In Defense of Healthy Eating

Here are some decisions I’ve made regarding my children’s health:

I made all their baby food—cooking, pureeing, and freezing. Why? I love fresh food, don’t you? How would you feel about food if everything you ate came from a jar?

I buy milk from a local farm, where the cows graze on grass and aren’t given antibiotics and hormones. Why? Many cows making the milk in stores today are living in terrible conditions, pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, hooked up to pumps for so many hours a day their udders are oozing pus into the milk. This is true. Google if you want more info—there’s tons out there.

I buy organic foods whenever possible. Why? Because I don’t want my children to eat pesticides. Would you let your child eat an apple coated in poison?

I don’t buy any foods that contain Partially Hydrogenated Oils. Why? They are a leading cause of Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. They’ve also been linked to cancer, and many other diseases. Once again, Google for more info.

These seem to be the best decisions I can make regarding my children’s health and eating. But I find myself being ridiculed, scoffed at, or questioned because of my stance on healthy eating. Why? I understand that the new movement in parenting is the “bad parent” confessions—books about moms who like to drink during playdates, dads who think putting an infant in a swing for 2 hours is a job well done. I laugh at these too, and I’ve got plenty of “bad parenting” stories of my own. I don’t judge, so why am I being judged for doing what I think is a good job? Can’t we all get along?