What do you consider "junk" ??? (food)

I think it is just a bad habit parents got into when the kids were little they can't/won't break now. Almost all of my kids are picked up and the first thing they ask for is juice and mom says yes your juice is in the car. The kid has had a full snack less than an hour before and will be having supper within the hour after pickup so there is no reason for needing another one but it has always been that they get a drink of juice and a container of dry cereal or granola bar or those fruit bites when they are in their car seat to keep them quiet. Like the kid can't sit quietly for the three block ride home. I can see treats on an 8 hour drive somewhere but we are talking minutes.

It is hard to feed kids today as they are picky eaters. I tried to feed the kids honeydew melon the other day and they said they did not like it even though they had never eaten it before. I make them take a bite, then tell me what they think. Anything new, and they balk! Yes, it is cookies and milk after school for my daycare kids. I used to bake homemade cookies and cakes, but don't have time anymore as I am running kids back and forth to school 4 times a day! One 7 year old will not eat any fruit at all. I did manage to get him to eat Golden Delicious apples, but that only lasted a few times. I use whole wheat bread all the time now. Yogurt every lunch, but yes we eat hot dogs and fries and Kraft Dinner once a week, sandwiches, pizza, balogna sandwiches, lots of strawberries and green grapes. Homemade? I tried lasagna, chili, spaghetti, they do not like the tomato sauce..even have a hard time if the pizza has too much tomato sauce on it...go figure!
I draw the line at candy..it rots their teeth, and parents bring it in and say to share with everyone..guess what...it usually ends up in the garbage! I tell the parents not to bring it..but they do anyways. Alpha-Getti or any of those canned noodles...one little guy actually gagged and threw up...so forget that!

We are up against what parents feed their kids at home as that becomes what they expect at daycare. If I was cooking for a large daycare centre then who cares who ate the lasagna and who didn't. BUT I have to throw out all the food I paid for and cooked, deal with kids who don't want to nap because they are still hungry and we all just end up feeling defeated. I see nothing wrong with striking a balance and sneaking in more of what I want as I am able. As with everything we deal with as caregivers we need to pick our battles. Unfortunately even beyond normal child pickiness we are dealing with parent feeding issues too. We do the best we can with what we are given to work with.

Hum not sure where I fit in :) I like to think of my style as just making 'healthier food choices'.

I am not organic, but I feed the children what I consider plain foods and simple foods :) A sample meal would be cream of mushroom pork chops with scallopped potatoes, peas (yes from a can because I don't like the frozen), and plums. I don't cook with a lot of spices or salt, but I do use canned food ie cream of mushroom soup and the peas. I do use boxed food because I will not make my own noodles or cereal. I go as far as making my own chicken strips and chicken parmesean though. I try and read labels and choose foods that have less sodium and choose a happy medium between foods with high fibre, omega's, and whole wheat.

Ok, so what would I consider junk food ... store bought cookies, most juices (but I do serve my kiddies V8 juice every now and again ~ the kind that has both fruit and veggie in it but I don't consider that junk food), pizza that is store bought, etc.

I have no problems with my families bringing junk food in to share with the kids. It isn't that they are feeling guilty or anything like that. My families know that the children eat well here and the only time they are really going to get junk food is if the parents bring it in, so at least once a year my daycare families will bring in a treat. I have 1 dad though that brings me in a Timmy's chocolate and timbit for the kids about every other month, bribery works for me ;) Last week I had a mom bring in double chocolate oatmeal muffins last week, another mom who brought in zuchinni bread with chocolate chips ... yummy!

I guess for me it is about creating a happy or the best balance of foods I can. My menu is not perfect, I can't afford all organic, and I don't have time to make everything from scratch, and you know I am female, adding chocolate chips to the zuchinni bread just makes it taste better :)

I personally consider most things from a can or a package to be junk food. These foods are full of artificial flavours and preservatives, and anything that is was once a natural food has been either dehydrated or bastardized in some way in order for it not to spoil. These types of foods are also unnecessarily high in sodium - generally more than a whole day's recommendation in one serving! I also feel that anything fried is unhealthy.

I try to feed the kids foods that I feed my own family. I know that these prepackaged foods are usually ready-made and much less time consuming to prepare, but if you prepare the lunch from what you served your own family the night before, it's all ready to go!

Having said that, I do believe that everything is fine in moderation. I don't serve ready-made foods or processed meats for lunches, but I do let the dck's indulge in a sugary treat (homemade cookie or cupcake) once every week or two.

I serve the kids I watch junk but I'm okay with that. I believe everything in moderation. We go to Mcdonalds sometimes usually never in the summer and proabably at least twice a month in the winter sometimes more sometimes less. My kids and the ones I watch will also eat a bowl of salad and then ask for more. I can get them to eat pretty well I don't have any that won't eat fruit or vegetables so on a whole we eat good enough for me and the parents. I don't seem to have picky eaters though. We rarely eat prepackaged stuff as we eat gluten free/ lactose free.

What do I consider junk pretty much anything that isn't required, chips, cookies(store bought or homemade).

My lunches are always from a day of batch cooking for my own family's dinners. They are wholesome stews/soups, spaghetti sauces, quiches, casseroles, ect.

Snacks are simple...cottage cheese, cubes of cheese, yogurt, fresh fruit, homemade wholegrain muffins/breads, fruit sauces, arrowroot/graham crackers and fresh veggies.

I don't serve cookies or cakes unless it's a special occasion. I don't ever serve juice. I don't serve food from a can unless it's tomatoes or beans (to put in chili, for example). We grow a large garden. We eat vegetarian at least one day a week. We drink low-fat milk at lunch and after nap, water all other times. I will buy organic if it's on sale but I can't afford to serve all organics.

My kids all range in age from 12mos to 3.5years. They all eat well now but didn't necessarily eat well when they started here.

I have to say that for the most part this thread has made me very happy.:D I am delighted to see so many providers taking the nutrition of these children in their care so seriously.

Let's face it....it would be a whole lot easier and cheaper to open up a can of ravioli or a box of KD but most of you are CHOOSING not to do that and put in the work and expense of serving real, honest to God food.

I am so glad to read this.

We buy organic most of the time, but depending on what's in season I will buy local for most of the summer. Ontario strawberries are always ripe and PINK on the inside. I can't stand spending 5.00 on organic strawberries that are white inside and have to be drizzled with agave to be eaten!!!

All of our meat is organic (well not certified, but abx and hormone free, grass fed beef etc.)

We AVOID the middle aisles, but I'm not TOTALLY against pre-packaged foods IN MODERATION. Things we buy in the 'bad' aisles are still not THAT bad IMO... canned corn or beans, condiments, baking supplies like flour, chocolate chips, sugar *gasp*, almond butter, jam etc.

Every 3-4 weeks I "freezer meal cook" and that's usually lasagna, chili, bolognese sauce, meat muffins, cookies, muffins IN BULK. I package them in meal size portions for my lunches that way I'm usually just making a side veggie etc. and the kids still get a wholesome. home made lunch. I do try and plan my dinner leftovers around lunches but when that doesn't happen, I bust out the freezer reserve :p

I also serve grilled cheese (with real cheddar slices, not plastic!) but instead of giving each child a grilled cheese I will fill their plates with veggies and fruits and a 1/3 of a grilled cheese sandwich. Not too many kids have "room" for veggies if they fill up on carbs - and even the best eaters will hit the grilled cheese before the veggies ;)

We LIMIT our gluten and dairy consumption so all our pastas are 4.99 because if I'm buying corn pasta, it is CERTAINLY going to be organic. Also I serve almond milk - which while processed is way better than dairy for my little guy's tummy.

I also give kids oreos from time to time... and my kids have eaten a happy meal or two. If they eat well 95% of the time (which they DO) I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.

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Originally Posted by mlc1982

This is pretty much exactly how I run things around here. I just don't get why some people are so against pre-packaged foods. Everything in moderation, right?!

On another note, while some people are so against it, it's funny how some people are so NOT against it! I had a dck who got treated with a chocolate bar every time she was picked up. Or another one tells me about all the happy meal toys she has. I often wonder why I put so much pressure on myself to serve healthy, wholesome meals when clearly parents don't do the same for their kids when they are at home.

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I agree but I would never serve hot dogs as the nitrates are terrible and extremely cancer causing. It's not to say my little one has never had one, but lets say she had 3 or 4 in her 3 1/2 years of existence. Also the sodium in canned food is terrible! We eat as healthy as possible but also kid friendly! We eat chocolate chip cookies on Fridays and occasionally will have popcorn or pretzels (low sodium). Maria cookies from Europe (no hydrogenated oils, very low in fat and additives) and graham crackers. The occasional Rice crispy square or granola bar! And that's it for junk. Any juice I serve is 1 part juice 4 parts water!

Fresh fruit is candy to me!