Poll: Decision vs. pressure regarding your child's diet

Bethanie - posted on 06/02/2010

DeLila, though I agree that many of the vaccines our children receive are unnecessary and a bit excessive in quantity, just blaming vaccines for the rise in those issues in children you listed has a LOT to do with nutrition, too. Let's leave "super-size", "prepackaged", "HFCS" and "Artificial" out of our food vocabulary!

DeLila - posted on 06/01/2010

I belive they are more harmful than helpful and the CDC lies about many thinkgs. Look on Mercola.com & ask a Maximized Living Chiropractor their beliefs. I have seen some videos that have scared & disgusted me. Also, the things that the vaccines are usually made up with are monkey brains, parts of aborted babies, one part female, one male, disgusting, disturbing things. I got this off Dr. Mercola's website; just a sample. i sugget all look further in to this issue.


Did you know that American children are the most vaccinated kids in the world? A newborn baby barely 12 hours old gets his first shot. At two months, he gets eight more vaccines. Before he reaches his second birthday, he’s pricked at least a dozen times more. And yet during the last 25 years, the number of kids with learning disabilities, ADHD, asthma and diabetes have more than tripled, all because pediatricians have doubled the number of vaccines that they give babies and children under the age of six.


You have the right to say NO!

Kylie - posted on 05/31/2010

My son was born 13 weeks early and weighed 1lb 7oz at birth. His paediatrican told me that he would never eat, that he would have life long feeding problems and would be fed with a PEG tube.

It put the fear of G-d in me, and I have worked hard to make sure we got feeding established. He never needed the tube and he eats everything we eat as a family. (We don't salt our food, and eat lots of fruit, veggies and good sources of protein)

He loves his food, and really takes pleasure in it. At one, he is eating almost everything with his fingers, he tries anything, and he loves all fruit and veggies.

That was the only time I felt any pressure!!!!! I think she'll be shocked when she sees my 15 month old in August (she's been in Africa for a year!)

Bethanie - posted on 05/29/2010

Christina: there is a place called Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville. Also, don't confuse healthy food with bland food. :) It's ok to use salt (in moderation, I use sea salt) and seasonings in your food. It enhances and brings out flavors of the food you cook. You could try making some homemade breaded chicken nuggets or fish nuggets baked in the oven, too. The taste of fried but without all the saturated fat. Canola and olive oil are the best oils to use. Think of other methods of preparing things, too to make them more tasty (besides frying), like, grilling, marinating, slow cooking, roasting, steaming etc. Everytime you want a soda, just remind yourself the empty calories your consuming, the junk that's in it and that it's not helping you to live a healthy life. Not to mention reeking havoc on your teeth! Good luck with the in-laws!

Christina - posted on 05/29/2010

It sucks getting pressured from relatives. I have been open on other posts about the fact that me n my little family unit live with my inlaws. They are definitely not the best eaters. They prefer fried and processed foods, my MIL eats and drinks mostly sugar, and they salt the flavor out of everything. Last week I made some chicken, pan fried with olive oil, nothing else, and they bitched and moaned about how it tasted nasty cuz I didn't put flour and salt and pepper on it before I cooked it. I even made veggies and they salted them! I have largely cut salt out of my diet so I can get the taste of the food itself, not all the seasonings and extra crap that's added to it. I need to cut back on sodas, but I'm finding it a little hard to do. It's getting easier tho cuz my daughter enjoys sharing ice water with me. She's learning how to drink out of a cup and a bottle without using a straw, so it's been a little messy.

I don't understand why the people closest to you try to sabotage your childs diet, and disrespect your decisions as a parent. We all have our childrens' best interests, and their health, in mind when we decide what to give them at every meal. I'll be the first to admit that my little family unit doesn't have the best diet, but I'll be damned if my inlaws are gonna take it upon themselves to feed my daughter nothing but over-processed, deep-fried, extra-greasy crap every single meal. I don't think so. I'm just thankful my daughter loves some broccoli and carrots, chicken, fish, and she loves some V-8 V-fusion. Drinking that, she gets her 3-4 servings of fruit and veggies each day. She's also grown tired of hamburgers, anything to do with hamburger meat. I'm almost certain she'd be a vegan girl if we didn't live here. I wouldn't mind that either cuz I much prefer chicken and fish to cows.

And is it me, or does anyone else get completely grossed out by some of the cow products on store shelves? I was almost ruined on cube steaks when my FIL brought in some that still had veins in them. EW!!! I wanted to barf. I'm just glad I'm not pregnant or I woulda spewed chunks everywhere, and not felt the least bit bad about it.

Speaking of which, does anyone know how one would go about finding out where a whole foods store is? I live in northwest Arkansas, not far from Fayetteville, and my hubby and I are tired of getting crap from the supermarket that already has stuff added to it. (and I apologize if my vein-meat-thing disgusted anyone)

Heather - posted on 05/23/2010

My daughter is on a dairy free diet, she has a milk intolerance. I don't really get pressure about what she eats, but I have to put the pressure on when i am around grandparents. they like to give her candy and Soda.

Bethanie - posted on 04/17/2010

I only find my son's diet difficult when we are around certain family members (who we don't see that often, so it's not a big deal). When I say "diet" I just mean healthy eating. We eat all Natural, mostly organic, low sugar, high fiber and absolutely nothing artificial or with HFCS or anything hydrogenated. I limit his milk as well, which seems to be a hard concept for my MIL to grasp, but I don't think it's a super necessary part of his daily intake, as he's almost 2 and he has a very well balanced diet. Otherwise, I feel wonderful about what I give my son and wish more parents cared the way I do.

Kimberly - posted on 04/17/2010

I just dont feed my son foods with a lot of sugar in it and i avoid chips and sodas and that sort of thing. It was my choice to not give him these things because they are so unhealthy. But my family and friends keep trying to tell me to feed him suckers and candy and cheese puffs and things like that and asking me how can he live without having all that stuff to eat. They think because they do it with their kids that i should do the same. I am trying to hold strong and its hard when i cant trust anyone to watch him and not give him candy or something.

Skye - posted on 04/10/2010

My friends and in-laws have made comments about feeding my son meat when I'm not around and now I feel like I can't leave him with them without my supervision. It's frustrating feeling like people I count on won't respect my parental rights and the decisions I have made for the benefit of my child.

Kara - posted on 04/09/2010

My son is on a soy free diet. He has numerous food allergies, but his ENT recommended that we stop soy for 6 months to a year while he also got allergy shots to work on his environmental allergies. We did this religiously for 6 months and have now started to introduce soy slowly with good results. No one pressures us to feed our kids a certain way, but we certainly want them to be healthy. The snacks that I give him everyday will continue to be a staple, even if his soy allergy goes away, because they are healthier for him.

Kristin - posted on 04/06/2010

I've never really been pressured about what they eat other than to avoid things. You know; no dairy, wheat, nuts and nut butters, honey, etc. before certain ages. But, I have allergies and would have taken the introduction of common allergens very slowly anyway. If anything, what people have said has made me do more research into diet and nutrition. That way, I can shop responsibly and make the best decisions I can about what comes into my home and then into our bodies.