Nutrition Versus Fast Food

There was a brief time when baby formula was thought to be nutritionally superior to breast milk. As our information evolves, so do our practices. Even within a relatively short period of time, this can happen on an individual level, as well. As a parent, I have gone to an extreme from time to time. My oldest daughter was the happy beneficiary of her own homemade, steamed baby foods. I worked hard to give her the best. But, as a vegetarian raising her in the same manner when she was getting cold after cold, her doctor instructed me to, “go get that girl a good-ol' chicken dinner.” Catering to children's tastes doesn't have to equate to sacrificing nutrition. While I loved my complex stir-fries, my daughter simply preferred and her broccoli with a little butter and salt.

When it comes to nutrition, realism must prevail. Fast food restaurants are catching onto the fact that health-conscious foods sell. Oftentimes, salads and fruit cups are available in lieu of French fries, but fast foods, all too often, live up to their reputations of being notoriously high in fat, if that grease on the napkin is any clue for. Still, from time to time, I yield to my children's pleas for a kid's meal, recognizing I cannot necessarily expect fast food to supply them with much nutrition. But, who doesn't love a good ice cream cone? I just make sure when we're hungry an hour later that we snack on baby carrots- with a little salad dressing on the side for the kids, of course.

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