pre-packaged, preservative filled foods. Who is/isn't okay?

[Allisonsmommy]

This is NOT meant as a rude thread. I just am new here and from threads i have read in the past few months I see that most people here are very into the organic and natural diets and totally opposed to anything that is pre packaged or has any preservatives at all in it. In our house I prefer to buy organic milks and i do encourage lots of fruits and veggies BUT i am still totally fine with the kraft mac and cheese, the tyson nuggets on occasion, hot dogs (no nitrates of course), canned veggies, etc. And if my husband had it his way i would never buy anything organic because he is one of those people that thinks that organic is just a word they use to make you pay more and that people have been fine for years without organic so why start now? But he is a totally different story ROTFLMAO:

SO, this is again not to point fingers. I am just wondering who is opposed to the pre packaged and "full of preservatives" foods and who here allows it in their homes. More of a curiosity thing really.

[pinkmomagain]

In our house, I have packaged snack-type things (like oreos, goldfish) but I really don't do processed meals (nuggets, mac n cheese) because I don't like them and try really hard to prepare a wholesome dinner most nights for my family (or eat out, ha-ha).

I do go through spurts where I try harder to get organic stuff and bake things at home from scratch, etc. but I eventually fall off the wagon (mostly due to convenience) and then get motivated again.

[crayonblue]

Most things in moderation is my motto. :)

[o_mom]

Most things in moderation is my motto. :)
:yeahthat:

I try to make things as healthy as possible, but sometimes life gets in the way. I try to make "better" choices of the processed foods - whole grains, no HFCS, Annies and TJ stuff, etc. - but I also don't freak if DS's eat Kraft Mac&Cheese at someone's house.

ETA: We have no food allergies or sensitivites, so I have the option to just let it go sometimes. I think it's a whole different situation when you are trying to avoid things that cause illness or bad reactions, not just general health and wellness considerations.

[katydid1971]

I know I avoid a lot of canned veggies because they line the cans with BPA which cause early puberty and other issues. I don't buy 100% organic and would rather buy regular local produce than organic produce from China etc. I use to buy the Kraft Mac and Cheese but found the blue box Annies which my kids will eat. Once in a while I give my kids McDonalds, but its an extra special treat. I also give my kids frozen nuggest (the Mickey Mouse Costco ones). I do try to avoid BPAs, weird extra colors (many of which are illegal in Europe but are still OK in the USA), strange chemicals, and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS on this board). I buy local meat, I'm lucky to live where its not that much more expensive. I think the rise in childhood obesity and ASD is in someways caused by all the chemicals in our food. There are other factors I know but its one I can easily control. Also my kids eat food at school, at friends, at family member's, etc, that I can't control so if HFCS is ok in moderation (per their comericals) than to make sure my DC get it only in moderation I don't ever feed it to them at home. Sorry if I rambled to much but to me this is one thing in this crazy world that I can control.

[Twoboos]

:yeahthat:

I try to make things as healthy as possible, but sometimes life gets in the way. I try to make "better" choices of the processed foods - whole grains, no HFCS, Annies and TJ stuff, etc. - but I also don't freak if DS's eat Kraft Mac&Cheese at someone's house.

:yeahthat: This is pretty much me. And I have gotten a lot more relaxed in my "rules." For example, each summer we go away for 2 weeks with my family extended. I used to cringe that we weren't buying organic meat/produce. But it wasn't possible with all the people there, and now it mostly doesn't bug me. But, at home we have a meat CSA, veggie CSA in the summer, for mac & cheese we do Annie's, for nuggets we do Bell & Evans.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I agree with moderation.

For all the things you mentioned, there are healthier, better options out there. Like instead of Tyson's we buy Bell and Evan's chicken nuggets. They are the same sort of thing- frozen chicken nuggets- but the chickens were raised with much better farming practices and the ingredient list is much healthier. Back to Nature mac and cheese tastes better and has better ingredients. In my opinion, there is little reason not to buy better choices when they are available. They do cost more but I have some ways of offsetting that sort of thing (though I am sure my grocery bill is higher than some). For example, I buy spices at a co-op that allows me to buy the quantity I want and I refill jars I have. So it'd be like $3.50 for a jar of McCormick but $.35 for how I buy it- that really adds up.

I am not opposed to pre-packaged foods but I read labels. If I can't possess the items in my pantry then I don't want them in my food. Trader Joe's is one of my best friends b/c most of their packaged foods have acceptable ingredient lists. I cringe at the mainstream store b/c I know food is cheaper at TJs and has far less junk and crap in it.

Beth

[mamicka]

Well, I have no problem admitting that I buy & serve my own children Kraft Mac & Cheese. Hey, it's the cheesiest! ;) We probably have it on average once or twice a month, for lunch. They also occasionally have
sugar cereal - it is a staple in my pantry. But it's right next to the Fiber One & that's the one they pick most often, with no prompting from me. I have just decided that I want my children to learn how to make good decisions themselves. Of course, not all children are the same so what works for one might not work for the other. This works for us. I also use Velveeta a couple times a year & when I do, I call it homemade.

[artvandalay]

I totally agree with everything in moderation. Like I said in the other post, I tried making healthier, homemade mac & cheese and my ds wanted nothing to do with it.... so I will continue to make him the Kraft kind. My kids like hotdogs, so I just buy the 100% beef, I buy no sugar added peanut butter, etc. I try and make healthier options when possible.

I don't stress about what they eat when they visit others. It's just not that big of a deal to me. I have a very picky 3 year old and just getting him to eat is a chore. I've learned I have to pick my battles, and food is not one of them.

[ahisma]

Not in our house but okay when visiting.

[gatorsmom]

My motto is I try to feed the healthiest version of whatever my children will eat. So, that means we eat a lot of Annie's foods, Kashi foods, Full Circle and some others that I can't think of right now. About 40% of the food we eat is organic. I try to cut out HFCS. I try to cut out nitrates. I try to cut out the bad stuff. I try to make from scratch 2-3 healthy meals per week with raw ingredients. And I don't sweat the rest.

[Nooknookmom]

I'm not obsessed either way. I DO buy organic veggies/fruit when I can b/c they DO taste better and don't seem to go bad as quickly. I buy organic cereals, cookies, treats when they are on sale. I rarely buy organic boxed goods if they are not on sale.

I'm ok with Kraft mac n' cheese, in fact I had a whole box for lunch :bag

I am in the moderation category. Usually during the week and for lunches, it is super healthy. Homeade dinners, I do not use mixes of any kind. I love hummus/pita dips, etc. I frequent Trader Joes.

On the weekends and snaks/after school we may eat out or eat "junk". Not much though.

I read labels, but some of the bars/snacks I buy for DH & DD1's lunch may not be free of HFCS, etc.

I do what I can health & budget wise.

[fumofu]

We've started shopping at Whole Foods now that there's one really close to our house, and now that DS is born. Fruits & veggies we buy organic, regular meat from the WF meat counter. But I found that Sprouts sell organic meats at the price of WF's regular stuff, so I might go there now for meats.

Like PP's have said, I will buy the best option out there.

My one vice is cereal. I can't find anything that tastes better than Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds.

[Allisonsmommy]

i also agree w/ everything in moderation. When I say i give my daughter tysons nuggets I mean in moderation, and mac n cheese is usually once or twice a month at the most, I should try the annie's mac n cheese. Hot dogs i like the no nitrates ones or the Trader joes ones. I tend to buy alot of my prepackaged snacks at trader joes or get the annies brand. However, my daugther will only eat goldfish crackers not the bunnies, LOL. She does love the peanut butter crackers from TJ's. As far as meat goes get it at the regular grocery store and am find with it. As far as fast food goes...my daughter thinks that panera and subway are better than mcdonalds or burger king so thats usually what we do. She does get a happy meal once or twice a month during a moms club meeting we have at the play area. I am FINE with stuff like that in moderation. The real problem I feel is when junk is all kids ever eat.....but i also have no problem with canned peaches, chips ahoy, or cheese puffs (in moderation again). I guess i'm middle of the road.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Well, I also buy Kraft Mac and Cheese because there are times when I'm out and it is one of the few things my DH will make and serve on his own. Otherwise he will do PB&J. Still...much better than starving or taking them out to eat. Buying all organics or even the majority of them organic might stretch our budge so much that I would not be able to be a SAHM. We live within walking distance of TJ's, WF, and TFM, and I get a lot of stuff at TJ's. Less than once a month, I go to the other two because a little food adds up to a lot of cash. I buy the rBST free milk, but not organic. I buy Tillamook cheese and the mickey mouse organic chicken nuggets at Costco. For 1/2 the year, we get an organic CSA box full of veggies dropped off at our house, but the rest of the time we eat conventional stuff. Tonight, my DD inhaled a huge amount of brussels sprouts. I'm more for providing the biggest variety of foods possible given the constraints of trying to shop on a limited budget with limited time to spend IN the grocery. We also have things like prepackaged pb crackers, goldfish, etc to throw in the car when we need a snack. I have my hands full and just can't always provide what I would WANT to provide for them to eat if I had an extra set of arms, a few more hours in the day and unlimited resources.

[artvandalay]

[QUOTE=gatorsmom;2991529]My motto is I try to feed the healthiest version of whatever my children will eat. QUOTE]

Well put. This is what I strive for in our house. I try and find the best options, but it doesn't always mean they will eat it.

[Indianamom2]

Most things in moderation is my motto. :)

:yeahthat:

[Uno-Mom]

I buy local over organic ANY day. For anything. For lots of reasons.

Homemade over pre-made for quality reasons (thanks, DH!) and also budget. But the cost of trying to go organic - not on social services pay! Not unless I was totally panicked about the subject, which I'm not.

I'm so proud - this week Sprog started signing and saying "cook cook cook" whenever she sees DH in the kitchen. Someday she'll learn that it's ok for girls to cook, too.

That said, when we eat crap, we believe in doing it ALL THE WAY. No Kraft for us, baby - it's Flav-R-Ite generic orange powder with a bottle of micro brew! Kraft creeps me out because it tastes like imitation real food. The generic stuff is pure chemical goodness and flashes me back to college. :) 'Course, that isn't going in Sprog's mouth for a while. She doesn't need to develop her virgin taste buds to favor that kind of junk. It'll wait until she can recognize it as junk, prefer the good stuff like we do, but occasionally wallow in gross-osity for one meal.

[wimama]

I love prepackaged foods. They help me keep my sanity and help me conserve my precious time as a WOHM. But, we do only buy food without artificial colors and preservatives. My DS is on the Feingold diet those things make him sick and act all crazy. We eat prepacked cookies, chicken nuggets, tortellini, hot dogs, pizza, even some sugary cereal (weekend cereal). We just shop for most of that stuff at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. All in moderation, and I think that is just fine. We also let him eat fast food on occasion. We just do so carefully with food that is acceptable on his diet. Truthfully, he probably eats a bit more sweets and treats than he did before going on the Feingold diet. I don’t want him to feel deprived.:o

[khalloc]

I think I do a little of both, but really I don't very often choose Organic...unless it was the same price, or very close. I just can't see paying 3x as much for something so it can be organic.

dinners are not pre-processed, except for Annies Mac & Cheese. we usually have chicken or fish, fresh veggies, and rice or pasta as a side. Or homemade pizza.

Lunches are where I allow pre-processed foods. sometimes tyson chicken, maybe once a week. also hotdogs, but I do buy local MacKenzie ones...although I have no idea how those compare to someone like Oscar Meyer. Other lunches might be ham cubes, PB sandwich, soy butter sandwich, turkey cold cuts, yogurt, cottage cheese, hummus. I have goldfish at home, but rarely send those to daycare for lunches.

I definitely would not consideer myself crunchy. But I won't be making fluffernutter sandwiches for my kids lunches anytime soon either.

[elephantmeg]

we do a mix of stuff here. Hormone free milk from costco is about as close as we get to organic. But I do make most of our meals at home but as life has gotten busier we eat out more and use more prepackaged stuff. Once I get the house further ahead (we're trying to clear out the upstairs so we can finish it) I'll go back to freezer cooking.

[ThreeofUs]

I do the best I can - and I'm an ex-research chemist, so I am paranoid about a lot of the chemicals, etc., that are in our food.

But my kids get fast food about once a month. I buy them treats, but I try to ensure these are whole-grain, not very sweet, and from a place I trust to use the ingredients listed on the label.

Most preservatives? No. Unnatural oils? No. At least not in our home or anywhere where I can cook.

And, thankfully, my DH and the kids back me up on this. They know healthy eating and they know all about chemicals. They know I'm making a choice about health - and I explain things to them so they can understand - and they choose well. So we're all happy. I hope. ;)

[goldenpig]

I try to buy healthy foods & organic whenever possible (especially fruit that the kids eat). But I work, sometimes long hours, so dinner is often Chinese takeout. I try not to worry about it too much. I don't believe in making any foods off limits (like no sweets at all) because then forbidden foods tend to become much more desirable and I would worry about causing eating disorders or making them crave sweets all the time. I myself eat processed foods (I craved and ate Taco Bell and Spaghettio's the whole time I was pregnant with DD and Arby's roast beef sandwiches and Dinty Moore Beef Stew when I was pregnant with DS :bag), but I try to do it in moderation, and I'm a normal weight. I try to buy Annie's & such, but am OK with feeding them Kraft mac n cheese too. My kids both were falling off the growth chart due to reflux, so I'd take calories in them (even if processed) any day.

[JBaxter]

NO HFCS , Food dye, limited preservatives no vanillin. I make the muffins/sweet breads from scratch . We do on ocassion use boxed organic mac & cheese. Cereals are all organic. Milk is local and organic.

[wendibird22]

We do organic, hormone free milk for all of us (and that means 3 different milks because DD1 drinks 2% and DD2 whole).We buy no salt deli turkey which is as close to cutting right off a fresh cooked turkey as we have found. We (and by that I mean DH) cook dinner 5-6 nights a week and it's rarely prepackaged. But we do Kraft, tuna/hamburger helper (usually Annie's), frozen ravioli, etc a few times a month. DD1 will get a happy meal maybe once a month. The girls snacks are usually Annie's, veggie booty, snappea crisps and the like.

We don't have WF or TF in our area so we are limited to a small "natural" food product section of Wegman's.

[cvanbrunt]

I just am new here and from threads i have read in the past few months I see that most people here are very into the organic and natural diets and totally opposed to anything that is pre packaged or has any preservatives at all in it.

Ya know, it is easy to think that most people feel this way or that way about any issue but that probably isn't the case. People who really care about a topic or have a vested interest are the ones who tend to respond. This is a great place to get advice, no doubt. But don't compare yourself. Do what you want and don't feel like you are inferior or that your choices are wrong.

[hillview]

We are a mixed bag. Fruit and veg is 90% organic. I do buy prepackaged food but most of it is organic and I read labels every purchase. We do bell & evans chicken nuggets once in a while, instant oatmeal, store made bread (I have a bread maker but can't seem to get my groove on). We avoid fast food places but do eat food on the go at a museum etc and we eat out a few times a week (mainly breakfast on weekends).
/hillary

[Tondi G]

we follow the everything in moderation theme. I try to make things as healthy as possible, but sometimes it doesn't always happen. I try to make better choices of the processed foods - whole grains, no HFCS, etc. We buy most of our food from Trader Joes .. a lot of their "boxed" or frozen stuff has better ingredients. We do buy their version of boxed mac n cheese for those nights when it's late and I just need to get something into the boys tummies ... with a nice side of vegis and cut up fruit to try to balance things out! I buy TJ's organic unsweetened peanut butter, we try to buy organic free range eggs and organic milk and yogurt. I buy organic for the dirty dozen fruits and vegis. I don't freak out when we go to other people's houses ... we eat what is served (if they like it), Kraft or otherwise. Funny thing is, my kids love Stouffers lasagna and turn their nose up at homemade lasagnas. They are picky about mac n cheese ... they will eat my MIL's "homemade" version and will eat frozen amy's . They like boxed mac n cheese (but not white cheddar... they like the yellow). If any homemade or restaurant mac n cheese has bread crumbs on top, they won't touch it. Picky in some ways.

We allow them to have McDonalds from time to time... I figure some chicken McNuggets and fries maybe once a month won't hurt them. They are occasionally allowed to drink a shirley temple if we go out for a nice meal ... or some root beer at the movie theater. It's a treat. I want to limit it but not make it a forbidden thing... I knew kids growing up who would go out of their way to try to get candy bars or doritos etc when their parents were strict about those things.

[TwinFoxes]

I feed DDs about 85-90% local and organic produce. I don't feed them lunch meat/hot dogs with nitrates/nitrites. I avoid HFCS. I buy most stuff from TJs, WF, and Wegmans, which has a great selection of organic products, local produce, and store brands with ingredients I can pronounce. They've never eaten a fast food hamburger.

I think their systems are developing now. Here is my chance to give them a jump start to a healthy future. If I can take a few years worth of pesticide residue and whatever preservative I can't pronounce out of their bodies, I'm going to do it.

We do go to restaurants, but not fast food, and I try to order healthy things for them. When we go to MILs, she can cook them whatever. (The girls don't eat at anyone else's house yet). We use packaged food, but since DDs have only had TJs organic Mac and Cheese, they don't miss Kraft. We use TJs taco seasoning, frozen sweet potato fries, and DDs favorite snack, cereal bars. Plus lots more. We eat store bought bread. If anyone looked in my pantry they wouldn't think "health nut". But I don't feed my kids foods laden with chemicals. For my kids, chemicals in moderation aren't ok.

I have no idea what most of my peers feed their kids, but that's totally their business. I doubt they know what I feed mine. Live and let live.

[MontrealMum]

I also believe in moderation, but I have two things going for me that make it "easier" to provide meals that have little to no processed foods.

I live in Canada, and there are no hormones in any milk here. And some companies have chosen to comply with the voluntary reduction of trans fats in their products.

Also my DS refuses to eat things like Mac&cheese, nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers...whether they're homemade/nitrate free/organic or not. So that's not really an issue for us either.

Outside of that we try to eat whole foods, avoid trans fats, HFCS, and prefer frozen or jarred foods to those that come in cans. I cook most of our meals from scratch and freeze them in our deep freeze to save time. We buy some organic products, but only within what our budget will allow.

Of course, we don't always follow all those rules and I think that's OK too. I like what Lisa (Gatorsmom) said,
I try to feed the healthiest version of whatever my children will eat.

[veronica]

I'd love to have better options to serve our kids, but I live in the middle of nowhere. I have no TJ's, no wegmans, no stand alone organic markets. The organic section of my grocery store is about 3 feet long and most of the stuff is already going bad since no one else is buying. No organic meats are offered in the meat section either. Forget about Kashi or any sort of healthy option snacks. A bag of pirate booty is over $5 and never goes on sale , so many times , I can't quite afford what they may even consider "healthier" at my grocery store.

That said, DC's love and eat all of the veggies with lunch and dinner. We do offer tyson nuggets about once a week, when we are too busy and try to make homemade larger dishes. But, they both hate hot dogs and don't really go for grilled cheese or sunbutter, so lunch can be melted shredded cheese on a pita or plain whole grain noodles (they don't like red sauce, just a touch of parmesan).

And , I'll be the first to say, yes, they do eat candy. We are in the midst of PT'ing DS so that "occasional" treat , has been offered on more frequent occasions these days!

[maestramommy]

We do not buy organics much except for yogurt, frozen spinach and broccoli if I can find it, and occasional random things. I do buy Kraft mac n cheese, better yet, the Market Pantry brand at Target. I mean, if you're going to buy that stuff anyway, buy it cheaper:p. The kids get it for lunch when the sitter comes, with a side of fruit, yogurt, etc, or whatever we happen to have on hand. We also have pizza for dinner on Sundays. I was making my own from scratch, but one day I decided to try the frozen pizzas that were only $5 each when NOT on sale. The kids loved them. So actually I've been doing that each week now. I'm amazed at how my stress level has gone down on Sunday afternoons:tongue5:

And yes on occasion I will serve frozen entrees. I try not to do it too often, mainly because of sodium content rather than preservatives.

I'm also like Veronica. TJ's isn't exactly close, no WF, it's only the healthy aisle at the Stop n Shop or Hannafords, and it can get $$$.

[alexsmommy]

I think that the food thing is like the cloth diaper thing - because those who choose to eat that way seek input the boards appear to skew towards trying to be on the very healthy/organic side My guess is the majority here shop fairly mainstreat brands/foods. I'm also in the moderation camp. I try my best to eliminate what I can at home, avoid the dirty dozen when I can, buy "better" meat (if not strictly organic), so that I don't have to stress when the kids are out or at parties etc. I admire those who can fully commit, but I'm comfortable with the choices I've made for our family.

[kijip]

In the house we these processed packaged foods, presently in the pantry:

Crackers and Kids Clif bars
Bisquick to use as a short cut for potato pancakes
tortilla chips
canned fish
jelly/jam in jars, peanut butter
Usually have a case of refried beans
usually have a couple of packs of Annies soups
usually have some canned tomato products
Idahoan potato flakes
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Dry pasta
microwave popcorn
pita chips

In the fridge:

Cibo Pesto
packaged hummos
condiments
Salad dressings
Odwalla juice
packaged salsa

In the freezer:

ice cream
a few frozen emergency processed dinners- lasagna, tamales, a couple of pizzas.
juice

We do have also emergency food stores with canned veggies, more meats, fruits, pudding/jello etc. Those are not a regular part of our diet but we eat them enough to not let them all expire on the shelves or they get donated when they are still good and then restocked.

Most of our meals start with scratch ingredients. I grew up poor and that is how I learned to eat- spagetti, chili, soup, big sunday dinners with meat that then becomes that week's sauce or soup. We do fresh produce for the most part, which is my big luxury.

We bake a good amount of our bread but do buy some. We get a CSA box every Monday with a weeks worth of veggies and fruit, we buy a lot of pasta, grains, beans, lentils and rice. We buy other produce at the store- bananas especially since those never are in the CSA box (obviously, since we live in Seattle). We get eggs from our own chickens when they are laying and organic in the winter when the chickens don't lay. Meat comes in on sales (example- 8 whole local organic chickens reduced to $6ish each, down from $12-14 I just got today), or in small quantities (like smoked salmon) or in bulk from a farm (beef mainly). We eat a lot of fish, which we usually get from a local market. I will order soup bones from the CSA place, which is really cheap.

I will buy hot dogs and buns sometimes. I am not too picky about which ones, usually I get Hebrew Nationals because I know they are all beef.

When we are out of the house, I am pretty liberal with what I will let them eat- chicken nuggets, HFCS lemonade, french fries, milkshakes, hamburgers and chicken etc but that is just not what we cook at home. I bought 5 pounds of organic hamburger in 1 pound packets. In a year, I used exactly 1 pound. Ended up giving the other 4 pounds to a co-worker.

For me it is worth noting that it is not a matter of choosing to be healthier or whatnot, it is largely based in how I learned to eat, what I learned to cook etc. Sometimes people ask me "how did you switch?" Well, with the exception of where I am buying the food, I did not switch. This is just what I know and what I like to eat. I have even tried more packaged stuff at different times (trying to cook recipes from my MIL or trying to be a coupon diva) but that is just NOT how I cook or what I like to eat. And I have 1 kid that hates pizza and 2 that hate mac and cheese, all kinds regardless of homemade or packaged. I wish they would eat mac and cheese (but yeah, I make it from scratch in the crockpot, I do not see this as time consuming).

[MommyofAmaya]

We buy grass-fed beef and veggies from CSA. Many other fruits/veggies are organic unless there is a very significant price difference. We have organic or healthier cereals and boxed soups (usually Pacific foods). On the other hand, the kids eat lots of Costco chicken nuggets, salmon burgers, Kirkland peanut butter and jelly and LOTS of homemade with American "cheese" mac n' cheese. We also love Chic- Fil-A and eat out in general more often than I'd like to admit.

[amldaley]

Pre-packaged foods are limited here only to things that I take in DD's snack bag when we are out running errands. But when I buy pre-packaged, I read the ingredients first. We get the Whole Grain Goldfish, we buy pre-packaged organic cookies or whole grain crackers. And I am all about Go Go Squeez applesauce.

But we don't eat pre-packaged foods at home. I do buy the ready made chicken nuggets, but again, I only buy the all white meat, whole grain breaded ones.

We only do organic milk and eggs. And about 50% of our produce is organic.

I do buy some canned fruit like pineapple and mandarin oranges. And I live largely on canned beans. But I buy organic canned goods. And, for instance, I make my own black bean burgers with canned beans and my own hummus with canned garbonzos.

The OP mentioned kraft mac-n-cheese. Even before we went dairy free, we don't use that. Not because I am oppossed to it, but just b/c I don't like it! I actually enjoy making it from scratch and prefer it.

My mother and I had a huge arguement about the Uncle Bens rice bags. I think they have a weird texture. I have a rice cooker and keep rice in my fridge (we eat rice almost every day). It is no big deal for me to throw a pot on while I cook something else. Those pre-packaged quick-cook ones are super unhealthy, too. She wanted me to use the steam-in-the-bag veggies. But the only plastic I ever put in the microwave is my Tupperware steamer. And, for the most part, we just eat raw veggies. And when we do steam, it takes NOTHING to do!

Okay - wait - I DO buy pre-packaged...I buy the baby carrots and broccolli florets instead of whole stalks, etc. I buy already prepped raw veggies. Does that count? I have found that buy buying them ready to go, we eay veggies every day instead of when I had time to prep.

And now I am rambling and craving carrots.

[g-mama]

My kids eat a lot of processed food, to be honest

They just had Kraft Mac and Cheese and Dino nuggets from Costco for lunch today. They eat Chef Boyardee ravioli and Spaghettios from time to time, Gogurt, Hi-C, sugar cereal sometimes, white bread, Jif peanut butter, Sun Chips, Doritos are not uncommon....can't think of any more examples but let's just say that I am not anywhere NEAR as concerned about this as the majority of moms here.

Not saying it's good or bad, just sayin.

[g-mama]

Okay - wait - I DO buy pre-packaged...I buy the baby carrots and broccolli florets instead of whole stalks, etc. I buy already prepped raw veggies. Does that count?

Um, no. :p

[Tondi G]

My kids eat a lot of processed food, to be honest

They just had Kraft Mac and Cheese and Dino nuggets from Costco for lunch today. They eat Chef Boyardee ravioli and Spaghettios from time to time, Gogurt, Hi-C, sugar cereal sometimes, white bread, Jif peanut butter, Sun Chips, Doritos are not uncommon....can't think of any more examples but let's just say that I am not anywhere NEAR as concerned about this as the majority of moms here.

Not saying it's good or bad, just sayin.

My boys have never tasted chef boyardee raviolis but I used to LOVE that when I was a kid. Spaghettios too. I also used to love Top o ramen and cup o noodles. My mom clearly wasn't worried about all the preservatives and msg and sodium etc.

My boys tried spaghettios and didn't like them. They do like Doritos though and cheetos... but thats not a regular thing (cause I don't eat them). Our sugar cereal is honey nut cheerios and Cinnamon Life... they tried cocoa crispies on our cruise and LOVED them! :)

All in moderation... I guess we should all be happy that we have a choice and are able to feed our children ... not everyone in the world has that luxury!

[JoyNChrist]

My kids eat a lot of processed food, to be honest

They just had Kraft Mac and Cheese and Dino nuggets from Costco for lunch today. They eat Chef Boyardee ravioli and Spaghettios from time to time, Gogurt, Hi-C, sugar cereal sometimes, white bread, Jif peanut butter, Sun Chips, Doritos are not uncommon....can't think of any more examples but let's just say that I am not anywhere NEAR as concerned about this as the majority of moms here.

Not saying it's good or bad, just sayin.

Us too. I've tried to care, and maybe one day I'll get my act together and do better, but right now if I manage to grocery shop and feed us 3 meals a day, I'm doing good.

Breakfast varies - some days it's oatmeal or yogurt and fruit, but then some days it's Froot Loops or some other sugary crap cereal. I personally am addicted to the Blueberry Muffin mini shredded wheat.

Lunches are usually processed - Tyson nuggets, Kraft mac & cheese, frozen pizza, PB&J on white bread and pretzels, etc. Or weenies, grilled cheese, etc. DS1 is pretty picky, so whatever I can get him to eat makes me happy.

I DO make most dinners largely from scratch (although we love us some Stouffer's lasagna). But I have no problem with canned veggies, soup or stew mixes, jarred pasta sauce, etc.

I definitely don't make my own bread, cookies, etc. I'd like to some day, but I just don't have the time or energy right now.

I encourage DS1 to choose healthier snacks - fruit, whole grain crackers, applesauce, yogurt, but he does occasionally have chips or Oreos or snack cakes. He's a super healthy, thin kid, and I figure moderation is best.

Like a PP, we have no TJ's, Whole Foods, CSAs, etc. We do have a Kroger that has a large healthy section, but it's expensive. We buy very little organic (I do buy organic bananas because they taste much better).

[salsah]

whenever possible, i buy all natural first, organic second. for an occasional treat, i don't stress it if there isn't another alternative easily obtainable. same goes for when we are at other's homes, just exercise moderation.

[deborah_r]

We eat our share of processed foods in our house. Just adding to the sample, nothing interesting to add!

[MoJo]

We eat much healthier than I was raised, and much less healthy than I think most on this board do, even after reading this thread.

We don't have a WF or Wegman's, and the closest TJs is about an hour away in the opposite direction of where I otherwise need to go. I recognize Veronica's "3 foot section" of the grocery store. I used to buy organic milk & some organic produce, but I just can't afford it now.

That being said, I try to shop the "outside" of the store as much as possible . . . where the produce, meats, and dairy are located. In other words, the foods without ingredient lists. I avoid nitrates because they affect me, but DH LOVES foods with them, especially bacon. The BPA in cans scares me, but I haven't found an easy way to avoid it. Canned veggies were about the only ones we had growing up, and I still like them.

My inability to eat dairy or tomatoes without giving Ha gas eliminates a lot of the frozen food and canned soup sections.

We avoid the Kraft mac b/c DH is trying to eat low carb . . . but I think my mom still serves it three times a week, and it doesn't bother me if Jelly Bean has some. And DH used to love a DOUBLE portion of the cheese powder stuff on his low-carb noodles, but doesn't ask for it now that I can't eat it. I really want to learn how to make a real cheese version once I can eat cheese again.

We eat packaged bread, but nearly always the whole wheat/no HCFS types that my mom still won't buy. (Wonder Bread all the way for her)

Jelly Bean's favorite foods are fruits and veggies, and she gets a lot more of those and a lot less snack food and food from a box than I ate growing up. But she likes chips and chocolate, too. She isn't into "typical" toddler foods, and my mom is always surprised that that Kraft mac won't be her favorite thing on the plate whenever it's served. I was doing well for a while with no snack foods in the house, but then I got pregnant again. . . and then DH started asking for them regularly. That would be the first area I'd change again.

We eat out a LOT less than we used to, more because we can't afford it than for health reasons. DH misses that a lot more than I do.

The only thing I'm strict about is my own dairy and tomato avoidance because that immediately affects Ha in a painful way.

[Penny's Pappa]

When it comes to Penny's diet, we serve fresh fruits and veggies, but I have to say, that girl loves her Eggo waffles! And as for Mac and Cheese? It's Kraft all the way!

We couldn't do without pre-packaged foods. I'll be honest, we're not overly concerned about our food choices mainly because we're a bit lazy about our food :bag. We would like that to change and make more of an effort to eat more healthy, homecooked meals, but old habits die hard. Of the three of us though, my wife and daughter definitely eat better than I do. I won't elaborate other than to say that I just finished some string cheese and a Mt. Dew.

It's 12:45am here.

[niccig]

I agree with moderation.

For all the things you mentioned, there are healthier, better options out there. Like instead of Tyson's we buy Bell and Evan's chicken nuggets. They are the same sort of thing- frozen chicken nuggets- but the chickens were raised with much better farming practices and the ingredient list is much healthier. Back to Nature mac and cheese tastes better and has better ingredients. In my opinion, there is little reason not to buy better choices when they are available. They do cost more but I have some ways of offsetting that sort of thing (though I am sure my grocery bill is higher than some). For example, I buy spices at a co-op that allows me to buy the quantity I want and I refill jars I have. So it'd be like $3.50 for a jar of McCormick but $.35 for how I buy it- that really adds up.

I am not opposed to pre-packaged foods but I read labels. If I can't possess the items in my pantry then I don't want them in my food. Trader Joe's is one of my best friends b/c most of their packaged foods have acceptable ingredient lists. I cringe at the mainstream store b/c I know food is cheaper at TJs and has far less junk and crap in it.

Beth

This is me. When I do buy something pre-packaged, I try to buy a better option. I usually cook the main meals from scratch because of DH's choloesterol issues. We do have chips etc but it's sunchips or a TJ's pretzel etc. DS has had doritos, but it's a once a while, we're about to go on a 14.5 hour plane trip than a regular occurence. We don't have food allergies or sensitivities to deal with.

[niccig]

For me it is worth noting that it is not a matter of choosing to be healthier or whatnot, it is largely based in how I learned to eat, what I learned to cook etc. Sometimes people ask me "how did you switch?" Well, with the exception of where I am buying the food, I did not switch. This is just what I know and what I like to eat. I have even tried more packaged stuff at different times (trying to cook recipes from my MIL or trying to be a coupon diva) but that is just NOT how I cook or what I like to eat. And I have 1 kid that hates pizza and 2 that hate mac and cheese, all kinds regardless of homemade or packaged. I wish they would eat mac and cheese (but yeah, I make it from scratch in the crockpot, I do not see this as time consuming).

This is me. My mother cooks everything. We were visiting and we all made ravioli together - yes from scratch. Now, I'm not about to do that, and we don't eat much pasta because of DH's diet, but when you grow up with little packaged food, then that's the norm for you. I have several fruit trees and over the summer, I'm making 10-12 plum pies to give to friends - people rave when DH tells them I made the pastry. It's cheaper to make it, and I don't have to schlep to the store - I always have the ingredients (flour, butter, salt) on hand. Now that I've done it so much, it is actually quick for me to do, so it doesn't seem to be time consuming, but the first few times it did take longer.

I cook simple easy food for us. I can cook more complicated recipes, but I don't have the time, so I look for simple eg. a chili that is mix and put in pot for 15 mins - granted it does use canned beans..but I don't consider those proccessed as much as I do hamburger helper for eg. We're mostly a stir fry or grilled/baked fish/pork/chicken with vegetables family.

[elektra]

I do almost all of my grocery shopping at TJ's but we eat a lot of processed too, at least compared to what seems like most moms here. We are not eating velvetta on a daily basis or anything but my kids eat a lot of Dino nuggets and TJ's meatballs, and TJ's turkey meat. We also eat out a lot. They don't like many veggies. I do try.

[sadie427]

I also didn't grow up with much processed or packaged foods so I don't have much of a taste for it and never thought to feed much of it to my kids. We aren't strict, but get a CSA for veggies, buy mostly organic veggies and have hormone-free (although not organic) local milk and eggs delivered. I don't get all organic meat because it's just too expensive, but try to get meat that is less processed, hormone-free and local when possible. We do try to avoid HFCS and hydrogenated oils. We are lucky to have good "fast" food options that are at least a little healthier than McDonalds, like local chain burger places and taco trucks and taste much better. We will eat whatever is served at other people's houses, of course and eat out once or twice a week; the meat at a restaurant may not be the kind I would pick to cook at home but I don't worry about it. We do have some frozen convenience foods but I read the labels pretty carefully for that.

[kijip]

This is me. My mother cooks everything. We were visiting and we all made ravioli together - yes from scratch.

I was truly shocked as a young adult to realize that it is not typical for people to make their own pie crust anymore. My friends in college were all so impressed with my pasta sauce and pizza dough but I was like "um, what exactly would I do to get pasta sauce if I didn't make it and how else do you make pizza if you don't make the dough?" That was not snobbery, it was ignorance. I just never learned otherwise. And my parents were not affluent foodies...most processed foods were out of reach for us financially. I remember knowing that store bought cookies and cereal were not in our reach and being a little embarrassed at my mom's peanut butter cookies (made with government commodities) vs the store bought things my friends had. Now, nothing takes me back to childhood more than a peanut butter cookie or a plate of grits and eggs.

[kijip]

We are lucky to have good "fast" food options that are at least a little healthier than McDonalds, like local chain burger places and taco trucks and taste much better. We will eat whatever is served at other people's houses, of course and eat out once or twice a week; the meat at a restaurant may not be the kind I would pick to cook at home but I don't worry about it. We do have some frozen convenience foods but I read the labels pretty carefully for that.

Again, so similar!

Have you tried the taco truck directly adjacent to the Home Depot in North Seattle by NW Hospital? It is so good that we will go there on dates. They string white lights and blast some heaters so we even sit down there. Amazing food.

[salsah]

I was truly shocked as a young adult to realize that it is not typical for people to make their own pie crust anymore. My friends in college were all so impressed with my pasta sauce and pizza dough but I was like "um, what exactly would I do to get pasta sauce if I didn't make it and how else do you make pizza if you don't make the dough?" That was not snobbery, it was ignorance. I just never learned otherwise. And my parents were not affluent foodies...most processed foods were out of reach for us financially. I remember knowing that store bought cookies and cereal were not in our reach and being a little embarrassed at my mom's peanut butter cookies (made with government commodities) vs the store bought things my friends had. Now, nothing takes me back to childhood more than a peanut butter cookie or a plate of grits and eggs.

that is so nice. i wish i could do that and i would love to be able to teach my kids.

right now, i feel it's too hard/i'm not that good a cook, who has the time, the store bought stuff tastes better, etc. but i imagine that the more you do it, the easier, faster, and tastier it gets. not to mention that the more you do it, the more you can justify investing in tools (like a stand mixer or food processor) to make it easier and faster.

[niccig]

that is so nice. i wish i could do that and i would love to be able to teach my kids.

but i imagine that the more you do it, the easier, faster, and tastier it gets. not to mention that the more you do it, the more you can justify investing in tools (like a stand mixer or food processor) to make it easier and faster.

This is true. As I child, I stood beside my mother helping her, so somethings I know how to do from that. I also am used to have good tools like knives, a food processor, a stand mixer and we put those on wedding registry or I've bought over time. My MIL has this junky stand mixer that is such a PITA to use, it makes baking cookies so much more difficult than it should be..so good tools do make things easier.

I still had a phobia about making pie crusts, then I needed to do something with all these plums and a plum pie is really simple (cut plums, mix in some flour and some spices, put in pie case). I called my mother about the pie crust and she gave me a recipe to use in the food processor - it takes all of 3 minutes to make, then you have to put it in the fridge for 30 mins. I didn't have a rolling pin, so rolling it out with a bottle of wine was difficult, I've since gotten a rolling pin and have gotten my technique worked out, so it takes me about as long as it does to go to grocery store and back. And I hate schlepping to the grocery store.

DS makes the pastry with me now...and he gets the scraps to roll out and we make a little pie in a small fluted tin that I have and that is his to eat.

I still haven't gotten pizza dough worked out - so Katie, I need a recipe...DH worked in a pizzeria so he can throw it etc.

And you have to be prepared for failures - I've messed up sooooooooo many times and it's been scraped straight into the bin. My mother is a foodie and lives to cook, she made an amazing Star Wars X-Wing fighter cake for DS, and she still has failures that are inedible and go to the chickens or trash. It happens.

[MontrealMum]

I just wanted to say, mark me down as another person that grew up this way. Barring the choice to avoid BPA-lined cans, all of our choices: to eat more whole foods (not from the chain grocery store, but whole wheat flour etc), foods with little to no preservatives, to eat locally, and to make most of what we eat from scratch are things I learned growing up.

I was the weird kid with the whole grain cheese sandwich with sunflower seeds as "snack" and a piece of fruit for dessert. We made pie crust from scratch, gutted and prepped the fish we caught, and had our own organic veggie garden in the backyard. The only time I ever had white bread or something like Hi-C was at a friend's house. The first time I had a McDonald's hamburger I was 12 and it was at a friend's b-day party. Eating at friend's houses was sometimes scary as they might be having Chef Boyardee ravioli or sloppy joes (and I don't do well with things that are strange and different to me). The modern version of "healthy" or as some would have it "trendy" eating is all I know.

Since I do most of the cooking and all the meal-planning, we eat how I was raised. Which is a good thing because nearly 15 yrs. ago we found out that DH has high cholesterol. And considering the meat & potato and premade frozen food diet never ever skipping dessert that he was raised on, that might not be all that surprising.

[niccig]

Since I do most of the cooking and all the meal-planning, we eat how I was raised. Which is a good thing because nearly 15 yrs. ago we found out that DH has high cholesterol. And considering the meat & potato and premade frozen food diet never ever skipping dessert that he was raised on, that might not be all that surprising.

Same here. DH has high cholesterol too. He was stick thin until his early 30's then his metabolism slowed, but he kept eating the way he always had. He's had to do a complete rethink of his eating habits both because of cholesterol and weight. DS is tracking the same to be stick thin, he could eat french fries every day and not gain any weight, but he has healthy eating habits, so hopefully nothing to unlearn when he's 30 and his metabolism slows.

[llama8]

I try to make home-cooked dinners, but sometimes life does get in the way. I am ok with the occassional prepackaged meal (mac n cheese, lean pockets) but only once in a while. I also serve veggies with every dinner. I believe moderation is key!

[maestramommy]

My kids eat a lot of processed food, to be honest

They eat Chef Boyardee ravioli and Spaghettios from time to time,

I haven't given my kids that yet, but I had a it a couple times as a kid, and it's so YUMMY! I don't care that it's in a can, but I always worry about sodium. Course, if I'm feeding them mac n cheese, maybe it's all water under the bridge. :p At least Chef Boyardee has meat! Mac n Cheese isn't filling for them anymore. I should compare sodium content on the two.

[amldaley]

I am realizing now as I read these entries that a) I grew up with almost no pre-packaged foods and b) I eat few of them because I really don't think they taste good. I think Chef Boyardee products taste disgusting. I have never liked them, even as a kid. My decisions to make our diet healthier came easily to me b/c I was likely closer to that end of the spectrum to begin with.

And, like others above, I was the weird kid with sprouts in my sandwhich and fruit. We had very little money, so my fruit was usually bruised and the prepackaged foods I had were generic and thus, as a kid, embarrassing.

[mamicka]

This is me. My mother cooks everything. We were visiting and we all made ravioli together - yes from scratch.
...
I always have the ingredients (flour, butter, salt) on hand. Now that I've done it so much, it is actually quick for me to do, so it doesn't seem to be time consuming, but the first few times it did take longer.

I cook simple easy food for us. I can cook more complicated recipes, but I don't have the time, so I look for simple eg. a chili that is mix and put in pot for 15 mins - granted it does use canned beans..but I don't consider those proccessed as much as I do hamburger helper for eg. We're mostly a stir fry or grilled/baked fish/pork/chicken with vegetables family.
:yeahthat: same here. We ate "peasant food" growing up. To this day when my dad (75 yo) needs to make a quick meal he will make pirohy (perogies) or halushky or shlize (like gnocchi). Strudel was homemade - the kind where you pull the dough untill it's really thin like phyllo. I remember being at friends houses as a kid & we wanted to make cookies & them not having the staples on hand. It was strange to me & I kept wondering what they ate.
I'm not as homemade as my parents were but I'm happy with the balance I have at the moment. I try to alternate homemade bread with store-bought, homemade yogurt with store-bought, etc.

[weech]

I grew up eating every processed food on the planet, and then some. I ate McDonald's several times a week, we ate [almost exclusively] canned vegetables, most things came from a box or wrapped in plastic. I probably ate 2-3 Butterscotch Krimpets a day for a while. I had never eaten a fresh peach, goat cheese, brussels sprouts or avocado until college (or later).

For the past several years I've been working really hard to change my own eating habits and improve my health. I don't want my DS to grow up the same way I did - completely uneducated about food, overweight, and self-conscious.

I make 4-5 meals per week using mostly fresh ingredients. We do eat the occasional Stove Top stuffing, and we love the boxed Uncle Ben's wild rice (not the "instant" bagged kind), but I do my best to keep things as healthy as possible. I've toyed with trying to go all organic for DS, but as he begins to eat all of what DH and I eat, the cost is going to become prohibitive. I'll do my best to prepare fresh, healthy meals and I'm not even going to introduce DS to the types of snacks that I ate as a kid. They're still SO delicious, but so unhealthy and not a temptation I want him to have to overcome. Candy or sweet treats once in a while, sure, but nothing like what I had growing up. My after school snack as a kid was several cups of sugar cereal (in a HUGE bowl) with milk and a Pepsi :bag

[KrisM]

I'm moving towards more from-scratch things and unprocessed, but I can't imagine we'll give it up entirely.

We make a lot of things that start with store bought and I don't know how to clasify those. I make and freeze spaghetti sauce, but I buy the tomato sauce and puree from the store, so I guess it's not really from scratch. But, I don't have any idea how to get tomatoes into sauce, puree, and paste.

I buy bread, but the kids won't even eat white bread any more, which is good. We get wheat without hfcs.

DS1 loves Kraft mac and cheese and that is what I'm going to try to change. He'd eat it daily, if he could, so it's a big one to change.

For fruits/veggies, I buy a mix of regular and organic, depending on the fruit.

For other stuff, I buy organic if it's the only version without hfcs or other nastier stuff. Our store brand, Meijer, isn't too expensive and they offer coupons on their website at times.

ETA: We also eat store bought cereal and probably not the best versions out there. Also, I buy jarred fruits because at times it's just not possible to get to the store for fresh often enough.

[smilequeen]

I shop primarily organic. We have a lot of fresh fruit in our house, but fewer fresh veggies I will admit. I don't particularly enjoy cooking and steaming frozen organic veggies is easier for me and they last longer. The fruit gets eat pretty quickly :)

I rarely make things from scratch b/c I don't know how and don't at all enjoy it. Yet I still try to get the most wholesome easier food. My kids are used to whole grains...whole wheat bread, pasta, etc. They learn balance. If I am going to buy a boxed food, it will be as organic and preservative free as possible. So, I never buy Kraft Mac and Cheese, but I do buy Annie's sometimes.

The other thing I figure is that I am in charge of the vast majority of what my children eat. I provide most of their meals. I pack healthy balanced lunches for school. They only get healthy snacks at school and don't allow treats for holidays or birthdays.

So, we go out to eat and I try to just relax. I let them have McDs sometimes even if it pains me. Because they enjoy it and I try not to make anything totally taboo. That way they understand that it's something they get from time to time and not something to beg for.

Grandma watches my kids a lot and I SO appreciate how much help she gives me. So if she has some Chips A Hoy and Doritos and makes them a Velveeta on white bread grilled cheese sandwich, I'm going to let that slide as something they get at Grandma's house. Those things are NEVER in our own house, so why sweat it IMO.

I was raised on a full diet of the crap. All the white bread, white pasta, hostess cakes, chips, HFCS you can imagine. I absolutely DO NOT want my kids to eat that crap on a daily basis, but I'm not going to police every bite of food that goes into their mouths. Like I said...I figure I have most of the control and I'm personally OK with giving up a little bit of it.

My parents DO know how I feel and they have actually made some changes. They buy organic milk for my kids to drink at their house now. They try to get certain things without HFCS. They don't give my kids soda and they don't frequently give them juice. And sometimes they watch the kids at my house too, which makes a difference. They are pretty set in their ways. They tried whole wheat pasta and could not stand it :) But they know my kids don't know the difference anyway...

I think anyone can judge anything. Compared to a lot of people here I might be somewhat lax. And then...I took my kids to a friend's son's birthday party and they ate fruit snacks and my kids were entranced by them. Because they NEVER have them. And my friend thought I was just mean and overprotective. I'm thinking...they are eating them now aren't they. I didn't make them taboo, but NO, I'm not going to buy them and put them in my own house b/c they are bad for them and bad for their teeth (even bigger given the occupations of their parents...;)).

[BabyBearsMom]

We are much more careful about what DD eats than what DH and I eat. DD's food almost all comes from Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Our food...comes from the regular grocery store and costco, haha. The only thing that I really care about is meat and milk. I try to do hormone free for all dairy products (easy with milk, not so easy with cheese) and with meat. I also try to do antibiotic free because I have a phobic feeling about super germs. We give DD a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, but they aren't always organic. Depending on the fruit or veggie, I don't worry as much about anything with a thick skin, like an orange because I feel like the pesticides stay on the outside (I know this isn' really true, but it makes me feel better). Compared to most people I know, we are considered "crazy" about food, but compared to a lot of folks on the board, I think we are normal to a little loose.

[AnnieW625]

I am in the moderation camp, but I also work full time outside the home so I would be a total hipocrite if I said there could be no foods with preservatives in our house. I wouldn't have enough hours in the day (IMHO) to do everything. I still cook a lot of our meals at home so I can control what goes into them, but even if we have foods like boxed Mac N Cheese and hotdogs, or eat pancakes and bacon for dinner we don't do that every night.

I am making DD2's purees, which I didn't do for DD1, but I still buy jarred food on occassion and have no problem doing it. I've bought conventional, and organic.

I do handle buying non perishable foods by buying most of them at Trader Joe's so I know that they have simple ingredients and don't include HFCS. I do have exceptions like refried beans, DH prefers Rosarita so I let that slide (I don't think they have HFCS in them anyway) and if I do buy canned food from the regular grocery store I read the labels much more than I do at Trader Joe's. I also always look at the sodium content when I am buying frozen meals.

[arivecchi]

I try to feed my kids healthy meals but I do not at all fall into the all organic/non-processed mold. I work FT, I am a horrible cook and we live in the city (we eat out a lot) so all those things contribute to eating some processed foods and I am ok with that.

I find it useful to learn about how to eat healthier here. Some things I adopt but some I do not adopt because they do not make sense for our family and lifestyle.

[chottumommy]

I was brought up in India where there was very little (if any) processed food available when I was growing up. Exception were cookies and chocolates which were very rare because they were quite expensive. Same with DH. So we both don't like processed food(more to do with taste buds than ideology) and we hate cereals other than steel cut oats and canned veggies and somehow hate pizzas too. We are vegetarians, so most frozen food is out of the equation.

Breakfast is a hot meal in the house. I cook for the week and we take lunch and eat dinner at home. So it just turned out that we don't have any frozen food but do have the occasional cookies and dry processed food at home. We try to buy organic/local as much as possible but most of all, almost 90% of our food when eaten at home is fresh food.

Not sure what DS will grow up liking. He's a very fussy eater and very reluctant to taste things. He doesn't like/taste mac'n'cheese, pbj, or even icecream but will readily gulp down barley soup. On the other hand, he doesn't touch any fruit either.

[edurnemk]

And if my husband had it his way i would never buy anything organic because he is one of those people that thinks that organic is just a word they use to make you pay more and that people have been fine for years without organic so why start now? But he is a totally different story ROTFLMAO:


Are we married to the same man? (And don't even get me started on what my dad says about this) I have to buy 2 brands of a few articles (ketchup, mayo, maple syrup): the healthier/real organic one for DS and me, and the regular processed one for DH. I kid you not. He claims it doesn't taste the same, funnily he doesn't say this when he doesn't know he's getting the organic brand.

Anyway, I keep it as healthy as possible at home, I read ingredients, but, especially since we moved abroad where the healthy selection is scarce, I've given in to a few articles when I can't find a better alternative (mostly cookies). I can't get many organic things here but we make everything from scratch, try to eat mostly whole grains, no refined sugar, no HFCS. I buy very few processed products, mainly cereal and cookies, no canned food (just jarred because of BPA in cans), seriously there is not one single can in my pantry just a few jars of olives and that kind of thing.

Away from home, I'm more lax when I can't control the food offered, though I cringe when someone offers soda to DS, that I do try to avoid. I figure a few times a year isn't going to harm him when it comes to junk food, not-so-healthy snacks, processed stuff, etc. Plus I figure if I forbid it entirely he'll be more tempted to try it.

So in conclusion, practically no processed food at home, but I'm OK with him getting some elsewhere occasionally. I do try to steer him away from stuff with lots of dyes or artificial flavoring, even in those few occasions.

[kijip]

I will add that my own personal food safety is one of the last reasons I try to buy from organic and local sources. The economy, food health, and the environment are my biggest reasons to buy local and organic. Then taste, then personal food safety. The consequences of our modern food practices are actually just beginning to be found out.

We are now raising the first generation of American kids expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Much of this is food and physical activity related- heart disease showing up in teens and kids now that we would have previously seen in middle aged men and older. The idea that we have all been a-ok for years is ridiculous. Diabetes, heart disease, massive, wide spread, obesity are not a-ok. Cheap sugar, cheap fats, highly processed foods, a culture that has widely departed from basic cooking skill are all playing a role here. This is not an organic non organic debate- organic processed cookies are still processed cookies. The real issue is that there is now a shockingly widespread lack of ability to access or prepare simple, healthy dishes and a lack of interest in many, many people of eating them.

[[email protected]]

I am in the moderation camp. However, my 5 year old's mood has improved 10x since we eliminated artificial food coloring last month . Many of the natural alternatives also contain fewer preservatives. He's still active, but fits into fewer of the boxes on the ADHD checklist. So I might need to become a fresh foods, no processed stuff Nazi--but only for MY kids.

Christine

[vonfirmath]

I'm moving towards more from-scratch things and unprocessed, but I can't imagine we'll give it up entirely.

We make a lot of things that start with store bought and I don't know how to clasify those. I make and freeze spaghetti sauce, but I buy the tomato sauce and puree from the store, so I guess it's not really from scratch. But, I don't have any idea how to get tomatoes into sauce, puree, and paste.

Honestly, the tomatoes you buy from the store are bland enough tasting (and expensive enough) I'd only consider making spaghetti sauce from scratch if I got my garden growing (the #1 thing I want to grow is tomatoes -- but I have not managed to get it from conceptual to in the ground yet, for various reasons)

We start with canned tomato sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce and add from there.

[daisymommy]

The consequences of our modern food practices are actually just beginning to be found out.

We are now raising the first generation of American kids expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Much of this is food and physical activity related- heart disease showing up in teens and kids now that we would have previously seen in middle aged men and older. The idea that we have all been a-ok for years is ridiculous. Diabetes, heart disease, massive, wide spread, obesity are not a-ok. Cheap sugar, cheap fats, highly processed foods, a culture that has widely departed from basic cooking skill are all playing a role here. This is not an organic non organic debate- organic processed cookies are still processed cookies. The real issue is that there is now a shockingly widespread lack of ability to access or prepare simple, healthy dishes and a lack of interest in many, many people of eating them.

:yeahthat: Couldn't have said it better myself. I notice that many times when people say in moderation, they really mean several times a week. That is not moderation.

[sewarsh]

Honestly, the tomatoes you buy from the store are bland enough tasting (and expensive enough) I'd only consider making spaghetti sauce from scratch if I got my garden growing (the #1 thing I want to grow is tomatoes -- but I have not managed to get it from conceptual to in the ground yet, for various reasons)

We start with canned tomato sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce and add from there.

I did it for the first time this summer. I had about 50 tomatoes left at end of season and made 12 jars of homemade tomato sauce which I froze in glass jars. I gave the rest of the tomatoes away. It was so rewarding. I only have 3 jars left and am getting sad!

[kijip]

Honestly, the tomatoes you buy from the store are bland enough tasting (and expensive enough) I'd only consider making spaghetti sauce from scratch if I got my garden growing (the #1 thing I want to grow is tomatoes -- but I have not managed to get it from conceptual to in the ground yet, for various reasons)

We start with canned tomato sauce or jarred spaghetti sauce and add from there.

In season, I find a lot of local tomatoes that are full flavor. And I get a lot from friends and family who grow. We have not in the last two years, but did in pots before that. Need to get back to that this year. Easy to grow in pots.

That said, we do some canned diced tomatoes as a convenience item but they are just plain canned tomatoes.

[vonfirmath]

I did it for the first time this summer. I had about 50 tomatoes left at end of season and made 12 jars of homemade tomato sauce which I froze in glass jars. I gave the rest of the tomatoes away. It was so rewarding. I only have 3 jars left and am getting sad!

You got 12 jars of tomato sauce from just 50 tomatoes? For some reason I thought it'd take a LOT more tomatoes! Are these the "fits on 1 lb pasta" kind of jars?

[kijip]

But, I don't have any idea how to get tomatoes into sauce, puree, and paste.



This is possibly one of the more deceptive foods to prepare, in that it seems like it would be hard but it is freaky easy and freaky fun. Blanching tomatoes and squishing them for sauce is one of the most fun activities in the kitchen. You pour very hot water over the tomatoes and wait a minute or two. Then run them under cold water. Then slice off the top and the whole skin rips off the tomato with it. It is one of the most sensory rich, hands on things to do while cooking. You can get all systematic about seeding and straining, but life is short and eating a tomato seed never killed a man, so I literally just squish them out, eyeball it to see if I have gotten enough of the white fibrous parts and seeds and then call it a day. Then cook down, blend etc into whatever it is you want. I use a slow cooker to make it easier. We do not have access to tomatoes year round, so this is an area where we use some canned tomatoes.

[boolady]

This is possibly one of the more deceptive foods to prepare, in that it seems like it would be hard but it is freaky easy and freaky fun. Blanching tomatoes and squishing them for sauce is one of the most fun activities in the kitchen. You pour very hot water over the tomatoes and wait a minute or two. Then run them under cold water. Then slice off the top and the whole skin rips off the tomato with it. It is one of the most sensory rich, hands on things to do while cooking. You can get all systematic about seeding and straining, but life is short and eating a tomato seed never killed a man, so I literally just squish them out, eyeball it to see if I have gotten enough of the white fibrous parts and seeds and then call it a day. Then cook down, blend etc into whatever it is you want. I use a slow cooker to make it easier. We do not have access to tomatoes year round, so this is an area where we use some canned tomatoes.

I did it by myself this summer for the first time, and it was super-easy and quite enjoyable. We had so many tomatoes from our CSA that I could have filled our entire freezer with sauce and whole tomatoes, but we ate some along the way, gave some away, etc. Although I do some "real" (not freezer) canning, I've never done tomatoey things without my mom. I guess I'm intimidated by the acidic thing, but am going to conquer that next summer so that we can put up even more sauce/tomatoes for the winter.

[g-mama]

They only get healthy snacks at school and don't allow treats for holidays or birthdays.


Really? They don't get to eat birthday cake on their own or anyone else's birthday? And no Christmas cookies on Christmas?

I don't think I've ever met a person in IRL who was that strict on sweets. Can you tell me why - I'm honestly curious - you feel so strongly that sweets aren't okay even on a special occasion? Do they feel left out?

[essnce629]

I'm also one that grew up not really eating much processed food. My parents were separated/divorced for most of my childhood and my mom and I lived with my grandma off and on till I wa 13. My grandma made almost everything from scratch, had a large vegetable garden, 40 fruit trees, and 13 chickens! Needless to say, I did a lot of gardening and cooking with my grandma and now realize how incrediblely lucky I was and that this was not the norm! My mom pretty much made all our dinners from scratch as well. I've never had Spaghettios in my life and I never ate sugary ceral as a kid. My mom never bought canned veggies, but she did always have frozen veggies. I never ate at McDonald's because I'm from CA and In-N-Out is a thousand times better and with better ingredients and I had zero desire to ever eat a McDonalds. I never ate chicken nuggets, because chicken strips are way better and actually look and feel like chicken!

I started cooking in college when I moved into my own studio apartment. I got a crockpot and crockpot cookbook and started from there. Once I had DS1 and moved over to all organic for him because I didn't want him eating anything with HFCS or hydrogenated oils. I'm super strict on what my kids eat from birth to age two since this is when the brain is developing the most and I think they should have only the best/purest food during this time. I also want their taste buds to get used to non-sugary and non-processed foods which usually have a lot of salt. They have their whole life to eat junk food, candy, etc that I think it's really important to start good eating habits early on. Once they're 18 they are on their own and I want them to be able to continue making good choices. Of course I'm sure my kids will end up eating fast food, processed stuff, etc in high school and college once they are one their own (like I did) but I'm hoping it will be an occasional thing, not every day (like so many college kids).

Like many on here, I try to offer the healthiest options of everything. Being in Los Angeles, I'm extremely lucky since I have a Trader Joes just 6 blocks away, 2 Whole Foods a mile away, and a year round farmers market also one mile away. This makes it soooo much easier to make healthier choices and it's not much more expensive. It's been over 7 years since I've done my grocery shopping at a regular mainstream grocery store. I don't have the time to read all the ingredient lists with over 100 ingredients and the healthier stuff there tends to be more expensive than TJ's anyways.

I don't buy Kraft mac & cheese because I don't shop at the regular grocery store. My kids eat boxed mac & cheese about twice a year and it's usually the Annie's or TJ's brand. I'm just not a fan of box mac & cheese and would much rather buy the frozen TJ's mac & cheese that is DELICIOUS, has a short ingredient list, and is super easy to make (just heat it up). Even then, I only buy it when we're having BBQ for dinner (so every few months or so). DS1 has never had chicken nuggets, and has no desire to after seeing a piece about them on Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution, but he does love chicken tenders and will eat them occasionally when we eat out (at home I just make chicken breasts). My kids have never had sugary cereal and I see no need to give it to them since it's pretty much devoid of any nutrional value. I like to buy cereal that is high in fiber, low in sugar, and has some protein. Right now their favorite is the Stick and Twigs cereal from TJ's that has 12 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. Instead of Nutrigrain Bars that have HFCS, I buy the Kashi cereal bars that my kids love and are HFCS-free and have less sugar and more fiber than the Nutrigrain bars. You can buy all the Kashi stuff at Target for much cheaper than at the grocery store. I don't buy canned veggies since I don't think they taste like regular veggies and they usually have salt added and I don't buy much canned food in general to avoid BPA. I do have a ton of frozen veggies which are just as good as fresh, if not better, since they are frozen at their peak. I don't really buy much packaged meals, even at TJs, since most packaged meals aren't very big and I like to have enough food to feed our family of 4 plus have another day of leftovers. This only happens when I make dinner myself from scratch. I have been buying the frozen chicken alfredo from TJ's lately, but it's only enough for two people so just DS2 and I eat it and I add in a bunch of broccoli to make it healthier. I would have to buy about 4 packages of it to feed all four of us plus have leftover and at that point it would be too expensive and I could make the same thing for a lot cheaper at home. I do buy the frozen french toast from TJ's that is made with whole grains and has a short ingredient list. Pancakes and waffles I make from scratch and freeze the leftovers to be heating up and eaten during the week. I do buy packaged snacks for the kids to have in my diaper bag at all time and that's what keeps us from having to buy fast food and other junky snacks when we're out running errands. I always have 2 Kashi cereal bars for the kids and a Kashi granola bar for me in my bag for snacking when out and a snack trap full of freeze dried bananas and mangos for DS2 (instead of something like goldfish crackers). I carry water for the 3 of us as well. This way, if the kids get hungry when out and about they can have a healthy snack to tide them over till we get home and I get dinner made. We pretty much never have fast food, except In-N-Out every 6 weeks or so or when we're on a road trip. Even then, the fast food DS1 will eat is usually a bean and cheese burrito. DS1 never asks to eat fast food and knows it's "junk food." He's had McDonald's a total of twice in his life and it was when we lived in VA for 3 years and there was no In-N-Out. Even then it was because there was no other option.

I buy very little canned food due to all the BPA in the linings. I do buy TJ's canned beans though since these are in BPA-free cans. I used to buy canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste for making spaghetti sauce, but I now buy tomato paste in glass jars and diced tomatoes in the shelf stable tetra paks to avoid any BPA. I buy it in bulk on Vitacost.com and it lasts me 6 months.

This has been a gradual change over 7 years though, not something that happened overnight. It hasn't been very hard since we have so many ways to get healthy food close buy and there's lots of options online as well that make it easier.

[kijip]

Really? They don't get to eat birthday cake on their own or anyone else's birthday? And no Christmas cookies on Christmas?

I don't think I've ever met a person in IRL who was that strict on sweets. Can you tell me why - I'm honestly curious - you feel so strongly that sweets aren't okay even on a special occasion? Do they feel left out?


Given that SQ said in the rest of her post that she did let her kids eat treats here and there and that her parents took them for fast food etc and that was ok, I think that sentence means that the school does not allow treats for birthdays and holidays, which is common now in schools concerned about allergies and some teachers don't want to take the class time to serve them.

[boolady]

Really? They don't get to eat birthday cake on their own or anyone else's birthday? And no Christmas cookies on Christmas?

I don't think I've ever met a person in IRL who was that strict on sweets. Can you tell me why - I'm honestly curious - you feel so strongly that sweets aren't okay even on a special occasion? Do they feel left out?

I thought she meant that her kids' school doesn't permit sweets on those days. In the next paragraph, she mentions that she takes them to McD's. I could be wrong, though.

[boolady]

Given that SQ said in the rest of her post that she did let her kids eat treats here and there and that her parents took them for fast food etc and that was ok, I think that sentence means that the school does not allow treats for birthdays and holidays, which is common now in schools concerned about allergies and some teachers don't want to take the class time to serve them.

We obviously posted at the same time. :)

[kijip]

I did it by myself this summer for the first time, and it was super-easy and quite enjoyable. We had so many tomatoes from our CSA that I could have filled our entire freezer with sauce and whole tomatoes, but we ate some along the way, gave some away, etc. Although I do some "real" (not freezer) canning, I've never done tomatoey things without my mom. I guess I'm intimidated by the acidic thing, but am going to conquer that next summer so that we can put up even more sauce/tomatoes for the winter.

Seriously, it is so amazingly fun IMO. I get summer happy just thinkin about it. ;) The only thing that is sort of like it is peeling and coring pears for sauce. Just very hands on and fun.

[Kindra178]

Lunches are pure kid food, but organic or better versions of kid food. Applegate Farms hotdogs or chicken nuggets with sweet potato fries, grilled cheese on organic wheat bread with organic AMERICAN cheese, nitrate free lunch meat ham or turkey, whole wheat homemade or Annie's mac n cheese. Dinners I cook real food but they don't always eat it (meaning more often than not). I buy a ton of fruit and veggies from the Farmers' Market, but that is only a few months a year. I rely on frozen organic veggies during the year, USA produce for the rest of the year.

[boolady]

On the topic of CSAs, I have to thank this board for introducing the idea to me. DH, DD and I were talking while we ate dinner on Saturday night about how much we miss our trips to the farm, and DD remembered that she can't wait to pick strawberries and raspberries. We are all signed up for next year and ready for late May!

This was such a healthful, positive thing for our family, in terms of physical health, the mental and emotional benefits of being out there in the fresh air, picking our u-pick items and just enjoying the farm, and the new routine/tradition. Buying more produce again at the grocery store has been a drag, and the increase in our weekly bill makes me realize just how economical the CSA was.

[g-mama]

Given that SQ said in the rest of her post that she did let her kids eat treats here and there and that her parents took them for fast food etc and that was ok, I think that sentence means that the school does not allow treats for birthdays and holidays, which is common now in schools concerned about allergies and some teachers don't want to take the class time to serve them.


I thought she meant that her kids' school doesn't permit sweets on those days. In the next paragraph, she mentions that she takes them to McD's. I could be wrong, though.

OK, I got it. I misread her post. Thanks for the clarification.

[smilequeen]

Really? They don't get to eat birthday cake on their own or anyone else's birthday? And no Christmas cookies on Christmas?

I don't think I've ever met a person in IRL who was that strict on sweets. Can you tell me why - I'm honestly curious - you feel so strongly that sweets aren't okay even on a special occasion? Do they feel left out?

No no...it's their school that doesn't allow us to send treats on special days. My boys have cake on their birthdays and Christmas is a total free for all. Sorry that was confusing...

Ooops...see that others have posted on that ;)