’t even ask though… I think it even feels like too much to them.

 

What do we do when it’s time to give out “treats” to others? I’ll usually give away organic Clif bars for kids (Z Bars) and/or some M&M-like candy from the health store that lacks any high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors or sweeteners. I KNOW you won’t believe me, but these actually taste waaaaayyy better than the ‘popular’ version!

 

I also prefer to give away non-food items. This year, my daughter’s gymnastics team exchanged goodie bags. We stuffed them with a chocolate chip Z Bar, Halloween (non-toxic) tatooes, glow sticks and jewellery, and Halloween stickers. The kids all loved it… and I didn’t contribute to anyone’s future loss of health!!! It’s a win-win!

 

Today, the kids are in their costumes once again. We’re taking them to a science center to see a visiting bat exhibit and visit the planetarium. We’ve been invited to stop by a friend’s house afterward for “cider and donuts”. The kids have never had either! You can’t possibly convince me that there’s a shred of nutritional value in a donut… but there is a wellness value to socializing with good people. They can have a donut if their hearts are set on it. By that time, they’ll have had lots of good food… it’s not a big deal.

 

The ongoing lesson is teaching them to make wise choices for their bodies and their lives. Will one donut, or one piece of candy kill them? I think not. Then again, that type of thinking gets a lot of people into a lot of trouble! It just seems that the donut, made by the local bakery in our town and shared with family and friends, will create a less toxic situation than a processed piece of chemical garbage, made with artificial EVERYTHING and labelled as “candy”!

 

I could be off.

 

Anyhow, Halloween isn’t such a big deal for us. No, they’re not going to have much junk at all. No they don’t go trick or treating. They’re not exactly bothered by it… they’re too busy dancing and painting this morning, and getting all excited about seeing bats and planets.

 

Will they go trick or treating someday? Oh, probably… just so they can “experience” it. Will they keep all that candy? Not a chance! I’ll pull one of those sneaky parent moves, like I did a couple years ago, where they can turn in their ENTIRE bag of candy to the Halloween Health Fairy (while they sleep on Halloween night) in exchange for a toy, game or book they’ve been wanting. Worked well for us!

 

I shared my Halloween Health Fairy story with a few moms yesterday… sounds like the fairy will be visiting a few NEW homes tonight!

 

By the way, their big fat meanie mommy is surprising them tonight with a little – TINY – bag of goodies. Organic chocolate peanut-butter cups!! Yum! They’d better share with their mommy!

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