Making a Change

Food has become quite an issue in the house. Junk is winning over fresh food and I've struggled (and am failing) to feed my son nutricious food that he enjoys. 

Packing his lunch has become a worry that starts with me the night before he goes to school.

1.  Will he eat an apple if I take the skins off (I resist doing this as the peel is rich in nutients, as we all know)?

2.  Does a wheat bagel with cream cheese make a worse choice than deli meat and cheese (sandwiches are another thing he won't eat)?

3.  There are never veggies packed. (He claims he is allergic to them all.)

Dinner at home is no different. Even when I make him go without dinner if he doesn't eat what's on his plate, he gladly starves (especially when we're talking about veggies).

He lives on Cheez-its (I allow them as a snack once a day).

I feed him vitamins and HOPE they are doing some good. 

But we all know vitamins can't make up for lack of good nutrition the majority of the time.

I was so relieved to be watching Jamie Oliver's new show on TV: Food Revolution.

He talks about what we all worry about as parents - our children. How their generation is the first in history to have a shorter life expectancy than us. That is so wrong on so many levels - it makes me sick and sad. 

So, this long winded entry today does get to my point:

I got reacquainted with two classmates from High School this weekend. Jessica and Kacie and I sat around talking about how to make our lives better - whether it is food, skincare, the importance of empowering each other, and the strength of community.

Jessica introduced me to Door to Door Organics.

It's an organic food service that delivers fresh produce to your door every week. (It's in Colorado, Kansas City, and other places.)

I could smell the oranges in her kitchen as soon as I walked into her front door. That should tell you something about the caliber of food they deliver. 

Wayne and I talked a lot tonight about what we need to do to change the food environment of our home. One of the first things we are doing is ordering from this company. The second is we will start juicing the produce that we don't know how to disguise (Caeden can sniff out vegetables a mile away but will drink the juice made from fresh veggies willingly - a bit of apple or some grapes mixed in makes a huge difference.)

Will it be horrible to plead and negotiate with him at first? Yes. But after awhile, I have to believe he will forget the crap he was eating and get used to healthy, fresh choices. (One of my biggest accomplishments in the food arena is that he chooses ice water over juice and has never had a soda.)

I'm tired of taking the easy way out and/or being manipulated by a 5 year old. He's such a good kid - this mess is not his fault. It's mine.

But I can change all of that. (I can get clever at the very least.) And I KNOW our family will be better for it.