I'm Trying So Hard To Be Healthy

*sigh*

I'm about ready to give up, although I know that isn't the answer. With the wee ones, especially, I do what I can to ensure that I'm teaching them to be safe, helping them learn to live happy and productive lives, and feeding them the best foods (ok, the Twix-tacular bars aside) that are the healthiest for them.

I don't always feel like I'm a success, but I generally feel like I at least am a ship on a steady course towards the right destination, even though a wave may push me one way or the other temporarily. I'm not the best parent, but I do ok.

But ohhh this food thing.

We don't eat trans fats at all - nothing partially hydrogenated gets eaten by us (and yes, that means some foods that we're given in goodie bags or for Halloween get donated instead of enjoyed by the wee ones). They cause obesity and raise bad cholesterol, lowering good cholesterol.

I cut out all plastic that wasn't BPA-free because of the risks of BPA. The increase in diabetes and fertility problems and memory issues just wasn't worth it.

High fructose corn syrup (and really, just about all corn syrup) is also a forbidden food, and the wee ones know it. Yep, this is another one that leads to obesity, but I was also concerned with the mercury that studies found contained in many samples of foods made with HFCS.

Yesterday, studies came out showing that pesticides - particularly in produce - appear to be a big part of the reason for higher incidence of ADHD. Given the high correlation between attention issues and autism (not the mention that fact that there are times of concern with Mister Man's attention levels!), I can't justify putting him at risk. And my march towards buying organic has suddenly become a sprint as I vow to avoid any produce that isn't organic going forward.

And today ... more bad news. That BPA issue? It's worse in the linings of cans than it is in plastic. So much for my "healthy" homemade tomato sauce. Or my emergency we're-out-of-fruit-pineapple. Eden Foods is apparently the only option for non-BPA cans, and I don't think I've ever seen that brand near me.

So what's next?

What else will I learn that I'm doing that I think is healthy, that I'm trying to do to help the wee ones only to discover that I'm instead poisoning them in one form or the other.

I'll be the mom sitting in the corner drooling and muttering gibberish. Don't mind me.

Mommy's Little Helper

Wow, I was looking back at my recent posts, and I’ve been in quite the crabby mood lately. Sorry for whining so much! Usually I’m more positive. I’ll have to assume it’s the never-ending winter, but that’s a bad excuse.

Anyway, today is a happier (and shorter!) day.

My kids generally eat fairly healthy foods. They’re little kids though, so there are definitely exceptions to this. But some of the things they eat and enjoy surprise me – salmon, edamame, miso-glazed chicken, mango pudding, beef stroganoff. I’ll toss it all at them and let them decide.

It’s sort of fun to watch them insist there’s no way they’re eating something. I inevitably remind them of our rule that they have to taste something – and no, tasting doesn’t mean putting your tongue in the general vicinity of said item and the insisting you don’t like it. You actually have to take a bite, chew and swallow. The swallowing part is key. Needless to say, I always ensure they have a glass of something to drink in case they don’t like it. And well better than 50% of the time, they decide they like it.

They also enjoy cooking and baking with me – at least until their attention wanders elsewhere. Whenever I’m at the island, Little Miss insists on dragging a stool over and climbing up to observe or – better yet – help me.

This morning, I had to make some more granola. Yeah I know, I make my own granola. It’s what I eat for breakfast most mornings with a bit of yogurt atop it. Yum!

Once we got Mister Man on the bus, we headed inside, and she climbed onto her designated stool. She helped me dump in the four cups of oats. Then she proceeded to pick them up a few at a time and eat them. “Mmmm, oatmeal!” Well, actually they’re oats, Sweetie. “No, OATMEAL! It’s oatmeal, Mommy.” I tried to explain the difference, but to no avail. But let’s back up a moment – she’s picking up dry oats and eating them. And likes them. What kind of a kid does that? Oh yeah, one who decides she likes baking soda.

Then we add the wheat germ. She doesn’t think she likes that one. Coconut is next. By now, I’m catching on, and I decide to add a little extra. Smart Mommy. She ate probably a quarter of the coconut I put in there. Apparently, she also likes coconut. In go the pine nuts. Yup, she apparently likes them, too. As I add the cinnamon, she starts dipping the pine nuts into the cinnamon. Granted, I’m combining the flavors in my granola, but dipping pine nuts into cinnamon wouldn’t be my first choice of a snack. Nutmeg? Same thing.

Of course we have to smell all the yummy ingredients. She now prefers to hold the jars and baggies herself. “No help, Mommy. I can do it myself!” So far, so good – knock on wood. We’ve yet to have a cinnamon-scented floor because the spilled something everywhere.

Well, sort of. As I was getting the olive oil and honey together, she decided she wanted to stir the dry ingredients by herself, just like Mommy did. Yeah, we had a little spray of stuff go all over the island. And the assorted items that somehow seem magnetically and irresistibly drawn there – the books, children’s museum membership card, children’s artwork, etc. Whoops. Fortunately, her stirring was fairly shallow, so only a bit of the ingredients went flying.

Smart girl knows that there are some things she can’t do. The last step is adding chopped dried cherries after the granola has baked. She pulled her stool back up to help me. Then she saw the knife. “This is adult work, Mommy. I’m just going to watch.” She paused for a moment, and then, “But, Mommy, I want some cherries, too.”