I have mentioned before, in an effort to be as honest & transparent as possible, that my kids sometimes eat chicken nuggets. I have also expressed definite disappointment in McDonald’s and its blatant marketing to children. I have even compared the financial cost of eating McDonald’s “food” to eating real whole foods.
But, still, I let my kids have McDonalds once in a while. Cash calls it “Nakdonos” and I fall prey to their cuteness when they ask for nuggets. Sometimes I just fall prey to my own lack of planning and buzz into the drive-through, like after a busy day of holiday shopping when I have nothing convenient to cook at home. I’m not saying that really happened over the holidays. OK, yes I am.
Bad mommy.
To be realistic, my children eat meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, dairy, nuts & seeds and some grains 90% of the time. But is that good enough?
Sometimes I clean up the McDonald’s waste and have to ask myself whether the remaining fries, etc. belong in the compost or not. Let me just say, people: If you have to question whether your food belongs in the compost bin, it probably does not belong in your body.
No marketing by McDonalds to tell me their nuggets are “all white meat” or their burgers are “100% Canadian beef” can quell the nervousness I always have when I purchase their products. As when encountering the creepy single guy at the playground, my mother’s intuition is telling me, “Get away! Get away!”
But it’s oh-so-hard to say “no”, isn’t it? I wish I had never fed my kids a chicken nugget. Ever.
I wish no one had ever fed any kid a chicken nugget, actually. Then I wouldn’t have to make the decision to take them away… which is the decision I’m struggling with today after viewing again this amazing clip from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.
If you think this is just about your kid and your kid’s health, you’re wrong.
Something is very, very wrong with our children. While I don’t believe my kids have been nuggeted and brainwashed anywhere near as much as the average American school child, I am wrestling with some mommy guilt this morning.
Your thoughts? Occasional treat or not at all?