Kids And Candy

By MAD 21

ABC News recently posted an article about a woman who is trying to get teachers an parents to stop giving out candy and sweets in school. Personally, I think what she is asking for is just a little over the top, but it gets you thinking.

I've been on a serious mission for the last six years to keep myself and my family healthy. I am a fan of playing  dress-up over watching TV and jumping on the trampoline or swimming over video games (well, the wii sports thing is kind of fun, but it still is a poor replacement for the real thing).

My husband and I have been very dedicated to teaching our kids healthy eating habits. In general, we don't keep unhealthy snacks in the house. That's not to say we never eat any 'junk food,' just that it's not something we keep around to have all the time. As a result, our kids love to eat vegetables and fruit, and will actually choose them over junk food most of the time even when it's available. Our kids never drink soda or sugary drinks, and they don't eat candy.

And therein lies a struggle I never thought would be so hard... Candy. But the issue isn't what you think it would be, it's not with my kids, but with everyone wanting to give candy to them. It-is-everywhere. Rewards at school and church, in goodie bags for all parties, Easter, Christmas... everywhere. I never realized how much junk food we have access to until I had kids of my own and we decided we weren't going to eat it anymore. And if that weren't bad enough, the looks I get from some parents when I tell them we don't eat candy, you would think I was depriving them of something that was essential to living!

With the ever-increasing issue of child obesity, it is so important that we teach our kids healthy living habits. For that matter, for all of us to have healthy habits. We know that kids pay more attention to what we do than to what we say. So being active and eating good foods ourselves is as good for them as it is for us. Believe me, I know how hard it can be. I have a major sweet-tooth. I could eat cookies and suck on lollipops all day. But it isn't good for me, or my kids.

If you have never restricted sweets from you diets, you should try it for a week or two so you can get a good idea of how often you eat them, and also how often they are made available to you. There is a reason that our county is getting fatter and fatter. It's because we are surrounded by food and don't realize how much of it we eat. At first one might think it's a matter of self-control. And in most situations it probably is. But really, I think it's more of an issue of absent-mindedness. We walk past someone's desk who has an M&M dispenser and take a handful. We grab one or two of the donuts that someone brought in as we pass by the kitchen. We eat the crackers that our kids didn't finish for their snack, or the crust of their pizza they didn't eat... and on and on. We just don't think about how all the food adds up at the end of the day.

The bottom line is, there is a happy-medium when it comes to junk food. It is fun to eat. But not as a regular snack. Candy and those gummi treats, and "fruit" rollups have absolutely no nutritional value at all so why do we even eat them? Try eating frozen grapes or a fresh strawberry smoothy, and apples and bananas for your snacks, everyday and at parties. Save the cupcakes and cookies for really special occasions.