Parents, take heart. Your efforts to lead your children to a healthier way of eating may pay off in the end. My niece, who I inherited, after the death of my sister, came to me as a 15 year old, whose issues extended far beyond her junk food addiction. It has been nearly two years of many struggles on many fronts and a few months ago, I gave up on the food front to reserve my energy for the school issue, the boy issue, the drug issue, the smoking issue and anything else she managed to come up with.
Up until then I was compromising on the food, half my way, half her way but I found I was suffering, eating food I did not want to eat. So I started taking her grocery shopping and turning her loose. She has her food and I have mine. It was peaceful, and it worked. I saved money, saved time and ate what I liked. But somewhere along the way, this messed with her head and sent her ever so slightly on a different path. Who knew failure could have a side benefit!
I am not sure where and when it happened, and especially given the total write-off of a year she has had, but she turned a small corner. Two night ago she made a delicious beef stew with organic beef, red wine, carrots, onions and celery and selection of fresh herbs from the garden. Tonight, she volunteered to make dinner and the picture above is what she created.
Now I would have prefered brown rice but that is a stirfried chicken dish with lotus root, enochi mushrooms and green onions. Now the yellow blob in the picture is an icky mayonaise she made me buy at the local Asian market complete with MSG but she kindly put it to the side so it was a matter of choice. All in all, a nice presentation
More importantly, I tried the lotus root. She taught me something. I enjoyed it and when I looked it up, I found it had all kinds of health benefits.
So parents, this is a small win, and hopefully there will be many more, but it shows there is a light at the end of the tunnnel, which a few months ago, I would have said was impossible. It is has always been my believe that to influence, you lead by example and you do not preach. I have never lectured but I have explained, especially when she asks. However, I think what made the biggest impression was my refusal to eat what she wanted to eat. I would like to say that I did it on purpose, as part of a clever reverse psychology thing, but it was really for my own sanity and well-being. But I guess to her it said something different. I wish I had thought of it sooner.
For more food and discussion: www.pastryqueengoesgreen.com
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