A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Grains Go Down!

My oldest son still can’t get through a box of cereal before it goes stale – and once it’s stale, he flat out refuses to eat it…last week, in an effort to clean out the pantry, I actually poured myself some of his “kids” cereal for breakfast.

Now, I try really hard to make sure the stuff my children eat is “good for them” – and when it comes to cereal, I look for those high in fiber and low in sugar…and appealing to kids…

I thought I’d found a keeper – and my son seemed to enjoy this new found novelty – that is, until it went stale and I had a bowlful…and then I had an epiphany: If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t buy it for your kids.

There are all these guidelines about what constitutes a good food, or a healthy option…but they are often confusing, overwhelming, or just too “strict” to follow…

But as I was eating this…cereal…I realized that sometimes following the guidelines isn’t really the most logical approach (especially since food manufacturers are allowed to make claims that bend the truth in their favor).

Have you ever heard someone say: “I wouldn’t feed THAT to my DOG!!” – like it grosses them out so much that they wouldn’t even give it to the family pet? Well, even in an attempt to clean out my pantry (without being wasteful), I don’t think that I would feed that cereal to my dog. Seriously.

So, here’s my new mindset: Forget the guidelines. If you wouldn’t eat the food you’re putting in front of your kid (because it’s sickeningly sweet, covered in neon-colored cheese sauce…or tastes really bad when it’s stale), then they probably shouldn’t be eating it either…