I totally agree with you on every point! Very GOOD! I have never liked bologna, either! - 3/22/2013   11:58:22 PM

While I commend you for this great effort, and I am very impressed with how you are knowledgeable with reading ingredients (so many times people will not bother looking at the panels) I am really leaning towards those who've commented about teaching moderation.
As a single father with a full-time career, meals were not always balanced every single day, we had our months where pizza was delivered on a Wednesday due to meetings, classes, sports, etc.
With my ex-wife feeling that pizza for dinner and then left-over pizza for as many meals as possible was ok, it was difficult but not impossible to get the kids to like broccoli, apples, salads, squash, potatoes (mashed & baked). Now at 17 & 22, the girls eat basically what they want, and shockingly we go through more good foods than bad. Even with a McDonalds literally across the street, I find myself tasked to cook 6 nights a week depending on left-overs. - 3/19/2013   2:33:04 PM

I don't think you sound like a food snob! You don't seem like you are trying to convert everyone, and as a parent you should have the final say about what your kids eat. I agree it's hard when other parents or adults serve junk food or sugary snacks. It doesn't send a very positive message. I think the best we can do is help kids learn to make good choices. - 3/17/2013   5:36:37 PM

Like a lot of others have said here, I would rather teach my children moderation than deny them certain foods. My parents did this to me when I was child, and once I left the nest, I became obsessed with eating the foods I was told I could never have, which started my weight woes. I hope your children don't take the same path. - 3/11/2013   6:00:57 PM

I did pretty much the same thing when my kids were that young. As they grew up, though, and started choosing their own foods when they were out and about, they went for at least some of the junk food. We did allow some surgary cereals, but I called them our "Saturday Cereals," we limited them somewhat. One of my kids is a college athlete now and takes care of whatever she eats. The other load up on "colon cancer in a cart" whenever we take him to the grocery when visiting him on campus. Both know the healthy choices to make. They don't always make them. Keep an eye on it while you can. You'll be setting them up to eat well if they want to. - 3/11/2013   3:27:25 PM

Applause. You kids will remember that you were interested in their health and well-being and actually looked at quality food as essential for that health. Information, processing, etc. might change over their lifetime, but they will remember the example you set now. - 3/3/2013   7:17:37 PM

I am totally with you. Your children will probably object in there teen years ours did but now they are doing the same with their kids so what goes around comes around well done.
I was homeless as a kid so it was easy to have no sugar. I was always given free milk in school and hot lunches in England was mashed potatoes peas carrots and turnip. About the only vegetables available. We never had cold lunch or food from home.Only the animals ate corn.
I still prefer to cook from Scratch. I know what i am putting in to my body and that is how we eat when the grands come around. They like to cook and I teach them about nutrition.
ANIMALS TEACH THEIR OFFSPRING EXACTLY WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT NOT TO EAT.ONLY HUMANS AND DOMESTICATED ANIMALS EAT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. Pat in Maine. - 3/1/2013   8:30:27 PM

You can purchase non-nitrate, meat filled hot dogs. My nephew couldn't have hot dogs because of nitrates and we found in a local butcher shop, locally made hot dogs. They weren't made with mechanically separated meats, they were made with 100% beef, and no nitrates. Bolgana is the same - from a meat shop, it is meat; prepackaged it's anyone's guess. - 3/1/2013   7:01:10 PM

A food snob?!? No way! When we were kids we never ate fast food, pop and chips were special occassions and cereal was usually oatmeal. The number of heavy kids in our schools was likely under 10 now I think the are at least 10 overweight kids per class room. Smart parenting! - 2/28/2013   8:15:06 PM

To each their own. I applaud you for sticking to your beliefs, but if asked I would caution you against being too strict with your childrens' food. Rather than putting forbidden foods on a list, I taught my children moderation. Now young adults, they are both fit and healthy. They will both eat just about anything put in front of them, and yes, they occasionally buy fast food, sugary cereals, etc. for themselves, just as I did OCCASIONALLY for them as children. But they also buy fruits and veggies, use the healthier cooking methods, and they know how to use good judgement when it comes to food. I think it's a much healthier way to raise your children, and I am incredibly proud of the way mine can think for themselves rather than have someone strongarm them into living by THEIR choices. But I'm not judging....as I said, to each their own! - 2/28/2013   11:57:18 AM

I was raised this way and fell into a very dangerous trap -- once I got out on my own, these foods were things I had always wanted to try and suddenly I could. My mother insisted that everything be homemade, nothing was ever fried, nothing was ever processed, she grew most of our fruits and vegetables herself all organic of course, and we weren't allowed to try any of the foods that our friends ate. We were completely forbidden from eating school cafeteria food, only lunch that she packed for us. Everything had to be whole grain. I don't think I had white bread until high school! Only a few years out of high school, I was 230 lbs. It's important to find a way to allow children to feel like they aren't being sheltered / left out of the fun that their peers are having. Otherwise they may overcompensate like I did. - 2/28/2013   7:56:09 AM

So true, soda and sugary cererals are not good for anyone. Those lunchables are fast and easy to use but they are expensive and full of salt. Good call! - 2/28/2013   1:41:06 AM

I wish I had earned these lessons when my kids were little, and forming their food habbits. One of my struggles is that my family doesn't share the quest for healthy food. I have said no to hotdogs, for here and at the church soup kitchen and people think I am horrid. - 2/27/2013   3:56:36 PM

Hope they don't graze mightily on your list as soon as they get out of your control. My sister raised her kids pretty much the same way and now they are very large young adults- it doesn't always protect them. Teaching them moderation might work too. - 2/26/2013   10:24:08 PM

Kudos to you! I feed my children lots of "forbidden foods", but we don't drink soda and very rarely have juice. It's much harder than I ever thought it would be to encourage healthy eating as a parent. I have a huge challenge with my daughter who has a very limited repertoire of foods. If I could begin parenting again, I may do things differently, but I have plenty of things to beat myself up about as it is. I am going to press forward and hope to keep introducing good healthy foods back into their diet!!! But, I think it's great that you have been strict about your children's food. It will serve them well. - 2/26/2013   10:23:29 PM

You're a fantastic mother! I was raised pretty much the same way ( had my first soda at the neighbor's house when I was 6). I wanted junk food as I was grownig up but now I appreciate the way I way brought up. Can't remember the last time I had fat food. - 2/26/2013   9:22:24 PM

I love your list. I basically followed this list raising my son when he was young. I guess I did okay...he is super health conscious. - 2/26/2013   7:19:42 PM

I think you are an awesome Mom. When my kids were small. They are in their fourties now, we sure did not have all this excellent information. I know I would be doing the same as you. Keep it up and they will grow into healthy adults. - 2/26/2013   6:13:47 PM

Ditto on ALL five! My friends think I am the food police. Hopefully my boys will grow up and have an easier time than I did making good choices. Thank you for posting this article, it is nice to know I am not the only "officer" in town! - 2/26/2013   4:42:34 PM

I teach my children "all things in moderation" and what portions are. I teach them how to eat everything, but sensibly....cereals, fast food, lunchables, hot dogs, candy, soda, meat, desserts, etc. They have soda, but not very often and it must be root beer or a clear soda. I mainly give them milk and water. They eat hot dogs, but not often. They eat most everything, but nothing ALL THE TIME. I do push fruits and vegetables ALL the time. Yogurt and cheese are also a big snack item. I make sure they eat until they are satisfied, not full and I make sure they get exercise every day. They are healthy children that are not hung up on what they can or can't eat. Bottom line, each parent should feed their children as they see fit and within their budget/ability and it's no one else's business except maybe their Pediatrician's. No one person has the answer for all. - 2/26/2013   3:41:31 PM

It is indeed wise parenting to feed our children a healthy diet. We should teach kids by example...so the message of this blog is very beneficial. Why would anyone want to argue with healthy benefits....
Long ago my teenage cousin toured a meat packing plant and he told me that he would NEVER eat another hot dog!---- His comment cured my desire for hotdogs, permanently!
A note to grandparents: I am a grandmother (and mother-in-law) and I will never undermine the parents of my grandchildren. If there are food restrictions and food exclusions, I will honor the wishes of the parents..period! An added bonus to a healthy diet is healthy teeth! As a former dental assistant, I was scrupulous about oral hygiene for my kids,,,, and the same lessons are passed to the youngest family members. Healthy habits are good habits and can become a great way of life. Thanks for this blog!
- 2/26/2013   3:38:42 PM

The only problem I have with this blog is the picture of a child eating Fruit Loops. Can I rely on your blog to be totally truthful? Otherwise, I firmly support your position, and receive a LOT of pushback from my 12 and 14 year-old children about this. "Just because you and Daddy have adopted a healthy eating program doesn't mean we have to." is the reply I get the most. LOL - 2/26/2013   2:19:41 PM

Amen to not serving those foods to your children.

- 2/26/2013   1:24:45 PM

I find it wonderful that you are this concerned about your children's health, and pure foods. What a great foundation for life. Just think of all of us that didn't get this foundation, and how we've struggled throughout our lives. I was addicted to sugar, candy, sugar cereals, cookies, ice cream, etc. It was always on hand, even when she had me on every diet imaginable.

You are an awesome Mom! I can't believe what I see people feeding their children.. And as far as expense goes, you just need effort, most are too lazy to go through the learning, planning, and cooking.

Great job! I hope some Mom's here are interested in the same for their children. - 2/26/2013   1:12:17 PM

Good job! These parents that say they are too busy should look at (and fix) the priorities in life. IMHO - 2/26/2013   1:10:28 PM

Met a Doctor in Mexico that stated to me that the reason for the childhood obesity problem in the US was hot dogs. I couldn't really disagree with him but I would add McDonald's and fast food being eaten as the other reason. Soda's were invented as a treat not a replacement to fluid intact of water. All foods that can be used as a treat instead of the norm can't be a bad thing. Sorry ditzmudgirl, my husband didn't cook "the kitchen is for women" as well as raising the kids. I might as well have been single, I also worked a full time job. But the only fast food my boys got was sub's not subway, before baseball games when I got off late and they had early games. All the food listed here were special foods. If we lived in any other country but the US this would not even be a topic for discussion as much as we as a nation are giving our unhealthy fast foods and sodas to the rest of the world they are still feeding their children in the home. - 2/26/2013   1:01:14 PM

I totally agree with this article and I don't think that it sounds 'holier than thou' at all. This is how I was raised. Both of my parents worked, but they made it a priority to have healthy meals and encourage healthy eating habits. Sugary cereals and sodas were a special treat when I was away at summer camp or on vacation. Children are capable of eating the same foods that their parents eat and don't need to be given special 'children's food'. Sometimes it takes introducing a new food several times before a child is willing to try it, but that doesn't mean you should just give up and feed them chicken nuggets and hotdogs just because that is what they want to eat.

If they are hungry they will eat something, if they don't want to eat then that is fine. They aren't going to starve just because they don't want to eat what you prepared for them. - 2/26/2013   12:42:16 PM

When I was raising my kids, we did not have soda in the house. It was a treat when we went out to eat, the same as mom or dad having wine or beer. I believe it was part of the reason they reached adulthood with no fillings in their teeth. - 2/26/2013   12:35:15 PM

I admire the sentiment, but for me it's not at all practical. I am a working mom of 3. While I admire your thoughts, I cannot live by them. I allow Nathan's or Hebrew National Hot dogs. I do not allow soda for them. I rely on cereal that does not have tree nuts or manufactured in a facility with them. Yep, sometimes my only choices are sugary cereals. With food allergies that are expansive, I spend most of the time finding foods they CAN eat. And no, that's not always the healthier choice. (Imagine if your child was allergic to 90% of all fruit?)

I think this post completely as comes off as "holier than thou". I am disappointed that this was featured as something we should read. It's effect is to either get people who already do this to affirm they are better than the rest of us or make those of us who do feed our kids these "horrendous" choices to feel more guilty than we already do. - 2/26/2013   11:55:56 AM

No food snob here...I pretty much have those exact same rule and my girls thank me for it. They've never really liked sodas, hot dogs OCCASIONALLY with chili or something but really they don't like any processed meats. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought lunch meat/processed in about four years. Because no one will eat it! - 2/26/2013   11:32:10 AM

I think we need to watch their diets, set good examples for them and talk about nutrition. We also need to guard what goes into their "mental diet" as well (exposure to media, etc.) I talk to my six year old about what's good for his body. I do let him have an occassional treat. And I also portion his treats (15 chips or 3 cookies). I think the only thing completely off limits is soda. I do think I need to get better, though. - 2/26/2013   11:14:39 AM

I know they are kids but I do give them some wiggle room.

They have to eat veggies and fruits, that is a battle I am willing to have with them. For the most part it is not a hard one they both love them. And when in doubt turn it into a smoothie!

No one in our house drinks soda. My husband and I gave up soda when we were dating and it has never come back in. My daughter(5) gets 1 cup of juice a day, 1 glass of milk, and it's water the rest of the day. My son (1.5) drinks milk and has recently begun requesting water.

I tried those packaged lunches for less than a month and have never gone back.

I will let them indulge in "kids" cereals occasionally but for the most part we don't buy them.

I do give in to the drive thru every so often. Sometimes you are just too tired. However I have found that keeping turkey, veggie, and salmon burgers in the freezer and having a handy dandy George Forman grill has reduced falling back on the drive thru.

I think the biggest and most important thing is that we don't cook twice. What I make for the family is what the family eats. If my kids want to fight about it and don't want to eat "oh well" eventually they will get hungry and eat it. I also never got the mentality that there are "kids" foods vs. "adult" foods. It's food... it's got no age label. If they have teeth and can chew it and they don't have an allergy to it, they can eat it.
- 2/26/2013   9:57:29 AM

That's the way to do it! GREAT JOB!! - 2/26/2013   9:37:15 AM

I'm a mom of 5. Ages 21,14,11,9 and 2. I have always lived by those same rules. My kids love vegetables and oatmeal. We only eat Cheerios too. My oldest has moved out already and now has good eating habits. They have all been healthy all their lives and within a healthy weight. They have never had cavities. They play outside and video games and tv viewing have always been limited. We don't eat at fast food places. No matter how "healthy" they try to make their menus the food choices are always full of preservatives and sodium. As they get older and on their own, they will have to make their own choices. I know that those choices will be healthy ones, for when we lead by example our children pick up healthy habits. - 2/26/2013   9:36:49 AM

awesome; wish I'd done this! - 2/26/2013   9:29:43 AM

My kids are adults now, but I tried to feed them somewhat healthy when they were young. When my daughter was at a party or function, she would always go to the vegie or fruit platter. People were amazed that this 3 year old little girl loved fresh mushrooms. When I took my son grocery shopping, rather than go to the bakery for a free cookie, I had to buy a banana for him before I started ,my shopping. - 2/26/2013   9:29:35 AM

I agree with you completely and our rules are nearly identical. In our home we try to teach our children to eat a balanced diet. Junk is rarely found in our home and we rarely go out to eat it. I odd time when my husband does the shopping, something will show up but that isn't more than once every few months. - 2/26/2013   9:14:50 AM

You are right in believing that it becomes forbidden fruit and the kids will get it on the sly if it's denied them. Still, I admire your quest and I actually shared much of it when my kids were growing up. My kids are now in late 30's and early 40's.
However, I would never give someone else's child anything edible without their parents' permission because of food allergies that can actually be deadly.
Sugar coated cereals were NEVER on our shopping list.
I can't say my kids never ate fast food. If they chose a fast food place to be taken out for their birthday dinner, I would not deny them that treat but we went a few times a year not a few times a month or week.
One on my children was more or less a vegetarian from the time he started eating and eventually, he refused meat entirely. Both of my children were exposed to new and different foods to a point where their school teachers were surprised they even knew what some foods are.
One of our family activities was to choose food themes from an international cook book and cook it together.
Soda was something that we rarely had in our fridge. Candy, cake, etc. were special treats, not daily items.Christmas, Easter and Valentine candy were scarce but little toys or books were common in stockings and baskets for holidays.

Unfortunately, my grandkids routinely took cold hotdogs out of the fridge as a snack, drank Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew like it was water, and seemed to seldom have home cooked meals. When they came to my house when they were small, they turned their noses up at whatever I cooked but now that they are teens then seem to crave wholesome foods with nutritional value.
My oldest son is still a vegetarian and we prepare vegetarian dishes when we get together.
My youngest son is more in to gourmet foods but they are wholesome foods. He drinks enough soda to make my skin crawl but I am no longer in charge :)
- 2/26/2013   9:09:47 AM

Everything in moderation---but for children, there is NO reason to serve them food loaded with preservatives and tons of salt. How much poison is acceptable for giving your kids? - 2/26/2013   9:08:40 AM

The weird thing is that my ex and I always talked about health and making the right eating choices when my son was just a tike. Now at 7 years old, he eats BETTER than I do. I have never once told him he couldn't have something, I actually said he can have whatever and as much as he wants ... but it's not very healthy. Now this child makes GREAT choices whether I'm around or not. I can open a package of candy and put it in the candy jar on the table and tell him to have as much as he wants. He will maybe have one piece, but he usually doesn't touch it. He does drink soda occasionally and I don't mind. For dinner he always wants to ensure that he has enough protein and vegetables. Yes, he eats corndogs and hot dogs, especially if we go to Red Robin - his favorite dinner is a corndog with steamed broccoli as a side instead of french fries. I take him to the snack aisle at the grocery and tell him to pick out whatever he wants - he picks fruit snacks and granola bars and doesn't touch any of the cupcakes or anything. He does eat sugary cereal, but that's usually a snack in the evening. He's been involved in sports since he was 3 years old and he's very active.

My parenting style was to explain the value of a healthy diet and let him know that his choices matter and I'm not always going to be there to help him make the right choices, so I just let him know the implications of bad choices. I actually tell him "you don't want to be fat like mommy one day by eating that" I know it's harsh, but it's the truth. I never got any real education on eating right (I grew up without much money so we pretty much ate whatever was cheap and on sale - which was usually sugar filled snacks, I can hardly remember having any fresh fruit or veggies, other than iceberg lettuce, in the house when I was growing up). So now I keep tons of fresh fruits and vegetables cut up and put in zip lock bags in the fridge so if he wants a snack he can go grab a bag of fresh strawberries, or grapes, or carrot sticks, etc.
I don't believe in making food "forbidden" I really think the best thing a parent can do is talk to their kids about good choices and implications of bad choices starting as soon as possible - the younger the better. (My son was 2 when we talked to him about good and not so good choices and it's stuck)!
But I won't judge anyone's parenting technique. If this works for you and your family - BRAVO! The one thing that I CANNOT STAND seeing is an overweight child. It seriously, SERIOUSLY bothers me. There is no reason for a child to be overweight - that is the parents fault. I am fat (but working on losing it), but I made bad choices, that is MY fault, but I do not want to put my son on the same path as me. - 2/26/2013   8:16:46 AM

I'm glad that I am not the only one who feels this way. I was brought up on sweets and such. Over the past few years I have been gradually changing the way we eat. My husband is the only one that eats the junk food. The only soda that my kids get and myself now is GingerAle (only when sick). My children gets funny looks when they do not know the different kinds of soda, well that is because they don't drink it. I have been making my own peanut butter and jelly. Any snacks are done homemade. - 2/26/2013   8:10:26 AM

I applaud you! I've never allowed hot dogs or McDonalds or sugary cereals. However we need access to fast food because of our busy lifestyle. We like Wendy's chili and fries. My nutritionist says ok to the chili for me and I get a baked potato or side salad. I use Trader Joes organic chicken hot dogs and we love them - so do the kids who visit. I allow pop once a week at the skating rink. The killer in my book are processed foods. The challenge for any novice shopper is to resist all those tempting prepared, easy to heat foods. So I keep organic chicken burritos and organic egg souffles from Costco in the freezer for when someone is running to a sports event or needs a snack. I package homemade soups in the freezer for the weekends. THere is always a large supply of fruit. We have chips and some sweets in the house but I choose what I buy - Trader Joes has the best offering of fruit sweetened and natural colored candies, and high protein soy chips. We like popcorn and make it in a pan, not microwave with that nasty fake butter stuff. Both my kids can feel and tell me the difference in how they feel if they are not eating enough green veggies. I often steam kale and spinach for a snack and the crazy thing is that we all like it. As far as breakfast both my kids prefer to eat last nights dinner leftovers instead of cereal which often just goes stale at my house. My downfall personally is just plain overeating. I've always been a person who wants to eat a lot of food. I agree with the posters who say that forbidding things leads to overeating it. My mom used to hide all the candy and snacks in the house so we would gorge on it when it was brought out. In contrast I saw families who had bowls of candy out for guests and the family ate it sparingly or ignored it.
As my Dr says, if we all just ate to sustain our bodies, there wouldn't be any obesity. So obesity is certainly caused by more than just the need of nutrients. For me it is all emotion that is for sure. - 2/26/2013   7:58:27 AM

If a parent wants to emphasize this in their child's life that's fine. My energy is going to emphasized on something else in my child's life - intellectual, physical, mental and moral development. If I work on those thing I'll be exhausted. - 2/26/2013   7:57:44 AM

According to serious studies, atherosclerosis and T2 diabetes are "pediatric diseases." That means that the foundations for whether or not your children will have these diseases are laid in what you feed them when they are children. Look at the statistics of the high percentage of children who are overweight. I commend you for loving your children enough to protect their health by avoiding the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet). In my opinion, a fat child is a victim of child abuse, because it is the parents, not the child, who buys the stuff and feeds them the stuff that makes the child fat and unhealthy. - 2/26/2013   7:45:30 AM

I don't know who did this study but certainly is WRONG!! who in the world you can't give hotdogs to your kids? what about the 4th of July or a birthday party?

what about a quick breakfast and you give "sugary cereal". "Fast Foods" when you are out of the house and don't want to cook or better say on VACATION, you don't cook and the first thing you give to your kids in fast food. The same goes as "prepackaged food", give it to school snacks.

Pleople give me a break. - 2/26/2013   7:37:20 AM

When I was a young mom, everyone I knew just fed their kids all the things you mentioned, and advertising convinced us that we were being nice to our kids by serving them tasty foods. I wish I could redo that part of my life; my kids are suffering from poor habits and obesity as adults. - 2/26/2013   7:34:43 AM

Personally, I don't agree with this list. I think as parents we need to limit the treats and make sure they are seen as treats, but totally say no fast food, no soda, no hot dogs? Seems like when they get to college and eating on their own, they may rebell the opposite direction and that may be all they eat. Now, admittedly, I am a tad annoyed that my son seems to order the highest calorie hamburger at almost every restaurant we go to, when at home he gets much more interesting and healthy meals. But we only go out to eat once a week, so to me, no harm really done. He does pack a lunch for school. (Left over homemade lasagna today.) So while we limit hot dogs, soda and fast food, they aren't off limits food. But then that also goes along with my and usually sparks philosophy of no food is completely off limits. Everything in moderation. - 2/26/2013   7:10:25 AM

Sound advice. I wish my parents had done that for me and that I had done it for mine. - 2/26/2013   4:39:42 AM

My children had never had soda until they were 5 and 6, and wouldn't have had it then except they were at a special school celebration and sodas were given out to all the students (kindergarten through fourth grade) "as a treat from the principal." As parents, we were in attendance, but deliberately said nothing - I admit it, I was curious to see what their reactions would be. My daughter (the 5-year-old) took a tiny little sip, made a face, and set it aside completely. My son took a tiny sip, stared at it a moment, took a somewhat bigger one (almost as if with disbelief that it couldn't really taste like that), then also set it aside. The teacher came over to me and asked "Don't your children like soda?" "I guess not," I said, "That's the first time they've ever had it, and they don't seem to be drinking it." Her eyes popped. That was almost 30 years ago. It may be outside the cultural norm (unfortunately, as I think the "norm" needs to be overhauled), but I think people - young and old - are much the better for avoiding sugar- and artifically-sweetened, high-sodium processed, and fat- and sodium-laden foods. Kudos to you, Coach Jen, for a well-designed diet for your family. - 2/26/2013   3:13:22 AM

Good mom! I find the older my son got, the more the rules relaxed... bad on me! :-(
I think we need to do a kitchen purge. There are chips, some cookies (gifted from a friend) and a few other items, probably, that just don't need to be here. Because since they ARE, they get eaten! Simple as that... - 2/26/2013   3:11:44 AM