Junk food and your kids

Nina J wrote: I was just wondering about this, since it seems like more and more of my friends are absolutly refusing to let there kids have any form of junk food.

I let my kids eat junk food occasionaly. Well, Emily can but Odessa is a bit to young. We don't go overboard though. I don't see the harm in the occasional drink of soda or some potato chips. She eats a healthy balanced diet every day and she is very physically active. I don't think that having an occasional bit of junk food is going to do her any harm.

But I know everybody is different, and I respect peoples choices. I'm just curious to see what everybody else does

C&K*s Mommie replied: My vote is for 'occassional'. Our girls will walk through stores, and point out things that we call junk but when they get it (on occassion) we call it a treat. Christian recieves a snack of a cookie (technically 'junk' otherwise to her) at her school along with milk everyday. But I willl send fruit or cereal with her too sometimes, instead for her to eat.

amymom replied: I voted all the time. But my kids are older. Billy would live on junk food if I let him. He is (like his mother) a junk food addict. But he does eat ok for a teenager. Mary Beth doesn't drink soda, eat alot of processed foods because of her own personal GI problems. But she will on occasion have potato chips. But she is not a big junk food eater. She eats a very well balanced diet. For snack she usually has carrots and celery or popcorn. She eats alot of pasta and drinks juice primarily. We supplement Calcium, because she takes almost no dairy.

But before Billy got a mind of his own I would have been able to vote occasional. But now he will buy his own food, and when he does it is usually chips, energy drink or Ice Tea and some fried food, wings, chicken fingers, poppers something like that!!! I have to balance him out when I can!!!

mom2my2cuties replied: Well I have a soda junkie in my house, but outside of soda, she usually doesn't get anything else, we don't keep Candy laying around, and usually there isn't a whole lot of "sweets" in our house.

Kaitlin'smom replied: I would say occasionaly and in moderation. Honestly given a choise I think she would pick chees and milk over most anything....unless it browines from CiCi's and then we only have that every few months. She is pretty active, IMO I woudl rather have it occasionaly and in moderation then to never let her have it, I feel if done this way it will advoivd the whole over eating it when she is older, well I hope anyway and then it wont become a weight issue. I am happy she likes carrotts now, and is trying lots of things and discovering she likes them.

CantWait replied: Occasionally here.
Sometimes after lunch, if it's a really big lunch, they'll get something small, a cookie, twinkie etc..
After dinner also if they eat everything they get a treat.
Pop here is maybe once a week.

Cece00 replied: Its in moderation here. Like I dont mind my kids having 2 small cookies for a snack, along with a string cheese (light) and an apple. They very, very rarely taste soda (and never drink a whole can) or even juice.

MotherForever2043 replied: I NEVER have soda in my house. I'm not really sure why. We're just not soda people. We usually have chips and salsa and cheese. And cookies. But they usually only eat them for snack after school or movie night.

hopefulmomtobe replied: I think you have to teach your children that everything is in moderation, if you don't show them these guidelines, then they will go nuts as they get older and not be able to control their temptations of junk food once they dont have to get your permission. I believe this is why there is a growing number of heavier adults. Our society doesn't teach moderation.

((((not posted to freak anyone out or to steer up an uproar...it is JMO and nothing more))))

Boo&BugsMom replied: We are between the occassionally and every once in awhile category. Soda is a no-go usually. I can count on one hand how many times Tanner has been allowed soda, and even then it was Sprite or Root Beer. We mostly drink 100% juice, water, or milk. Hubby has his coffee though too. Candy and chocolate type stuff is in moderation, but not a regular occurance. I'd say a couple times a week he has a "treat". Of course, if he's at grandma's house..........need I say more? The house it stocked with chocolate, candy, chips, etc. Funny how when I was growing up in that house none of that stuff even exsisted!!!

Brias3 replied: I'm not too picky on what my kids eat. We don't keep alot of soda or junk food in the house regularly, so its not always an option to begin with. Most of their meals are extremely healthy and they're all good veggie/fruit eaters so I don't feel the need to restrict. I only figure they'll go out with friends one day and eat nothing but junk then if I ban it completely now.

Today's a bad day to ask me though- we went out to lunch and to a movie, so in the period of four hours, they had chips and a cookie (with lunch at Quizno's) and then a kids combo (popcorn, Sprite and two pixie stix) at the theater!

PrairieMom replied: I voted occasionally, but at age 4 Ben has never had more than a sip (when i wasn't looking ) of soda. He gets fruit snacks or a cookie everyday after lunch, but only gets actual candy about once a month or so.

MoonMama replied: Mine isn't old enpough yet but I voted occasionally, because that is the plan. However I we plan on NO soda for as long as we can.

ZandersMama replied: I voted all the time, but Zan never has soda at all. He loves cookies and chips though, and most evenings after supper he can have whatever he wants. He is a good kid though, i've never restricted his junk food at all and generaly prefers fruits and vegetables. A couple weeks ago I took him with me to get groceries and told him he could pick out whatever he wanted and he picked out a green pepper