Is there any real debate about heathy vs toxic food?

Hi all,

While my surgery was June 19, my journey really started much further back.  Through my experience, reading, obsessive documentary watching, and researching I have come to the conclusion that the healthiest foods contain ONE ingredient.  Now, that is not to say you can't combine those singular ingredients to make a healthy recipe, I am just saying....if we want to make the best choices for our bodies we would not buy hardly any (if any) food products that require a nutritional label.  Also, I have come to believe that sugar has little value to the human body (if any).

I am not perfect.  I too have fallen to the allure of Trader Joes marinated chicken breast.  But, the vast majority of my intake is made up of things I made in my kitchen or things I "could" make in my kitchen. (think guacamole).  Of course, the major exceptions are my protein drinks and greek yogurt (plain).  But still, very basic stuff.

So by now you are thinking..."yeah yeah yeah" stuff we all know.  But here is my question:  if we know this.  if we as parents and partners and spouses, etc know this...why do we provide foods that we know to be harmful to our loved ones?  I had a small battle with my husband and teens when I first started down the road of eating more "clean" or "whole" or whatever you want to call it.  But now that they have experienced how delicious grilled salmon served with zucchini can be, there are no more complaints.  If I won't put white potatoes....or donuts....or sugar filled anything in my body, why would I buy it at the store, keep it in the house, and serve it up?

I am curious about others experience with this.  Of course, I am NOT the food police, but since I am the chief shopper and cook in my family it would seem that I have the control of the major food intake while at home.  Thoughts?

Anne

While I am not the food police at home, my family has started eating healthier on their own.  Even though I have had surgery, they have seen how the weight is coming off and my son has also talked to a dietician.  They are all making better choices when we go out and what they ask me to get at the store.  We use to have pop, chips, fried food all of the time and now if I ask if they want those things, the answer is usually no!  (Sure has helped my grocery bill) My son has shot up 3 inches since December and dropped about 20 lbs.  My husband has lost 15 lbs and my daughter about 10 lbs.  I did not force any of this but over the last 7.5 months, they have all started getting healthier without me being the dictator.  In the beginning, I was making two different dinners most of the time and now I mostly only cook 1 meal.  I am a happy momma!

This is very interesting.  I have friends who have not let their kids eat anything "bad" since they were born.  I have friends who let their kids eat absolutely anything and not worry about it.  I think I kind of fall in the middle.  Both of my boys have always been extremely active, so have not had to battle weight issues.  But I have let them have all kinds of different snacks.  I try and cook pretty clean and healthy for meals (especially now since the hubs is allergic to EVERYTHING and I've had my surgery).  I have stopped buying any kind of soda, but my boys do drink gatorade.  I bought a Mr. Tea machine and tried to inspire the whole family to drink my green tea, but didn't have many takers on that lol.   My youngest does drink tons of water, and he is a pretty smart snacker.  He was born with that skinny mentality.  He actually only eats when he is hungry. If he gets full he stops!  He's also 6'3", which always helps too!!

My ex husband was extremely picky and would only eat certain things; so our meals were much less healthy or diverse.  Thankfully, my current husband loves how I cook and will eat anything I make for him (as long as he's not allergic!).  It definitely helps to have the support of your spouse/partner, especially when dealing with your kids.

I think teaching by example is huge.  Even if we didn't start them off making their own organic baby food, it is never too late to show them the benefits of good, whole foods and what they can do for our health.  It is probably just harder to switch gears in mid-stride, but it is an attainable goal to get your entire family healthy!

This is an interesting post to me.  One of my sisters gave their kids whatever they wanted and by that i mean what we had..  We were rewarded with sweets we had desserts, whatever came in a bag from a store was better than homemade.  Not over the top i'll warrant you but usual two person working household, ice cream, sweets on the weekend, soda on the weekend etc.  Her kids are fine, I guess i think they eat a lot of sugar but no more than we did although i do think there is a lot more of everything and certainly disposable income than we were all growing up.

My other two sisters did not give their kids any sugar.  Vegetables were the treats, to the point that my niece asks if she can have carrots or apples if they went to Mc Donalds (yeah she's not a health food freak she just didn't want her kids to think sugar or fried foods were a reward).  That kid will eat a piece of cake at a birthday party and be fine with it but if you go into an ice cream store, (wanting to be a special auntie) and ask what she wants she'll ask if she can have a banana, yeah not a banana split but a banana.  She'll also sit and munch on rocket lettuce as she watches TV, she's 12 now and avocado is her favorite meal. 

My other sister did the same thing with her son (having watched how well the other one did)  and it went swimmingly until he went to school.  At 6 years old he started stealing candy because he just couldn't have enough of it.  If there was anything sugar he was into it.  a real addiction.  they had to put padlocks on the cupboards because as they realized they did not want to punish him, she would do her shopping and every cookie in the house would be gone, the wrappers under his bed and he would lie about it.  they kid has a sugar addiction. He's really skinny and seems he can do it but they are freaked out in case he just has an addictive personality which will be horrific because it is out of control.  And it wasn't because she kept it from him because as soon as they saw what was happening they reintroduced it but he was way over the edge on it and getting a couple of miniatures after dinner just didn't cut it.

as with anything I think behavior can be modified up to a point.  The personality and psychology of the individual will eventually take over.

Sweets were always a treat for us and on Sundays we went to a cafe for ice cream.  So Saturday we'd get our package of rolo or whatever.  but now i go into houses and it's a daily thing.  The shelves are stocked and it's not that these people are obese, there just seems to  be an overabundance of everything now.  I don't mean to sound like an old fogey but we drank milk with dinners, I rarely see any kid drink milk, it's either soda or juice, something high sugar, it's just a different world.  I'm wondering what these kids will be like at 30, if there is any real or significant difference.

I stopped buying "toxic" sugary foods and my husband has lost 50 lbs on his own...just by eating cleaner.

It's amazing what good food can do for your body.

Well i don't eat any processed food.  Great statement huh?  The only thing i eat out of a package on a regular basis is Fage Greek yogurt.  So i'm perfect right? 

The thing is one potato chip will waken me up to the allure again of a bag.  I pass by an ice cream store, and i remember and if i didn't have to worry about my weight and the fact that this surgery is Last Stop on the Fat Train, I would happily partake again in what i know is going to give me immediate and huge pleasure, even though i equally know it's bad for me.  Sort of like the zipless **** Erica Jong wrote about. 

The truth is most people give up one night stands because they want a different life, same with food but at 16 or 20 or if i never had a weight problem or if i could eat now whatever i wanted to and not get fat, i would.  It's also kinda like those people who still smoke.

And while i do not eat processed food, the old red wine comes a calling a couple of times a week.

Intellectually knowing that something is better for you is different from emotionally wanting it.  I'm still not sure i emotionally want to not eat potato chips ever again but i like my new body so for now that sustains me.  but never say never.

yes...anyone that eats Fage regularly is perfect...oh, and I love your statement  "Last Stop on the Fat Train"

agreed, I am just confused by people that will purchase snack cakes (just an example..don't hate) for their kids or spouse because they "want" them.  Hell, my kids want A LOT of things, but I don't get it for them because I know it can be harmful (alcohol, nasty-ass prom dresses, R rated violent movies when they were 10, etc)  I think if most of us look back on our lives, our love affair with white stuff (sugar, flour...) began pretty young.  I just don't want to be the provider of stuff to my family that I believe is harmful.

Anne

I think if you can tell teenagers they're not having it you are well on the way to being blessed. 

I see my sisters refusing things until it becomes an issue, either it's been a long day and one more argument at the checkout is not what they need or the constant bargaining of a six year old in your ear for a chocolate bar.  It's just like anything else, sometimes the good fight is just way too hard. 

I also think it's very difficult if you make a life change with all the research and knowledge you've accumulated and your skinny 10 year old, just does not see the benefit of not drinking the soda and your problems are not her's and i've seen a lot of people on here carrying guilt over upsetting the lives of their children, since they do not have the same issues. 

It's pretty complicated but the truth is when we were obese we didn't think the stuff we were shoving in our mouths was good for us.  We knew and we made a decision.  Unless you(I mean the universal you) have really young kids who you have complete control over their diets, then it may present a problem. And spouses, I mean how do you tell a grown person what they can or can't eat?

I remember boyfriends who would go on health kicks to train for one thing or another.  The really smart ones would never try to induct me.  Or they would try once and then never do it again.  The others...well they are exes. 

Teenagers are a whole other story. You can't control what they are eating outside of your house. My daughter did not have a weight problem until high school. She was tall and thin on her first day of 9th grade. 5'10" and 155 lbs. She had her lunch money and used it to buy snacks at the store by the school or even the unhealthy options that were available at the cafeteria (pizza, cheeseburgers). She got older even still and started eating out at Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, McDonald's at lunch or at sleepovers even if she didn't have the money. Her friends would pay for it sometimes.  She became significantly overweight. You might get lucky and have a vegetable, chicken,  fruit and water loving teenager by instilling healthy habits. That is the goal, of course. But you might have one like mine who just loves the bad stuff and she is past the point for me to even try to help her with her food intake. I tried pretty hard  to have healthy foods and snacks when she was younger. High school and freedom showed her pizza and white carbs and sugar galore. Her friends were eating it and she didn't want to be left out.  That is exactly what she told me. "All my friends eat it and I wanted some too!" And she also has said to me "Mom, if I ever decide to lose weight, I'll do it. But I have no interest in it right now."  She just wants to party and enjoy her recent graduation from high school with her friends. Hopefully one day she'll choose healthier foods when she's on her own in the world and sees how very unhealthy it is. I can't be with her 24/7. She is about to go off to college. I can only hope it doesn't get worse. I hope your clean eating results in a permanent lifestyle change for your kids. That would be great!