Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments - Bethenny Frankel

INVESTING in your CHILD'S future HEALTH

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I am by no means a complete prude when it comes to what I eat, but I do believe that I eat, and feed my family relatively healthily… Yes there are always occasions where you make exceptions for junk and treats, but for the most part, I have pretty savoury tastes and even on the occasions when you do eat out, there are always healthier alternatives.

I was brought up with a home cooked meal by my mother every day and the plate always consisted of a meat, carb and veg or salad… so a pretty balanced plate. As I have gotten older, I have found that my upbringing in terms of food has very much influenced my choices as an adult.

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I too, prepare a home-cooked meal for my family every single night, unless we are going out somewhere and it also always consists of a pretty healthy balance. Although I do limit my carb intake as much as is bearable…lol – the metabolism is not quite what it used to be! Haha!

Most people look at me like some kind of alien when I tell them that I don’t really like pizza, Well, I don’t – to me, pizza is like cardboard food. And as for fast food… it REALLY is my LEAST favourite thing and I will generally only opt for that as a very last resort!

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What I am most horrified about though, is how SHOCKINGLY many other families eat!!! I recently got into a conversation with someone about what she and her two daughters eat for dinner on a weekly basis and well, I nearly bloody choked! If it wasn’t burgers, it was pizza, or a pre-packed mac and cheese, or spaghetti with cheese etc. Listing the days Monday through to Sunday, there was not ONE single mention of a vegetable or salad item. Not ONE! It was ALL meat and carbs…. And MOSTLY JUNK FOOD! That is INSANE!!!

What kind of dietary habits can you POSSIBLY be instilling in your child if they are only eating a vegetable once every six months… and to be frank, I REALLY don’t think that a two day old slice of tomato, with a ration of lettuce really counts!

But that seems to be the reality of todays “family dynamic”. All the meals are ready made, instant CRAP! “Just pop them in the microwave” (which is another health topic all together) or order them over a counter… it is TRULY sad!

But then, if you look at the youth of today… they are becoming more and more obese at younger ages. I can understand if there is some kind of health disorder or genetic reasoning for a child of seven years old to be overweight, but the fact of the matter is that in most instances, this is NOT the case…. They simply have HORRENDOUS eating habits – and to my mind, there is just NO reason why a child of that age should have a belly large enough to give an adult male beer drinker some serious competition! It is nothing short of disgusting and ALL the responsibility falls onto the shoulders of the parents!

When we were kids, we pretty much ate my mom and dad out of house and home, but there was not an ounce of fat to be seen on our bodies! Jude has been brought up without an option when it comes to eating healthily. He drinks WATER not juice and he will get salad and veg on every SINGLE plate I serve for him – and it has been this way, since he was a toddler.

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Yes, it took a lot of hard work and perseverance in the beginning years, but I now have a child that PREFERS to drink water, names broccoli, cucumber and carrots as his favourite veg, will happily have a boiled egg and fresh baby spinach as a snack and will opt for a slice of cheese over a sweet on many occasion. He ALSO does not have an ounce of fat on his body!

I was recently “chirped” by one of the parents at his school… “you need to feed your child more” - I just laughed to myself and thought, hmmm….. no. My child is precisely what an 8 year old little boy should look like…. But you might want to consider an alternative to “Mc Donalds” for your childs lunch box… juuuust saying…. Lol.

The other thing that many seem to be so happily oblivious of, is that all this “so called” healthy instant food that they are buying from supermarkets, is NOT at ALL healthy. They are crammed full of sugar, preservatives and a million other things you most likely don’t even WANT to know about!

Is it any wonder then, that over and above obesity that kids these days are so filled with ailments and disease?!

I REALLY wish more parents would take heed of the habits they are breeding in their children when it comes to food – and if they don’t, then they REALLY shouldn’t act surprised when their child has cancer in the thirties…

When your kids are young it is not up to them what they eat (within reason obviously) it is up to YOU as a PARENT!

Make sure you make the CORRECT choices for their future!

Tonight I decided to make a lamb stew and moan as the boys in my life will do… they WILL eat it! Hahahaha!!!! Personally, I LOVE stews... they are the ULTIMATE comfort food!

YUM!!!

Until next time...

Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx

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