Ok so I feel it is necessary to prelude this post by stating that I know I am not perfect...I never plan to be perfect...nor do I care to be perfect...that's how we learn right? However, this I just find out of control.
I recently came across a family that had a two year old and I was able to watch their breakfast habits. The mother decided on oatmeal for her toddler....I thought to myself good choice. Nice, wholesome, non sugary breakfast for a toddler who is in a prime time of growing! What came next was just beyond me...That nice bowl of plain, wholesome, actually good for you oatmeal was turned into an awful, teeth rotting, makes my stomach hurt bowl of junk. Said mom added an entire cartoon of whole milk....which I know what you are thinking...what's wrong with that? Ok...well what's wrong with that is that on top of the sugar in the milk she also added not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 7 packets of sugar!!!! You read it correctly....7! And to top it off she handed her child 8 oz of whole strength juice! I cringed at the thought of Averee eating this. Not only would she probably be a beast from the extreme sugar high she would be on but the thought of the awful nutritional habits I would be teaching her at such a young age. Ahhhh...Makes me want to scream!
Now I am guilty myself of sweetening my child's food a little. I have been known to added a little honey or maple syrup to things to get her to eat them. But when I say little I mean a drop! A small, teeny, tiny amount. And whole strength juice....Ummmmm I can count on my right hand the amount of times Averee has had whole strength juice. Her typical drink consists of 7 oz of water with about 1 oz of juice. And this actually came to my advantage when she was sick last month because to help avoid dehydration I needed her to drink so I mixed her juice at 50% juice and 50% pedialyte...She downed it!
I am also a huge believer in breakfast. I believe it starts your day out and that this one single meal can really determine how you will feel for the rest of your day. I find it especially important with a child....so young...to have have a healthy start.
Would you like to know how I prepare Averee's oatmeal? Well I start with plain organic baby oatmeal. I add about 1 ounce of a baby food veggie and about 2 ounce of baby food fruit (yes I still buy Earth's Best Organic baby food just for this purpose). I add a little bit of warm water and mix it all up. She loves it and not only is she getting a fruit and whole grain serving for breakfast but she is also getting a veggie serving without even knowing it.
So please...whatever you do...remember that if you teach your children at a young age what food tastes like without all the "extras" you will be helping them to create a lifetime of healthy nutritional habits.
And now I shall step down from my soap box.
