Cookie

Okay, I’ll admit…I am a neurotic mom. Ever since I started seeing a naturopath and reading about today’s food, I stress about things like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified seeds, etc. Basically, everything that I grew up eating as a kid is now labeled to be bad—it’s nonorganic and contains unnecessary sugar, artificial colors and flavors etc. I suppose I’m here today to tell my story, and I suppose Lil’ Lewie can eat it too without devastating, lifelong consequences, but…my guilty mommy gene cringes when he eats these foods.

At home, we subscribe to eating as much organic food as possible. My pantry is filled with organic cereals, snacks, pasta, soups, etc. Our refrigerator is stacked with organic eggs, fruits and vegetables along with Stonyfield Yogurt, almond milk, soymilk, and goat’s milk. And our freezer is stacked with organic frozen fruits, vegetables, and meats with no antibiotics or growth hormones or stimulants added. (No, we’re not vegetarian, but we do limit our meat consumption. Salmon and chicken are the meats we eat the most frequently.)

Anyways, as much as I try to make sure our family eats well, we still have those days where we give in to temptation and go out for pizza or for a hamburger that most likely came from a corn fed cow pumped up with steroids. It’s an ongoing battle, and the days we lose our organic battle is when we visit others who don’t subscribe to the philosophy or don’t know about organic foods altogether.

A week ago, my husband came home and told me that Lil’ Lewie learned the word “cookie” from his sister. He was proud that our little boy added a new word to his vocabulary, especially since our Lil’ Lewie, at 22 months, doesn’t say much beyond the common mama, dada, and baba. I know I should have been proud or maybe even a tad bit happy, but the word “cookie” echoed in my ears and made me cringe. My reaction was almost the same reaction as if he was taught to say one of George Carlin’s seven dirty words that you can never say on TV. (Again, I confessed earlier that I am neurotic.)

My husband saw my reaction and became perturbed. “What? You have a problem now with the word cookie? You know we’re not going to have our little boy grow up as some twig and berry eating freak?”

“I know. I know,” I muttered back, “but couldn’t he have been taught to say the word snack or treat instead? I don’t want our son to turn around and start asking for cookies every time we eat. I don’t want him to grow up with the same bad eating habits I had growing up.” Yes, my bad eating habits included eating a bag of Doritos or Double Stuffed Oreos in one sitting for breakfast while my mom wasn’t looking.

My husband and I haven’t discussed the word since, and actually, Lil’ Lewie hasn’t said it out loud…at least not to me. Did I worry for nothing? Yes, I think I did. As much as I’d like Lil’ Lewie to grow up eating the best, most nourishing food possible, I do need to realize that just like us, he won’t have access to the best food everywhere he goes, nor will he want to eat healthy 100% of the time. I guess the best advice I can give myself and him is to remember that doing things in moderation (including eating not so healthy stuff) is key.

Do you believe schools should offer healthy food choices to our children? Please see the petition for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization.