Saying no to junk food

• A. Should you feel bad?

• B. When your kids grow up will they go crazy and just eat junk because you denied them?

I can only answer this by my experience. When I was growing up, no food was off limits. The only thing I remember being forced to eat was an occasional vegetable at dinner. I learned to love: pop, bread, chips, french fries, cheese on everything and most of all candy and chocolate.

When I became old enough to choose what I ate (meaning buying my own food) I chose to consume: pop, bread, chips, cheeseburgers, french fries, cheese on everything, candy and yes, chocolate. I ate the exact thing I ate while growing up.

My oldest daughters, Baihley age 23 and Ronni age 21 are now choosing what they eat. How do they eat? They eat a whole food plant based diet, with an emphasis on fresh fruits and veggies. They eat how they were raised, even though they were denied a lot of different foods.

So, should you feel bad when the teller at the bank asks if your children would like a sucker? My answer, “If they have never had one, they won’t miss one.”

Will your kids grow up and go crazy and all they eat is candy because they never had it? No, chances are, they will eat the way you raised them to eat.

I had a lot of bad habits to break and I do not want to pass these on to my children. I don’t feel bad when I say “No, thank you.”