I think junk food is nutritionally bad, and kids shouldn't have it but I know it tastes good and I eat it so I don't know how I'd be able to keep everything out of my sons mouth.

I think that we should just stop manufacturing/selling junk food so I'm not tempted by their goodness! haha

hahah thats how i am..
i cant even have it in my house because i have no will power what so ever..

id like to say i will only feed my child healthy food and i want to avoid ever giving her fast food but i think its unrealistic..

i think its kind of like everything else, in moderation its okay.



*** i have another question.. food as a reward or a punishment..
how do you feel about it?
any experiences with this?

i know that i have major food issues because food was a reward in my house. if we were sad, happy whatever my mom would take us to get ice cream or what not. i know she didnt mean to but i now have a really hard time with controlling what i eat and when i eat it..

Raymond and I splurge and buy junk food about once a month. Like, a pint of Ben & Jerry's or some cookies. But that's it. We don't buy pop, sugary cereal, etc ever. I think we will do the same when we have kids. I will probably do fast food a lot more seldom than that because I know how completely and totally horrible it is and after learning quite a bit about it, I don't even have the desire to eat it anymore. Most of it makes me sick.

I would never ever reward my child with food. I will probably treat junk foods as if they are treats, but I won't give them as rewards.

i see my mom doing the junk food reward thing with my niece all the time. she did it with us too when we were kids. she still tries to do it with me. we had a horrible diet growing up. i've had to unlearn what i learned from her as far as eating goes and teach myself how to eat healthy. it's easier to learn it than to practise it though lol. so i'm going to do my best and, like vanessa said, moderation is important. i just have to watch my mom around my little one because she will try to be the favourite by giving treats. i don't think she needs to do that in order to be loved by her grandchild, but she probably will nevertheless.

We do treat junk food as if they are treats and haven't given them as rewards (at least I hope I haven't!! ). Actually, we do use junk foods to reward ourselves - not our child.

I believe that certain "junk" food in moderation is alright. We don't keep Soda/Pop in our home but we may order a one liter with Pizza:) We try to eat healthy but really love an occasional desert.



When we lived in Arizona, they stopped making junk food readily available in vending machines at public schools. I still considered a lot of the lunches completely horrible but at least this was a step in the right direction. When I was in high school, I would often go to the vending machine and get a snickers or some kind of "nutritional" snack like that!! No wonder why I was often tired.

That's pretty much the only time we have pop too. I have a problem putting down the Diet Coke...I think I'm addicted.

ban junk food period for anyone and any occasion... there are much better alternatives

dont eat junk food unless u dont care about your health or life!

Hey random guy. Do you care about life or your health?? Just curious because you said a hobby of yours was smoking. Just kind of curious here. You must be kidding or wanting us to say something in response.

the way i figure it it is a hazard to my health breathing the polluted air. granted, i want to give my child all the health advantages in the world, but if she eats a happy meal once a month, i really dont think it will kill her.


i think she will be exposed to it in life regardless of what i do.
this doesnt mean i will shove it down her throat, but i will try to teach her healthy habits for life, one being eating foods in moderation.


and karin and karen, lol
i think it may just be a generation thing. maybe our mothers were treated that way and as well meaning as they are, it was what they thought was best with us.

i'd like to replace associating food with certain feelings or achievements.
this is something i am very adamant about not doing with my daughter.
if she gets an a on a paper i want to take her to the zoo or something else that does not involve food. i know my mom is well intentioned but im with you karen, im going to have to watch her lol.
i see her do it with my nieces what she had done with us. if your a good girl, i will get you ice cream and such. i want to prevent that as much as possible.

I see nothing wrong with a child having a few cookies here and there or a serving of ice cream after dinner from time to time. Everything in moderation.

You can't teach a child how to control their urges for sweets and junk if it's not around.

Fast food should be used as a very special treat, but not daily or even weekly. Saying, "we got .Mc.Donalds tonight because .I was too busy to cook" in my opinion is a cop out. "we got .Mc.Donalds tonight because .I was too lazy to cook" is more like it.

Food should never be taken as a form of punishment. It's abuse.

I don't really see an issue with using food as a reward, as long as it's clear that is what you are doing. If you are teaching a child to use the potty, than giving him a handful of .M&.M's is ok. Giving a child a food reward for behaving in .Walmart is silly. There are so other ways to reward children, and many kids would rather hear their mommy or daddy say how proud they are for being so good and get a big hug, than a candy bar.

i couldnt agree more vanessa. food is a huge emotional issue in my family and the weight problems go hand in hand with it. it's like any other unhealthy family issue though, once you are aware of it you can re-educate yourself and do what you can to not pass it on to the next generation.

* and when i was a kid we would have gotten the candy bar instead of the hug. with my kid it will be the opposite. i think we often underestimate the effect that praise can have on kids, and praise from parents is the kind they want the most. i just don't want my child mixing up food with love, especially not junk food.

I don't particularly like junk food, i'd much prefer some steamed salmon and veggies than a burger anyday, but everything in moderation really

MY mom rarely bought junk food and when she did it was gone in a second b/c we were so deprived of it we couldn't control ourselves.

We buy it occasionally. I usually just buy fruits b/c if I buy junk we'll eat it quickly, I guess that comes from when I was a child.

I can't say my children will never eat it. When we buy it, they can have it in moderation. They can have it after dinner or as a snack or something.

As far as soda, we buy twist up, but it usually goes flat before we drink it. I don't plan on allowing my children to drink soft drinks. We don't drink it, so it won't be hard. Water, juice, and milk are just fine.

You should never use food as a punishment. I don't think using it as a reward is that bad though. It's a good incentive.

If we have junk food it's usually something i have made myself cake, brownies, etc). I never give my kids soda unless it is a special occasion or something. I have tried to teach my child why we don't eat it and she is pretty understanding. It's funny that her grandparent keeps sending her all this junk food, so I keep it in the cupboard and I let her havce a piece of candy every now and then. I don't think it is dangerous in moderation, by any means. I never use food as reinforcement, but sometimes we all go out for ice cream as a special treat.

I dont really want my daughter to eat too much junk food. So I would only have it around once in a while. Dont need her snacking on junk food 24/7. The thing about fast food....I dont really like it that. And I've told my b/f that I forbid my daughter to go to fast food places everyday. She can go to a fast food place prolly at least once a month for good behavior.

only thing i am gonna say is practice what you preach if you tell your kids they cant have junk food or fast food than you do the same.

i think it pretty much goes without saying that you aren't going to sit and eat junk food while telling your child not to. that's just mean and stupid. Rich's dad used to do things like that but he was an abusive drunk. he would give the kids money and send them to the store for ice creams then take them away when they came home and eat them all himself while the kids watched. it's just wrong. i think what most of the mom's are saying is that they want their kids to eat healthy and they will do their best to be a good example but it's easier said than done sometimes.

believe me we had a conversation about i think french fries once and someone said that their kid was not gonna eat them but it was ok for them to eat them.

Well, it isn't really fair if we go to 'the golden arches' and get something and not let our kids have it. It's hypocritical.
I personally think .Mc.Donalds is .Mc.Nasty!!!!!