Treats

I have spent a few years trying to lose the "baby weight". But, really, that is a lie. I gained weight because I was eating really awful food. I was employing as many short cuts as possible in the kitchen. I mean, I was tired. I was making and having babies. And nursing those babies.I thought eating these fake foods was a good idea. I kept gaining weight and I hated my body.

I decided to fix that. I didn't want to be sick like older family members. I didn't want my daughters to grow up with such a complicated relationship to food and their bodies. I heard about the work of a fellow Chico State grad, Robb Wolf. Seemed to make sense; eat real, whole foods. Stop eating processed foods.

A few years in - I have to say it is going great. I love food. I am done with worrying about being thin. It doesn't measure my health, it doesn't measure my worth, it doesn't measure my happiness. There is one ongoing thorn in my side - snacks and treats.

If you have been to my home in the last few years, you know that for parties, we will have chips and sweet treats. But, in everyday life, I don't keep those things in the house. (yeah, babysitters bring their own food) Chips, goldfish crackers, 100 calorie snack packs, - it's not food. If someone is hungry in my home, they can have some food. But, treats are typically not good nutrition. I am not a eat purely for fuel person. I love food. I love yummy food. I have lots of yummy food at my house without having it filled with junk food.

I am surprised by the amount of treats offered to my children, many times as a snack. It should be obvious that candy is not a snack. Well, that's not obvious to a three year old. And, if candy is given to a six year old by a doctor or a dentist (I am currently changing pediatric dentists but that is another story), it can be construed as good as other food.  But, something without real nutrition shouldn't be a snack either. A snack should quell hunger between meals. An active child needs to not only eat enough to fuel their play and learning but also their growth.

Think about that. The food a child eats becomes their body. It literally becomes them.

Besides the fact that a snack should be providing nutrition, what would I be teaching my children about food if I give them a treat when they ask for a snack? I consider treats to be a maybe once a week thing.. Making them a daily thing replaces a time when my children cold be eating real food. It also gets them in the habit of eating treats often. Eating treats often didn't work out well for me. If I can prevent my kids from going down that path, I did a good thing.

Have a nice cup of bone broth (it's my favorite snack), Mom