Shut Down The Competition

I am the parent. It is my job to protect my children from danger, whether its dangerous weather, dangerous people, nowadays, one of the most important jobs as a parent is to protect our kids from dangerous foods.

If a child is never taken to a fast food restaurant, they won’t know what it is and won’t ask for it. Simplifies life GREATLY. No temper tantrums about “Take me to that famous fast food place!! WAAAAHHHH.” It also eliminates confusion. “Why did you take me last week and now it’s not okay?” The message is clear—the food there is not good for us and we just won’t go there.

Impossible! No, not impossible. Carry snacks in the car. Rice cakes are easy, and since kids generally like simple food, they love ‘em! Dried fruit works. Have a cooler in the car if need be. Yes, plan ahead. Grab their favorite fruit as you go out the door. Then, as soon as you get home, cut up some raw veggies for them to eat while dinner is getting ready. They are hungry and will eat the healthy option in front of them.

Be European. Kid’s menus at European restaurants are rare. When they are little, have them eat off your plate. For a bigger child, share an appetizer and a meal. Kids meals in the US tend to be junk food: chicken nuggets, hot dogs, French fries. If they grow up on kids meals, when and how are they supposed to make the transition to real food? Is a child going to understand that suddenly now they are supposed to want to eat the real food that is on your plate? Probably not, especially since those kid meal foods have flavor enhancers to get them hooked and crave those foods.

Find better things than TV for your kids. It’s real simple. TV advertisements works. Why else are they there? If you need to use screen time, get movies from the library about real things: Food, history, documentaries. Too often, kids are entertained to death. Give them something REAL. Real responsibility. Real work. Real food.

These movies are very kid friendly and help reinforce the caring for the planet:

Dirt the Movie