As a young mother, I tried to make sure everything my child ate meant something, nutrition-wise. I was 22, and my baby was an underweight preemie, so you can imagine the flaxseed, full fat milk and other heavy-calorie foods I fed my toddler. (I wish I'd thought of avocados back then!) I didn't ever let them have junk food. In fact, their dad gave them junk food during a day out at the age of three, when shopping for a car. It was taking a long time, he hadn't packed a snack while I was home working, so he bought them Cheetos from a machine. Boy were they impressed!
That sugar is addictive. I used to scoff at the idea of sugar being so terrible, but then I realized that it's added to EVERYTHING, and it's there to make us want to keep coming back for more. Did you know that 1 in 5 kids in our country drink a bunch of sugar but don't drink just plain water? It's a terribly sobering thought, and as much as society loves to shame and blame fat people, we have to consider modern lifestyles, how sugar's added to everything, how it's peddled like a drug in everything from school vending machines to every holiday party to a reward or treat to look forward to and really make some changes overall. The average size is 16 now, so it's not just something to blame on random people.
Do you think you get enough water? How about the kids in your life?
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