Do parents let their kids eat fast food?

[Anonymous]

My 2 kids have never eaten fast food and I haven't eaten it in probably 15 yrs. Both DH and I work full time and are also both in school part time, yet we find the energy to steam frozen veggies each night. It doesn't take long. We cook and freeze large batches of meals to use throughout the week.

health is the last thing that should go in daily life. There is no excuse. Pack a few pb&j sandwiches, slice apples yourself, but milk boxes - it's really not that hard.

[Anonymous]

I think the original question was can you get your kids to avoid fast food? The answer is: depends on how hard you want to try.

I belong to a CSA, cook a ton, made my own baby food, and really believe in the slow food movement...in moderation. I also love french fries and am not above giving DS chicken nuggets and apple slices at McD's. I figure it's not that much worse than the processed Amy's veggie nuggets that we buy from Whole Foods. I like eating naturally and healthily, but am not going to kill myself if we slip up and have the occasional pizza.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Single mom in nearby urban suburb here.

I cook a lot. We're vegetarians. I hate McDonalds with a passion and my kid says "ew" when we pass one. We're usually healthy people. But, there is at least one night in any given week where I give up and order pizza. If there were a place that had drive-through veggie burgers I would be all over it. If there were a place that delivered a margarita and somebody to do the dishes and laundry with the pizza, I would be all over that, too.

There is a place that has veggie burgers-Burger King and they're good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sure. I like fast food. I consider burgers and fries to be part of my cultural heritage. But just as I don't eat spaghetti and meatballs every day, or homemade-spinach-lasagne every day, or salade nicoise every day, I sure don't eat Burger King every day. It's just sort of in the rotation, maybe once a month. I'd be pretty embarrassed if my child said "ew" when passing a McDonald's. What a negative, judgmental way to raise a little person.

I'm actually really, really proud of him. He's a really great kid, been to b-day parties at Burgerking and whatnot. Has lotsa friends. We've talked about how every family makes different decisions and how we don't judge people by what they eat, how much money they make, what their family looks like, where they go to school, etc. etc. Sorry you feel that way. You want a negative judgemental way to raise a kid? Go read some of the rest of the forums.

[Anonymous]

We go to McDonalds maybe once a month? Not very often-only when we're out shopping and it's getting late.

I do drive to Burger King to get their veggie burgers-they are good! I'm a vegetarian but my husband is a carnivore -we cope.

Everything in moderation is our motto. We were at a picnic yesterday and gasp-we let our son eat cookies and ice cream.

[Anonymous]

i grew up in the 70s, when fastfood was just emerging on the scene. my mother was/is an ex-hippie-wanna-be, into health foods and whole foods, vitamins, etc. i remember PLEADING with her to let us eat at the new hardee's in town. her response, "you want a hamburger? i can make you one at home!" it resembled more of a meatball, with onions INSIDE! gross!!!! i thought she was so mean!

today, i am a mother of a toddler. i can't remember the last time i ate at a burger joint. i hope i can be just as "mean" to my kid as my mother was to me. thanks, mom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is a CSA?

Thanks

Community Supported Agriculture.

You sign up with a local farm and get your seasonal veggies and friut (sometimes meat if your farm does that) delivered to your home or you pick-up.

it also tends to be pricey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I view fast food as a part of what I'm trying to teach my kids about balance in their lives: It's junk. But a LITTLE junk is OK now and then.

I agree 100% with this. With my oldest child we did no fast food, no TV, no sweets, and now she obssessed with all three. She learned about them from her peers, mostly, in addition to school trips that included fast food breaks. Grr...

By the time the youngest child came along, we had the ocassional McDs, 1/2 hour of TV viewing a day, and some moderate amount of cookies/cupcakes. She could care less about sweets or McDs, and will often wander out of the room to hang with me while her sister is glued to the tube.

When you try to MAKE your kid turn out a certain way, one way or another you're doomed to disappointment IMHO. Moderation and open lines of communication are key.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I haven't read any of the responses, but heres my 2 cents: I think there are bigger problems that we will have to face than worrying about fast food. Shouldn't we be happy that at least our kids eat everyday?? Our worries are not that bad if this is the worst of it. Lets put this into perspective here.

[Anonymous]

We have let my daughter eat fast food occasionally since she was about 2.5/3 years old. She's now 4.

The past few weeks/months as we've been in transition (during a move) we've eaten it more - maybe once a week - but for the longest time it was maybe once a month we'd go to McDonalds.

Whenever we go I get her chicken nuggets, chocolate milk or apple juice, and the fruit (apples, oranges, depending which fast food joint). I usually get a combo meal and I'll give her a few of my french fries. My friend doesn't let her kid get french fries but then she gets them and eats them in front of her - I think that's kind of mean, actually.

I think it's fine for once in a while, but then I've always been an "all things in moderation" type of person/mom.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but just on road trips. We have two kids. We tend to do Mickey D's, the snack wraps with apple dippers (without the caramel sauce), with milk or water. We talk a lot at our house about making healthy choices. That being said, we try to take them to nice restaurants fairly often and hold them to the same standards as we hold ourselves (if we get dessert, so can they). I think it's about teaching moderation and good choices, not about drawing a bright line in the sand.

More than the fast food, I hate how even very nice restaurants in vacation spots think they can offer fried chicken strips and french fries and call that the kid menu. Very few actually have healthy choices. That's how I know my three year old would live on french fries if I would let her!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's really 2 different worlds/environments for those that live in DC vs. the surrounding burbs. If you're driving around, sometimes the convenience of fast food is huge - while that's not the case for those less apt to drive in DC. On foot, I would never seek out fast food; looking for a quick place to grab something while on the road, though, makes it much more conveninent. For me, the drive-through factor is HUGE! I'd be happy to frequent healthier places if they also had fast food options to take out the unload/load kids hassle from a quick stop.

I also have the utmost admiration for those that enjoy cooking & gardening. I HATE both. Making meals is certainly a chore for me, not a pleasure.

Exactly the way I feel!

[Anonymous]

I cook from scratch 6 nights a week.
I'm a long-standing CSA member.
We eat at Mcdonalds once a month for lunch (burger and a few fries). The kids could take it or leave it. They'd rather have a fresh peach or a piece of string cheese.

I'm a firm believer in moderation.

[Anonymous]

I would cook from scratch if I had a clue how to cook, sigh. I stink at cooking, and I try fairly often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would cook from scratch if I had a clue how to cook, sigh. I stink at cooking, and I try fairly often.

Not sure where you live, but check out this really cool looking cooking instruction place that's opening in Dulles mall. There is not much info about it, but it seems to be a place where you can learn to cook a few meals and then sit down to eat them. Basically recreational cooking and wine classes, probably for beginners:

http://www.cookologyonline.com/index.html