Stopping the Sweets

Joanne_happygramma

Not sure if this is the right place or not but for any parents out there involved with their kids organizations this might be a place to start for a lot of people. I posted on my blog yesterday about our grocery shopping trip. We go with a healthy list and do not stray too far from what we are supposed to purchase for our health. Yesterday we were met with the local girls soccer club selling boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts and on exiting the store the Girl Guides were selling their cookies. Ok so the Girl Guides have history on their side -- it's what they do. But shouldn't teams and organizations find other ways to raise money aside from selling junk food. We can get junk food every where - why add to the ease? My friend is raising money for her organization by selling gift cards -- they have a list of about 100 different cards you can choose from and the company gives back anywhere from 2 - 5% of the cost of the card to the charity. I know we are all charitied out and we have to constantly buy stuff from our kids, our neighbour's kids and for some of us our grandchildren.

I would love to support these charities but I don't want to buy sweets -- I can choose to not go down the cookie aisle or near the bakery but when you have these lucious donuts sitting there all fresh and lovely when you pick up your cart (and then have to return it) it's just mean. We spend our lives making good choices - I just wish these organizations were able to make good choices too.

Just my two cents and trust me I spent a lot of time buying and selling stuff for baseball, soccer, cubs (we actually had apple day) when my son was younger so I have paid my dues and know all about it. I think as a society are are more conscious now about what is healthy and what is just empty calories.

Cheers
Joanne

amberkeever1

My feeling on the whole girl scout cookie thing is, I buy them for my husband. I CHOOSE not to eat them. If I actually liked them enough to eat them I would ration them to the portion size that would fit in my daily caloric allowance. It all comes back to personal responsibility. People love cookies and it's tradition. I don't usually buy them, but, for a treat for the husband I have no issue with it

Phoenix_Warrior

This, to me, is all about personal responsibility for our actions. I love girl scout cookies, I buy them every year. Now that I have a grasp on portion control, I will continue to indulge in this, as sweets didn't make me fat, I did. I chose to blindly eat without thinking about calories or portions with little regard to the negative impact of my actions. No food is evil, so why treat it that way?

Contrarian

You can always just donate money and not take the donuts or cookies or whatever.

Alluminati

You can always just donate money and not take the donuts or cookies or whatever.

That's what I do. OP, they sell cookies and donuts because people like them. Then the give the kids money and everyone wins. Do you want the kids to sell apples and cauliflower so your not led into temptation?

Cranquistador

Three is always a way to work it into your day if you choose to have a donut.

FrauMama

You can always just donate money and not take the donuts or cookies or whatever.

Also what I do.

Joanne_happygramma

As a matter of fact for the eight years I was a scout leader we had Apple Day every October.
It's been a tradition with our Scouting movement and continues still to this day (20 years later)
We made a lot of money selling apples - the kids had fun and so did the leaders.

Of course this is all about our own choices first and foremost, and I am glad of my choices
now.

Joanne

Kamikazeflutterby

There are alternatives to sweets that many organizations use to raise money. Cards with discounts to local businesses, overpriced wrapping paper, popcorn... you get the idea. I'd assume organizations pick whatever product sells the best, or that they get the higher profit percentage from. It's not a grand conspiracy or an attempt to encourage poor nutrition.

As many have said, donate the money, buy the donuts and share, or just move on.

NonnyMary

Can you buy the Girl Scout Cookies and then bring them to work and the poeple who want to eat them can eat them?

yanniejannie

I do love Girl Scout cookies; they are sold here about Feb. Last year I bought none, having just started MFP; now I'm at goal.........have a feeling this year will be harder to say no to those Thin Mints The rest I have no problem nicely declinling and, if pressed, explain that my charitable donations are in the form of my time volunteering with various organizations.

Lizzy622

You can always just donate money and not take the donuts or cookies or whatever.

Me too!

Collier78

Yes, it is ultimately about personal choices and holding yourself responsible for what you CHOOSE to put in your mouth. That being said can anyone on here honestly say that they make the best choices EVERY time temptation is put in your face? I think all Jbart was trying to say is for an athletic club to sell something sweet and unhealthy seems sort of counterproductive. I have three kids, in several different sports, and all of them sell some sort of food item. This year the JFL moms and I got together and did a donation drive instead. We talked to all the parents of the kids and showed them the numbers. For each food item we sell we get a percentage, if you are going to spend $30 on butterbraids to support your team, why not just donate the $30, then we get all of it for your childs team not a portion. It went over well with the parents, because they didn't have to try to sell anything, they just let the people that would order know about it.

Girl Scouts sell cookies as a tradition, and being a former girl scout, I would not ever want to see that change. Those scouts work hard. I don't think at anytime Jbart was saying they shouldn't, just that it is a struggle sometimes, when you are bombarded with groups fundraising through sweets, to say no. We have all struggled with something in our lives. Whether it is our diet choices or something else. I came here to be supportive of others that are having that struggle, and find support for myself when I struggle. Not to judge someone or kind of come down on them for not having the same iron will power to say no to sweets that someone else does. I think it is AWESOME that some of you can buy these items, keep them in your house, and not eat the whole box in one sitting. I can't. I know myself, so I don't buy them. I do, however, find a way to support the charities of my choice through other means. Sometimes though, you just need to vent a little about the struggle. It was an excellent read J, and let me know I'm not alone in my inability to control my sweet tooth demon at times. :-)