If you keep your children completely away from “junk” foods like chips, cookies, and candy, this post is for you
You might be hoping that not having “junk” foods around will
1) reduce your child’s exposure to these less healthy foods, and
2) reduce the temptation for you – the parents – to eat them, especially at night when cravings can strike.
You may be okay with your kids having these foods occasionally and not on a regular basis, but keeping them completely off-limits can have an unintended consequence – your kids might overeat these foods at parties or at friends’ houses.
Most children, particularly younger ones, aren’t aware that what they are doing is binge-eating. They simply know that a food they are not used to eating tastes so good (thanks to the high levels of sugar and salt added by food manufacturers) and they just want to keep eating it – a normal reaction. They don’t know that by overeating, they might end up with a stomachache (or worse) by the end of the night.
This is where many nutrition experts use the word moderation – let your children see that it’s okay to consume chips, ice cream, etc. very occasionally and in small quantities. Allowing kids to keep a few of their favorite snacks at home—preferably on a high shelf and behind closed doors—can prevent them from feeling deprived.
It can also be a good opportunity for you to educate your children about food and nutrition. Even very young children are capable of understanding what foods can make them “strong” and help their little bodies grow, and what foods are “sometimes” foods that can make their bodies weak.
You can help your children see that there is a time and place for all foods, including junk foods, and you can empower them to make healthy decisions starting at a young age!