A Better Food Generation

When I was younger, I don't remember there being as much controversy around food as there is now.  Today, there is a different article written, a different story on the news, or a different topic of conversation on the radio, about food.  What foods are good to eat?  Which are the bad ones to stay away from?  Should you eat organic foods, or is it OK to buy everyday produce from the grocery store?  I don't even remember there being an option to buy organic food when I was a kid.  That being said, I have taken a large roll in my families food choices.  My son, who is now 13 months old, eats organic foods where we see fit.  We buy most organic fruits, milk, pastas and other products.  My son loves fruit, but we don't buy organic fruits that have a hard skin that he will not eat.  From the research I've done and the people I've spoken to, the pesticides do not permeate through the skin to the actual fruit.  If anyone has any other information proving otherwise, please share it with us.  Any information you can provide is valuable.

I have found a passion; an ambition; to find the best foods for my family to eat.  I have had my share of battles with many different diets saying to eat one thing or another, or saying that I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight.  None of those diets lasted very long.  If given the option to eat ice cream and bread all day, everyday, I would.  I love carbs and I love sweets.  Two traits I hope that I do not pass onto my son.  He does not have dessert after dinner unless it is fruit.  I am currently trying to limit the amount of processed foods that I eat along with the carbs that I eat.  It's a tough road but I know that I'm setting a good example for my son and the rest of my family.  Willpower is something that gets taken for granted if you have it.  Right now, I'm searching high and low for mine for the good of my family.  

I've been on the "no white flour diet" (at least that's what I'm calling it) for almost a week now.  It's been a very long week, but I have had more energy and no afternoon slump at work, which is wonderful.  It's really important to me to raise my son with the knowledge of how to eat well.  What foods are power foods and which should be limited.  If he chooses a strawberry over a piece of cake, then I've done my job.  But if he chooses the piece of cake, I hope he knows that it's a treat and not a necessity.  Something that I'm still trying to come to terms with.  My husband was raised with no dessert after meals.  Me on the other hand, we had dessert after dinner every night.  I don't see a problem with this at all, as long as it's a healthy dessert and not sweets all the time.  I personally am not a fan of many fruits, so it's slightly more difficult for me to find a healthy dessert, but I'm trying.  If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.

All in all, I think that our food choices are something that we should pay more attention to.  There are foods that can make certain people feel more aches and pains than other people.  There is an actual meal plan geared towards an anti-inflammatory diet for those who have a sensitivity to food.  I think that each person is different and each person's body reacts differently to food.  But we all know that eating the proper amount of fruits and veggies and exercising regularly is the best way to live a healthy life.

I'd love to hear from you.  Do you monitor what your children eat or do you allow them to eat whatever they want?  Do you choose to buy organic or buy whatever is on sale?  Do you watch what you eat as well as what your kids eat or do you just eat whatever is fastest so that you can feed your children the healthy foods?  I'm looking forward to your feedback.