Good

I started reading food labels about 6 years ago, after I met with my endocrinologist. At the time, I was trying to get pregnant, so I was attempting to take charge of my health.

Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way, and I really stopped paying attention. I stopped reading labels or paying much attention to ingredients, and my family has paid for it with expanding waistlines, sluggish metabolisms and heading down the unhealthy highway.

I have stated it before, and I will state it again: because we are parents, we want to he healthy. I don't want poor eating habits take away time with my son. He's now at the age where he's noticing if someone looks different, and not in the little kid curiosity way either. He's noticing different body shapes & sizes. I never want him to be embarrassed by me being fat (there will be plenty of other things I can embarrass him about later).

So, in order to not do that, I need to take better care of me (& therefore, him).

So, when I went grocery shopping yesterday, I read food labels. I compared. And I made some drastic decisions.

Out with the juice pouches that are less than 20% juice and contain high fructose corn syrup. Instead, I splurged and bought the organic one. Little Man liked it. A lot.

Same with the cinnamon cereal he likes. I bought the organic one, because I want him to have the biggest nutritional bang for the buck.

Big Man is a little more difficult to convince. He's a definite carnivore. The whole less meat, more veggies isn't really winning him over.

I was a vegetarian for a long time, and I have gone back to my roots for a few meals a day. For me, I have to really force the 5 or so small meals on me. But I have to for good health. I need to get in my fruits & veggies somehow.

I struggle with the Little Man's eating as well. He doesn't like a lot of foods because of the texture, but he needs to start eating other foods to have a well balanced diet. We give him protein powder to help him nutritionally. However, he uses the texture thing to skimp out on eating other foods, like vegetables. he does like celery,  and he used to eat carrot sticks...so there is a bit of history there. I know from talking to other spectrum parents, this is all too common.

But the Big Man & I can set the stage & play the parts.

Speaking of which, I hear a salad calling my name.