Kid/Dog Food

A couple weeks ago on Glee, one of the characters was talking about how she used to starve herself to stay thin, but since she got pregnant and started taking care of herself, she realized that if she was willing to treat her body well on behalf of someone else, why shouldn't she be willing to treat her body well for her own benefit. I've been thinking about that recently after watching parents interact with their kids and how my husband and I interact with our dog. Parents want their kids to be healthy, and it's funny how that can sometimes play out. I'll have a piece of cake, but I don't want my kid to eat cake because it's not good for them, it could make their stomach hurt, and I'd rather they fill up on fruits and vegetables. Even with our dog, we'll feed her fruit and veggie table scraps, but we really don't want her to eat candy or cake or other sweets, even if she really begs and looks cute, because we're worried about what it will do to her body. Meanwhile, we keep reaching into the bag of [insert junk food here] for more. I understand the selfless love that people can have for one another--of sacrificing one's desires or even needs to satisfy the wants and needs of others. But in most cases, it should be just as easy to filter our food intake the same way we want to filter the food intake of our kids (or puppies). Most of us are not in a situation where there is no alternative but for one person (either the adult or the kid) to eat food loaded in calories, fat, sodium, and sugar. It's a no-brainer but even people with pretty good brains seem to space out on this one sometimes. We wouldn't use just anything that burns to fuel up our car, so why should we use just anything that's edible to fuel our bodies. We don't need to cut out the crap altogether, but most people could probably benefit from toning it down just a little bit. That's another goal for me--and it's another reason why I like being on a Point system rather than just counting calories. If you turn down one junky food, you can have a little more of something that has more vitamins or minerals. I can have a 1/2 cup scoop of (incredibly delicious) toffee chip ice cream, or some crackers and cheese, vegetables, fruit and a light yogurt. Frankly, sometimes I do choose the toffee chip ice cream. It's okay as long as you keep a rein on what you're eating overall. But I feel better about myself when I make the healthier choice because I know my system is going to work that much better, I won't get hungry as fast, and I'm treating my body the way it deserves to be treated. Remember the golden rule has another corollary: do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you.