Yes. Everything you say is being recorded by your kids. I know thin is in but I had a very disturbing conversation with a first grade teacher. She tells me that her students bring in 100 calorie snack packs and talk about how the package contains too many calories. Anyone have the same bells and whistles going off in their heads as I do?
If you have a food problem (you overeat) or a problem with certain foods do not make your problems your kid’s problems. Kids should be enjoying their snacks not talking about how it has too many calories. If you do not want them to have junk send them to school with a 60 calorie serving of fruit or 25 calories from a serving of vegetables, no junk there.
More important than the 100 calories in a snack pack the “other stuff” is just not good for their health:
- processed flour
- PALM OIL (not necessarily bad if you follow a low carbohydrate diet but if your kids eat French fries, Mac-n-cheese, and ice cream it’s not the best)
- SUGAR
- SALT
- HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
- CORNSTARCH
- SOY LECITHIN (too much can affect hormones)
- NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR
My kids always complain about how they are the only ones who have to have fruit or veggies for snack. Yes, I give in and give them other things because I try to be sensitive to their feelings but I do give them fresh fruits and vegetables most of the time. If you are likely to be complaining about the calories in a snack pack I suggest you button up and give them a snack you can feel good about sending to school.
Oh and one more really important thing to think about is that kids need more calories than you think because they are growing, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/healthy-weight-basics/balance.htm. You can see that for a girl in first grade who is sedentary 1,200 calories is recommended, just as many calories as many women try to consume when they diet. Boys the same age need more.
Who is the 100 calorie snack for anyway, the kids or the parents? Either way, no one needs the “other stuff”. We do need the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients from fruits and vegetables. So give your children fruits and vegetables as snacks. And then, let your kids hear you talk about the healthy nutrients in their snacks that will help them grow, learn and live better lives.
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