I've written many blogs where I talk about trying to provide my kids with a diet that is as healthy as possible. Sometimes I get strange looks from family and friends when they see what my almost-3-year-old eats for lunch. I think my choices have made veggies and other healthy foods a normal part of her day. She doesn't question why she's having broccoli with her sandwich because she likes it. But I will be honest, for a while after I stopped nursing and she started eating like a "real" person, I got VERY stressed out about her diet. I never wanted her to have anything that was too high in salt, too high in sugar, too processed, etc. I felt like she could never eat what everyone else was having. She didn't notice when she was younger, but as she got a little older and all of the other kids were having juice and chips, she didn't understand why she wasn't having some too. That's when I decided that unless I wanted to alienate her and give her a complex about food, I needed to relax a little. Don't get me wrong- I'm still pretty strict about what she eats at home or what we'll order off of the kids menu at a restaurant. But new research from the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State University shows that being too restrictive about the foods children eat can actually cause more weight gain. The highest weight gain was among girls who considered their parents most restrictive about eating certain foods. The study followed 200 girls from age 5 through age 15. Although it's easy to control things when they are younger, eventually your kids start going to play dates, school and other places where you're not around to monitor every bite they take. And kids who have very restrictive diets at home are more likely to go crazy with junk food when mom's not looking. So I've loosened up a little, and decided to teach my kids the importance of healthy foods, both by what I serve them and what I eat myself. But I also want them to understand that treats are okay now and then, and if your friend is having some M&M's and you'd like to enjoy them with her, it's not the end of the world. What do you think? |
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