Attention Junk Food Junkies...especially parents!!!

Honestly I don't know. We were never super junk foody to begin with. I still take them out to dinner, we just don't really eat at fast food places.

My 7 year old was always picky anyways, and he's still picky with healthier food in the house. Oh well........

My 3 year old adjusted VERY quickly. But he loves anything that Mama is eating, so that's been easy.

I also have a 12 year old and she seems ok with it. I actually do make slightly different meals for the little ones sometimes, and I have taken them to McDs once and I just had the oatmeal.

I didn't treat it like a big deal. Since I have a 12 year old daughter, I wanted the whole shift to be more about being healthy than it was about how I look, I really wanted to be careful about the message I sent to her. So......I've treated this whole thing like just a normal change in our house. We just don't buy Ruffles anymore.........but we occasionally get Sun Chips. I let them pick pretty much any and every fruit they want at the grocery store, and we've found some cool healthier snacks for them, like yogurt raisins and dried cherries. I also get them more involved in preparing meals, and they think that's fun and special......so it makes healthier meals easier to get on the table.

I have changed their diet subtley. My boys still get Mac and Cheese, but I often make it from scratch and add veggies. They still get chicken nuggets but I'll bake them from scratch instead of getting frozen ones. I'll still make pancakes, but I add fruit and flax seeds to the batter and bought sugar free syrup (they never noticed).

I think kids pick up on your anxiety. If you think this is going to be hard and a big deal, it will be. If you just do it like it's no big deal, they might be picky about some stuff.......but they'll get over it.

Honestly I don't know. We were never super junk foody to begin with. I still take them out to dinner, we just don't really eat at fast food places.

My 7 year old was always picky anyways, and he's still picky with healthier food in the house. Oh well........

My 3 year old adjusted VERY quickly. But he loves anything that Mama is eating, so that's been easy.

I also have a 12 year old and she seems ok with it. I actually do make slightly different meals for the little ones sometimes, and I have taken them to McDs once and I just had the oatmeal.

I didn't treat it like a big deal. Since I have a 12 year old daughter, I wanted the whole shift to be more about being healthy than it was about how I look, I really wanted to be careful about the message I sent to her. So......I've treated this whole thing like just a normal change in our house. We just don't buy Ruffles anymore.........but we occasionally get Sun Chips. I let them pick pretty much any and every fruit they want at the grocery store, and we've found some cool healthier snacks for them, like yogurt raisins and dried cherries. I also get them more involved in preparing meals, and they think that's fun and special......so it makes healthier meals easier to get on the table.

I have changed their diet subtley. My boys still get Mac and Cheese, but I often make it from scratch and add veggies. They still get chicken nuggets but I'll bake them from scratch instead of getting frozen ones. I'll still make pancakes, but I add fruit and flax seeds to the batter and bought sugar free syrup (they never noticed).

I think kids pick up on your anxiety. If you think this is going to be hard and a big deal, it will be. If you just do it like it's no big deal, they might be picky about some stuff.......but they'll get over it.

I don't have kids, but I just have to say that is the most reasonable, amazingly smart way to approach this change that I've ever read. Kudos to you!!! :flowerforyou:

I'll still make pancakes, but I add fruit and flax seeds to the batter and bought sugar free syrup (they never noticed).

I have a niece (grown with her own children now) that is picky about sugar free stuff. Granted she gets all fresh fruit and veggies. She eats pretty healthy. She just thinks sugar free is nasty. Well I use sugar free pancake syrup. She used it, her husband used it and neither one of them realized it until after the fact. We have been using it for years because I watch my blood sugar.

my mom and dad did the south beach diet (they attempted it every year for about 3 months after xmas) ever since I was about 10 (i'm only 20 now, so i remember it very clearly). It was really gross having to eat the food that they had for the most part, but they always made 'extra' stuff for me to have. I would get dinner rolls or mac and cheese or apples and peanut butter.


-banana and pb
-veggie trays
-crackers and cheese
- mac and cheese
- nuts!
- FRUIT!
kids like healthy foods too, you just have to find out what your kids favorite healthy foods are!

you can try to teach them how to me self-sufficent in the process. You can teach them how to make simple things for themselves even if they are still young! Never too early to start.


Think of this as an opportunity!

Good luck

i thnk that as parents we need to set this example. congrats to all of you that have, and those of you that are taking these ideas for when you are a parent! my kiddos have been good with our changes, but i have done it gradually as well. i also keep a few of the not so great things in the house and pair it with the healthy. example my kids love cheese whales (they are a version of goldfish) and they are not that bad but they are processed and i am trying to get rid of the processed stuff. anyways i make a plate after school with a fruit, veggie and whales. of coarse the whales are gone first and they want more, cuz i only put a little there;) so i tell them they need to finish all the fruit and veggies if they want more. they do it and nine times outta ten, they are full and don't ask again! and if they do they get more. i have also had a few melt downs about trying new foods, but i didnt let down. we were trying asparagas and kiwi for the first time ( i loved them befoer this) but neither of my kids wanted to try it. i wouldnt let them leave the table til they tried it. my daughter was not too big on the kiwi after a full bite so i said ok you tried and thats great. my son on the other hand would now live on them and i think i need to grow them in the yard to keep up with his "habit" the asparagas was the same, my little guy even cried, but now they both love it!! parents are too easily moved to back off when their kids refuse and there is a time for that dont get me wrong! we have also given up fast food, and have gone strong for 3 months now, we do subway and chipotle alot and other sit down restaurants! focusing on health is a key that some of you mentioned that i will include in the rest of our journey. sorry for the book but i am very passionate about this topic! i will leave you with this..................if you pulled up to a gas pump and saw a sign that said "junk gas" or regular gas there is no way anyone would put the junk gas in their beautiful expensive car! saddly we are too quick to put junk food into our beautifully designed bodies that do not carry a price tag