We get a lot of raised eyebrows and and disdainful looks whenever we tell people that we don’t let Eleanor eat sweets. No cookies, no candy, no cake, no ice cream. The same when we say no meat, no processed snacks foods, no fast food, no junk food of any kind.
People think that we are a little crazy and overprotective about food. But we have food rules in our house that are specifically designed to teach good eating habits and battle the poor eating habits that Josh and I both grew up with. There are food related health issues in both of our families and we would like to avoid that with our children. So we try to eat as healthfully as we can, within reason and within my own not so great powers of self-control when it comes to food.
We generally limit any kind processed foods and opt for fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible. I cook all of our breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and we generally limit any kind of take out or fast food to one meal a week. We are also vegetarians, so absolutely no meat, ever (I’ve been a vegetarian for 14 years, Josh for 5 years, Eleanor since birth). Josh and I still eat fish (because we are weak) though I try to avoid it most of the time and only eat it very rarely, but we will not let Eleanor eat fish. We also avoid eggs as much as possible. And I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that Eleanor is allergic to dairy, so she is basically a vegan.
I know that there are people out there who will question the healthfulness of veganism for a toddler, but I can tell you that she is perfectly healthy and her pediatrician agrees. He even said “Good for you!” when we told him that we planned to raise her vegetarian. We are able to feed her excellent protein alternatives at every meal without a problem.
More than the veganism, it’s the lack of sweets and snack foods that people seem to take issue with. Now, it’s not that we never ever allow her to have any sweets or snacks. She gets the very occasional cookie, piece of cake or candy, or potato chip. But only on special occasions. Mostly on the occasions that we can’t really control it like a birthday party or family event where everyone else is eating it. In those situations we do think that it would be cruel to deny her what everyone else is having. But that is basically the only time we allow her to have those things. And they are enough to already have her asking for cake or chips long after the event has ended! We don’t keep unhealthy snack foods or any kinds of sweets in the house. We do not like the idea of developing a habit of having unhealthy snacks or sweets so we don’t give them to her.
All of this leads us to Halloween. Oh Halloween! The holiday made for candy consumption! We, of course, did not want to deny Eleanor the joys of Halloween so we decided to let her have candy only on Halloween day. So we let her have a couple of those bite size candy bars during the day as part of our day long festivities and then we let her have a few more pieces after trick-or-treating while waiting for dinner. I think her total was six pieces. Which really in my opinion is way too much. But it was a holiday and she was having fun! It did, of course, lead to a sugar crazed baby running around the house like a mad woman 45 minutes after her bedtime. We then hid the rest of the candy, although we missed one piece which of course Eleanor found Sunday morning, so we decided to let her have it. And then we lied and told her that Halloween was over so all the candy was gone. This did not stop her from repeatedly asking for it. “Cahhhhndy Mommy! I want Caaaahhhhnnndy! I need it!”
But I’m not giving in! Halloween is over and we are not going let our little one turn into a sugar crazed maniac anymore! It’s apples and grapes from here on out for you young lady! Luckily, when I offer her an apple instead she happily takes it and forgets about the candy she thought she wanted. That’s how I know we’re doing things right!
