for beth re: kids food

[Guest guest]

Hello, Beth.

I stuggled with the same dilema when I switched to raw/organic

almost 2 years ago. I have an 11 year old daughter who had no

desire to change her diet. I continued to fix her favorite foods,

and took her to McD, etc. It was very difficult to cook for her,

then not be able to eat it myself, or to watch her eating something

that I was craving (I am on the diet for serious health issues, not

desire) After a month or two of starting my diet, I just started

slowly educating her about what was in processed food, or take out

meals. I would read lables to her, pointing out synthetic

chemicals, dyes, etc, but not making too much of an issue out of

it. In time, she started reading labels herself, and quickly became

disgusted by many ingredients. She started making better food

choices all on her own. We finally agreed that she could eat

whatever she wanted, provided she could pronounce all of the

ingredients. This was VERY effective. She started realizing that

she felt better when making better choices, and saw a dramatic

improvement in my health as the result of going raw. I cheated on

the diet 3 times in the first 4 months, and end up very ill each

time. She eventually went about 80% raw by her own choice. I think

your kids are at just the right age to be gently " educated " about

food additives, toxins, etc. My daughter now finds that when she

eats at her nana's house, traditional cooked stuff, that she does

not feel well for days after. You might also encourage your boys

that if they eat " well " foods all week, they could have a " junk "

treat, McD, or whatever, on the weekends. I think eventually they

will find they no longer like the way they feel when they do

indulge. I hope this helps.

Brenda