Comments on: The McDonald’s Conundrum: Do You Do Fast Food?

By: Terre Pruitt

Terre Pruitt — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:08:54 +0000

Cool. I am so happy to hear this (that your boys weren’t all gaga over McDonalds).

But I have been thinking and I don’t know how to verify this—first of all, I want to say—I don’t think I have ever had a burger at McDonalds. I didn’t like them (burgers) when I was young and when I got old enough to eat a hamburger, I wanted a HAMBURGER so I would go to a “restaurant”, not fast food.

Ok, now onto my wonderings . . . back when I was young I don’t think they put HFCS in the buns or the sauce. And I am not sure they were using partially hydrogenated oils back then either. I don’t think they had the same preservatives back then that we have now(like TBHQ). There are so many preservatives in SO MANY foods that the idea of “moderation” is laughable. And even if they did have all that stuff, like you said, McDonalds was a treat. I remember we used to get McDonlds maybe four times a year when we were on our way to go camping and everything was packed up and we need to be on our way quickly. We would stop and get breakfast there. It was such a treat!

Thanks Mean Mommy, I don’t have children, but I like to see that some parents try to avoid the Fast Food escape route.

By: Christina Baglivi Tinglof

Christina Baglivi Tinglof — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:12:35 +0000

Wow, sorry I got to this party so late! Being summer and all, road trips abound and so does fast food. Oh, well. Love In-N-Out Burger, El Pollo Loco (my personal favorite), and Panda Express (DH works at corporate). We’re a lean, trim, and athletic family. We look at fast food as a treat. Yes, it’s evil, pure evil! And thank God for it. I’m with Denise, when you’re packing and shutting down the house, making sandwiches is the last thing on your mind! The over all lesson? Moderation, baby. And…life’s short, so lighten up!

By: Denise

Denise — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:39:03 +0000

Jenn, I hear you. I had sweet stuff and junk food restricted, and I did go overboard when I got ahold of anything I liked (hello, hoarding candy under my bed!). I do pretty much what you do with my boys, trying from now to teach them what good food is versus junk. Just last night we were talking about protein and how they need it to grow strong (this was to get the little guy to eat his chicken; he’d be happy with just pasta and vegetables, which I guess isn’t awful, either!). They started listing foods and asking if this or that or the other was “good for you.” They asked if candy is good for you, and I said, “only in that it makes you feel happy, but if you ate it all the time, it would not be good, and in fact it would make you sick.”

Meanwhile, the same parents who NEVER got us fast food (or extremely rarely) took the boys to McD’s just this weekend when they were babysitting! I think I’ve given my parents a great gift: because I’m fairly strict, they get to be indulgent. In small doses.

Great conversation!

Denise

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:31:13 +0000

“How hard is it to throw a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a bunch of bananas into the car before you go?”

It’s not. But speaking as someone whose parents were overly restrictive with food during childhood, I think that eliminating the “junk” completely does more harm than good.

We go the fast food route on long road trips–Wendy’s & BK most often. A) My kids like the toys, which give them something “new” to play with in the car. B) They eat oranges & apples for sides (by choice). and C) They view it as a treat.

The rest of the time, they eat well, with random treats thrown in from time to time.

The result? When given too much dessert by indulgent grandparents, my kids (almost 5 & will walk away from the table when they’re done, leaving half of it in their bowl. When given a bag of chips, they’re content to eat a handful (their size, not mine), and move on.

Compare that to my own experience: Sugar & fast food were off limits until I “discovered” them on my own around age 9 or so. Once I tasted it, it triggered obsessive cravings, something that I have to work hard to keep under control even now. It’s that “forbidden fruit” argument. I couldn’t settle for just a few Cheetos–I had to devour the whole bag before someone took it away. Same with ice cream, candy, fast food, and the list goes on.

I much prefer my children’s attitudes toward food. We talk about what makes foods healthy, and when they feel ill after eating something, we talk about why (i.e. sugar on an empty stomach, a greasy meal, etc). Knowing the why behind it, they typically make better decisions on their own the next time.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:40:34 +0000

Not very hard, and I’m no fan of fast food, but years of experience have taught me that bananas do NOT travel well. And never mind the loaf of bread if the kids get their hands on it!

By: class factotum

class factotum — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:38:47 +0000

How hard is it to throw a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a bunch of bananas into the car before you go?

By: Karen Kroll

Karen Kroll — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:15:29 +0000

I just realized there were a few more comments, so I’d like to respond again. I have to disagree that Lynn’s comments were just based on her convictions – she made some strong comments judging my parenting based on a comment I made in a blog post. As I said in my original post, we do fast food only occasionally. Yes, we’ll stop at fast food (I include Subway in that category, by the way) on road trips. For some reason, this seems to be seen as worse than stopping for fast food when, for instance, you’re between activities or short on time or whatever. In either case, it’s not ideal (and, in either case, if you could always plan perfectly, probably not necessary).

Karen

By: Heather C

Heather C — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:07:52 +0000

My son is 7, my daughter is 2. I’d say we do fast food once a month… but we might go a couple of months without eating it. However, I learned recently that certain family members were taking them more often and not telling me… I asked them to stop.

For me it’s not only the healthy aspect, but the money. I have all that food right here, I can make it and not pay any more money…

When we do eat something… it’s usually because we are rushing from one place to another and the only other choice is to NOT eat. (in other words, I’ve failed to plan properly!)

By: Norine

Norine — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:36:50 +0000

The closest we come to fast food is the occasional pizza from American Pie (which is pretty delicious, I gotta say). I figure I don’t need to introduce my 3 yr old to fast food now … he’s gonna find it on his own soon enough. That said, I don’t skimp on dessert after dinner and would never stand in the way of the post-swim-class lollipop.
Norine

By: Holly Cooper

Holly Cooper — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:07:20 +0000

This is a very interesting discussion, and full of lots of opinions! I think its wonderful that people question what their kids are eating. We live in a society full of opportunities to learn, and much has been written on the bad nutrition of fast food. I agree that a hamburger once in a while won’t harm your child, but I just wonder why you’d want to feed that scientifically-engineered product to your kids. There are always alternatives.

Karen, your response seems very defensive and that shows in your comments. It’s testament to how this discussion brings out strong thoughts. Granted, Lynn’s comment is opinionated, but I think it comes from conviction and not over confidence. As mommies and daddies we are all busy with 10 jobs, but we need to ensure that what we let slide doesn’t impact our kids health. What you put into your kids is so important, and should be at the top of all of our lists. Just take a look at all of the focus on that right now – from the new White House organic arden to the shift in McDs menu offerings, to these truly enlightening movies like “Super Size Me.”

Jennifer, I think your comment about fast food in schools is right on target, and in no way should they be allowed on campus. Chris, I’m going to hunt down “Healthy Highways” right now — thanks for the tip. And Denise, thank you so much for offering up such weighty issues that make us stop, pause and think. It truly makes us better parents!