By Alysa Leier
There’s a saying about teaching things to our kids because what they learn now is usually what they fall back on in their adulthood (but of course I can’t remember that when I’m trying to sound smart). That can be applied to many situations, but what when it comes to eating, I’ve come to realize that my food habits suck.
Seriously. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming my parents. I’m sure they tried, and I’m 100% positive I resisted. But I honestly feel like somewhere in my childhood, I missed out on some enforcing/reinforcing of food and nutrition guidelines. And while that’s my burden to bear, and I don’t want to pass that on to my kids, I still struggle.
I’m definitely the clichéd, “Do as I say and not as I do” mom. I’m a self-diagnosed chocoholic with a proclivity for all things cheesy. I also like fruits and veggies, but I’ve never been known to overindulge on carrots. More like Doritos. And I’ve actually described myself to someone as a mom who gives my kids grapes, only to eat chocolate chip cookie dough or some seasonal Reese’s treats.
I’m really trying, but I think I’m seriously failing. Here’s why: My son asked if he could have some Cheeto Puffs. I told him he could have “a bowl” of them. He filled a regular kitchen bowl with as many Cheetos as he possibly could and even stacked them strategically so that they would pile and not fall. Smart one, that kid.
Then a few days later his sister asked for some Cheez-Its. (See? Totally cheesy!) I learned from my previous mistake and said, “Use a snack bowl,” (probably half the capacity of the other kitchen bowls). After I came back in from working outside, there was still half of the bowl left. I’ve always had a kitchen scale, so we did a little experiment. She told me that she had filled the bowl, so I refilled it. That bowl held 90 grams of Cheez-Its. A serving is 30 grams. To do the math quickly for you, she had probably already consumed 1.5 servings. Of Cheez-Its. She’s eight. Our fridge is full of ready-to-eat fruit and veggie snacks, but she chose Cheez-Its. Why does it feel like an epic mom fail?
I decided to take it as a teaching moment. We’ve always had a 2:1 rule, as in you have to eat 2 healthy things before you have something junky (these kids are bottomless pits after school—no judging). And yes, we use the term “junky” and that seems to have helped them make a little bit more sound judgment in their food choices. But now we have a new rule: Mom has to portion out whatever “junky” snack you want. (And that goes for mom, too.)
This post first appeared on On Your Table on March 22, 2019. Alysa Leier is chair of the NDFB Promotion and Education Committee. Learn more about members of the committee here.