What are your doing to purge processed foods from your toddler's diet?

[Anonymous]

Sorry but I don't think it's "fretting" not to want my child to eat what you admit is an unhealthy snack EVERY DAY or every five times a week at daycare. Not feeding them empty junk food calories every day is not being overly strict.

[Anonymous]

Stop sending them to daycare, stay at home with them and then you will be able to control everything.

[Anonymous]

moderation in all things.

montessori gives fruit or veggies and something else - cheerios, rice cakes, home made pizza bagels, whatever for mid-morning snack, then i send her lunch (and we're not allowed to include any sweets (cookies, cupcakes, etc) or anything not made from whole grains. we're also discouraged from sending packaged foods - like mini bags of goldfish, etc)

my 2 year old's favorite food in the world is lima beans, but she has potato chips and cashew nuts for snack 4 days a week when she's at her grandma's - and yes, i approve!

[Anonymous]

OP, Is your child eating and appreciating the good food that you give him at home? I think that if you have no processed food in the house, then that is your evidence that your child is learning healthy eating habits.

Personally, I find that keeping processed food out of our house is hard enough that I don't have the time to worry about daycare snacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop sending them to daycare, stay at home with them and then you will be able to control everything.

i was going to say this. i offer healthy foods at home... organic, un-processed, as much as possible. daycare is good about serving home-made cooking about half the time. lots of fresh fruit. i can't worry about the rest. you can't control everything unless you simply keep your child with you.

[Anonymous]

Since when have goldfish crackers become a gateway to unhealthy eating habits? I ate tons of crackers and chips growing up and am now a health food junkie - i genuinely love healthy, hone-cooked food. My parents/grandparents served me very healthy food growing up but I remember coming home from school and digging into the charles chips (dating myself now), pretzel rods, even doritoes. Everything in moderation. That being said, after reading this post I'm eyeing our whole grain goldfish bags with guilt...only DCUM can make me feel this way!! When we go to playdates and other parents serve crackers or cookies I'm always surprised (and even a bit relieved) because I spend so much time in DCUM-land and have come to believe that most people serve only organic, unprocessed food.

[Anonymous]

PP, do not feel guiltly. I had "morning" sickness my ENTIRE pregnancy and Whole Grain Goldfish were one of the only things I could consistently keep in my stomach. I practically lived off of them and my daughter is a thriving 20 month old (even though she still has them for snack at times!).

[Anonymous]

Dear gods. The world is not going to end if your precious darling eats a goldfish cracker.

I feel sorry for your kids when they enter the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't obsess over it. If you feed them health foods at home, letting them eat the school-provided snack along with the other kids isn't a big deal at all. In fact, studies have shown that being overly restrictive with your children this way actually increases their chances of being obese later in life, when they are old enough to acquire these "forbidden" foods without you.

What is overly restrictive? Where are these studies?

I was raised as a vegetarian (though we ate dairy and fish) and I eat meat (only locally raised) and we eat very healthy. I'd say 80% of my calories come from fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and beans. I don't even like white rice because I did not eat it. Our family only eats meat 3xs a week. My children eat vegetables that most adults have never touched, such as swiss chard, diakon, asparagus, and and beets.

My siblings also eat similarly as myself. Sure we went on our fast food splurges in college, but we all gravitated back to our roots and originally ingrained eating habits.

http://informativeweekly.com/health/2010/11/24/study-parental-nagging-could-lead-to-opposing-eating-habits/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32480988/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/t/when-parents-try-control-every-little-bite/

My favorite part of the article seems PARTICULARLY releveant here . . .

Driven by concern about childhood obesity or other food anxieties, more nutrition-focused parents are turning into food cops, monitoring every morsel their children eat. They not only refuse to allow sugary snacks in their own homes but also fight to ban fattening foods from school lunches or childhood parties. For them, every cupcake becomes a potential future health crisis.

Their preoccupation with their children’s diet is understandable. Rates of childhood obesity have soared in the U.S. in recent years, with about one-third of kids currently considered overweight or obese, according to government reports. Being overweight puts children at risk of long-term health problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, as well as depression and poor self-esteem. But when parents go overboard, it can lead to unnecessary family battles and future eating problems, child psychologists and nutritionists warn.

“Yes, there is an obesity crisis, and you should be concerned about what your kids are eating, but being too absolute about it will backfire,” says psychologist Edward Abramson, a professor and childhood eating expert at California State University, Chico. “When parents become too intrusive, especially as children get older, there is a battle of wills. The more the parent says, ‘You can’t eat that,’ the more the kid says, ‘Just watch me.’”

In fact, a recent study found that being too restrictive about the foods children eat can cause more weight gain. Researchers from the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, found the highest weight gain among girls who considered their parents most restrictive about eating certain foods. The study tracked 200 girls for 10 years from age 5.

[Anonymous]

I only feed my DCs real goldfish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only feed my DCs real goldfish.

Do you worry about them eating the scales?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop sending them to daycare, stay at home with them and then you will be able to control everything.

i was going to say this. i offer healthy foods at home... organic, un-processed, as much as possible. daycare is good about serving home-made cooking about half the time. lots of fresh fruit. i can't worry about the rest. you can't control everything unless you simply keep your child with you.

I agree about not being able to control everything (NO here), but this attitude really bothers me. I don't think we should be so complacent; we are paying these daycares a small fortune to take care of our children. If we were more pro-active and organized, we could change the way things are done in our centers. But too many of us just accept the status quo (and hits goes for far more than just snacks at daycare).

[Anonymous]

Geez, if you're upset about what your daycare will feed your kid to the point that it "sickens" you, find another daycare!

lol @ the "hemp-scented tears"....

[Anonymous]

I only feed my DCs real goldfish.

i understand the sentiment about processed food and try to serve only whole foods at home (better for ALL of us, not just DCs), but ... eh, if he eats a little at daycare i'm ok with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Geez, if you're upset about what your daycare will feed your kid to the point that it "sickens" you, find another daycare!

lol @ the "hemp-scented tears"....

OP here. My point was not to criticize the daycare, but rather a more introspective approach so as to figure out what I can do personally to foster a love in my DCs for high nutrition foods. Also, to the other points on over-protective and over-controlling: I have no desire to get into a power struggle with my kids over food. We have never insisted on any food being eaten. Always offer and never force, cajole or bribe. So, this post is not really about controlling the child, but offering options. Those options just happen to all be high nutrition, plant-based foods. You wouldn't give your children the option to eat oreos and graham crackers all day and say it's okay b/c I'm not being controlling, would you?

So, any suggestions on how you package fruit and veggie snacks to be eaten during the course of the day would be much appreciated.