To me, selfishness in this regard would apply more to the parent who isn't mindful of what her children eat. I have a child in my class who is diabetic and her mother lets her have whatever she wants to eat saying that "the new medicine she is on allows her to have sugar" -- this child spends more time in the office getting her blood sugar stabilized than is really necessary. I always ask her what she had for b'fast when she comes to me pale and eyes ringed with dark circles, nearly daily and the reply is either "pop tarts" or "cereal" -- to me, this means the parents opt for what is quick and convenient without giving a flying flip what it is doing to their child's health. If I suggest dietary changes to the mother, I get a rolled eyes response, so much saying, "I know more about this than you do." It's out of my hands, but I still have to see this little girl suffer every day.

I applaud all parents who take an active role in their child's developing eating habits - bravo!

"You are selfish, you shouldnt force your views upon others. Of course junk food isnt good for anyone, but you shouldnt restrict your kids diet."


Amen to all the replies!
Do you have children Skibunnie?
My kids thought me mean at first for cutting out hydrogenated fats and cutting their bread and sugar intake-but I have seen them slimming down and they like it now. Regardless, I have to be their mother and show some responsibility for their diet choices. Hopefully you were just being sarcastic but it is difficult to tell with just printed words. I bet there are many more inflamed parents out there than have posted replies, but I'd keep your insults to yourself in the future.

Something else occurred to me with this thread as well. It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. Do I let my kids eat all the junk food that they want? Of course not! I care too much about their current and future health to allow that. Do I never let them eat it? No to that one, too. For the most part, they get meat, eggs, cheese, yogurt, lots of veggies (which they already liked anyway), nuts and fruit such as oranges, apples, peaches, pears and grapes, whole grain bread and bagels and oatmeal. Desserts, when we have them, are sugar free and so far they haven't noticed any difference. Once a week they are allowed one junk food choice outside of school which is usually ice cream after school on Fridays. They are allowed to have pizza on pizza Friday at school (one slice) and 1 cookie on cookie day. When we eat out, which is usually once every two weeks, they are allowed to order whatever they please within reason. Do they feel deprived? Not usually. I have never told them that they they could not eat if they were hungry. I have directed the food choices available to them and so far they are not complaining much (except when I serve them spinach for a vegetable at dinner and then it's only one kid complaining..the other one loves it!).

I know that my mother passed on some very unhealthy eating habits onto me, because of that I want my son to have a healthy lifestyle filled with good, healthy nutritious food, lots of sun and exercise. Limiting junk food is a gift I can give my child, there are delicious alternatives and there is such a thing as occasional indulgences. As with many things in life moderation is key.

well I am not a mother, and not quite a child either. I am just turned 20, and even though no one really restrickted my eating habits when I grew up, I never had much of a selection. between my grandparents and my mother, I was exposed to eating healthy meals and never candy. dessert and sweet things were traditional, since my family is european. but also my parents were not as well off when I was a child as in the present. so when we went to the grocery store, I was allowed to chose 1 thing I wanted in the snack items. I could never get ceral with the toy insdie because I wanted it. or bags of candy. I learnt without any feeling of oppresion that while I had plenty to eat of what was good and healthy, I had no reason to be hungy for candy and sweets. I often turned them down when offered to me because I never had the taste for them.
So, I think it is really a good idea for parents with particulatly young children to not indulge a child's every whim even if they financially can do so. While it is better to have plenty than to lack, there is a diiference between enforcing values that teach 'I should not be over-indulgent.' Over-indulgence to me is the same as drunkeness, like a bad habit, like an addiction.
So no I do not think it is selfish to protect a child's health. If you start when your children are young, they won't feel a sense of depravity. Teach them yourself that those things are bad for them, and that certain food are good for them. Then they can make their own decisons and it won't be as if you are hiding sugar and doritos from them. They will know it's there and it's not a good thing.

I totally agree!

There is no difference between the mother you describe, who lets her child eat sugar and candy when she is diabetic, and the mother on induction who is not mindful her thin children are getting adequate complex carbohydrate intake for their growing bodies and minds. Not paying attention to your childrens biological needs is 100% bad parenting.

You sound like a great parent, you cut the useless carbs without depriving them of good stuff like fruit and nuts, bravo to you! If only all parents were as mindful of what their children eat.

My youngest is 19, so what I eat isn't much of an issue longer, unless the kids come home to visit. Even then, I try to keep a snack of some kind around in case they or other company stop by.

One concern I have about young children, what about the effects of artificial sweeteners and other additives on children? I honestly think I'd rather see my kids eat a wholesome homemade cookie, then a sugar free soda. I think part of the challenge of the WOE is sticking with the wholesome, natural foods. Pasta and potatoes are probably better for children than Diet Coke and sausages every day!

I agree with you good2beme about being concerned re the effect of sweeteners on my children. I also agree with feeding them wholesome foods. However, nowadays, who has time to make these wholesome foods with ingredients you know are good -- not regular sugar because it's processed too much, not white flour for the same reasons etc. I don't like my children eating so much sweet stuff or drinking sodas but they're going to do it anyway I just feel like I should reduce as much as possible the sugar they eat and drink whenever I can. And wouldn't it be nice if the schools' vending machines had "wholesome" snacks and low/no sugar drinks??

Junk food is never a good thing. But what is a kid wants pasta or potatoes? Just because you have changed your lifestyle doesnt mean everyone else should have to do. This is a forum where people can post their opinions, Im sorry if I dont agree with you. Please dont take it personally, Im just speaking my mind.

First of all, my kids don't dictate to me what I do and don't cook for dinner; they never have and they never will. They may make requests, but more often than not, they are more than happy with what is on the table to eat. When they are old enough to cook, they'll have their chance at making dinner at least once a week and they are more than welcome to make whatever they wish, BUT they have to plan it, tell me what ingredients to get if I don't already have them and cook it themselves. If it's not something that I want to or can eat, then I can have leftovers. If my DH wants potatoes or pasta, he's free to cook them for himself. He's quite capable in the kitchen and hasn't done that yet. There's a sign hanging in my kitchen that is more or less my policy. It says, "You have two choices for dinner: take it or leave it." If you don't like what's on the table, there's always whole wheat bread and sugar-free peanut butter in the pantry and fruit in the kitchen (or yogurt, cheese, etc...). Even 7 and 8 year olds are capable of making themselves a sandwich or getting yogurt from the refrigerator, but you know something...neither of them has used that option yet even though they know it's available to them. Short order cook is not part of my job description as a mom. Now, I don't go out of my way to make things that I know that they don't like, so that probably has a lot to do with it.
I plan and cook the meals in my home and also do all the shopping. I ask for input on what everyone would like to see on the menu for the next couple of weeks and accomodate requests (not demands) when I can. What if they ask for pasta or potatos? They haven't yet and I've been low carbing for over 2 years. More likely than not I'll get requests for Captain Crunch cereal (mostly sugar and very little nutrition), Pop Tarts (ditto), Pizza or Ice cream. Occasionally, I'll get a frozen pizza or sugar-free ice cream (they honestly like it), but Captain Crunch and Pop Tarts get a firm "No".
When it comes to what my kids eat, the question is who is the parent (and therefore responsible for the health and wellbeing of the child) and who is the child? They get plenty of nutritious foods and occasionally get treats without my having to put foods on the dinner table that I choose not to eat. Nobody is being deprived. They're healthy and I'm happy.
If you're a mom and you want to cook something different for every member of your family, that's your perogative. I don't choose to.

Without getting into the whole controversy brewing here about forcing your eating style on your kids or not, I just wanted to share. My kids, 18 and 15, were very antiAtkins. And very vocal about it. I would put out a noodle side dish once in a while for them, and keep getting them there snacks. But you know what happened? Eating carbs with eating higher fat meant they started putting weight! Big surprise there

Well my DH and I lead be example, at those ages we had no choice. My oldest followed soon after. Gripping she had to because of the weight she was putting on. My son was stubbenly sticking to his views. Five months into our new way of eating he jumped on board. Now he is very happy, 18 pounds lighter and very carb conscious.

And I think, if I had only found this way of eating years ago, yes I would have brought them up low carb. I think it is a very healthy eating style. Let them get the pasta and patotoes at school, but let them learn to eat healthy at home.

I have been a bit sneaky with my kids (boys 9 and 11). While I buy a lot fewer carby snacks (I let each of them pick one bag/box of snacks to last the week) I also buy plenty of low carb nuts, fruits, veggies, plus sf candy and icecream for myself. By making my stuff seem more desireable because they have to ask to get it, they have been asking for less sugary crap and gobbling down my strawberries, blueberries and popsicles. No sugar added and sugar free candies and icecream are real good, and my 9 year old son sneaks my fresh spinach on a regular basis. The kids like eating ribs, fish and steak. I usually round out dinners with veggies, and taters or noodles. One big change is that I've had to throw out the majority of three loaves of bread so far this month because they'd rather eat their meats and cheeses like I do.
They are able to buy junk with their own money-but I have little misers that don't want to spend their dough on food.
At McDonald's I have cut their fries to one small fry between them and get bigger burgers-and they don't seem to mind.

I really don't see where my kids are suffering. Both had thick tires that are slowly deflating and they feel better for it. The hardest part for me has been in getting them to exercise more.

Another thought occurred to me while I was re-reading this thread. When I ate high carb, my kids ate the way that I did and it was just fine. Nobody had any objections. I doubt that I would have had anyone tell me, "You horrible, selfish mom. You make your kids eat just like you do. How could you do that to your poor children!". Now that I'm eating low carb, suddenly it's a problem and a bad thing that they also eat like I do on low carb, just not as low? Why? They were eating like me before, they're eating like me and my DH now. The only difference is that somehow I'm depriving them of something now that I wasn't before. What would that be? Sugar? Hydrogenated fats? Those are about the only things that I don't feed them now and even those things they get outside the home in places like school. I just choose not to put them on the table at home.
I happen to believe that eating more fresh, unprocessed food with emphasis on protein, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains and less processed and refined food is far better for their health and provide them with foods based on that belief. If that makes me selfish and a bad mom, so be it. I don't think I'm depriving them of anything except perhaps some serious health problems later in life.

I still buy the kids junk but not in the quantities they would like. So when they see an apple pie around it doesn't last all that long. LOL