Why feed your body better than your children?

My eight year old packed her own lunch today. Considering she refuses to eat a sandwich of any kind, it was pretty good: a yogurt, an orange, some Oatmeal Squares cereal. Last week when we took a trip to Salt Lake, she wanted to pack some snacks. I asked her what she wanted to take and she picked carrots and cucumbers. Her favorite afterschool snack is an apple.

I was proud of her for packing her own lunch. She told me that a few of her friends pack their own lunches everyday. Then she told me how they do it: all pre-packaged junk food. Seriously. One girl: Doritos, "granola" bar (candy bar), a cookie, CapriSun. Um... sugar, sugar, sugar, and sugar. Another: "fruit" snack, "granola" bar (same one), "juice" box, Cheetos. Sugar, sugar, sugar, and sugar. Nothing her body NEEDS whatsoever.

I see these kids growing up, hitting middle age and finding themselves in the same frustrating situation as so many adults. Overweight, trying so hard to change their eating habits, but almost helpless for the skills to do so. They have eaten junk their whole life. Where do they start? They try to live in the same house with this kind of junk readily available to their children and find the willpower to not eat it.

INSANE.

Adults make the decisions about what comes in the house. If you wouldn't eat it, why do you let your children start their life this way?

If you are trying to eat healthier but feel like it's hard to eat healthy while surrounded by the "normal" food your family eats--I DON'T BLAME YOU! It would definitely make it harder. Get it out! They don't need it either. You are trying to change your habits for a reason. Give them a headstart. Don't sentence them to the same thing you are going through now.

No diet you can survive for some temporary period of time is going to allow you to go back to those sort of habits. Set up a lifestyle for the long term. For you AND your children.

It doesn't have to be radical or extreme. Clear the junk from your cabinets. Find a few new recipes. Shop healthier. Make the good choices easily available. Pre-pack your own healthy snacks and have them ready instead of the baggies of junk.