>  The only reason not to wait is that it's hard or  impossible
> to feed the child a healthy diet without the food(s) being avoided.

I beg to differ on this point.  I see all the convenience foods my 3 yo's
friends eat.  They are loaded with sugars and gums and stabilizers and
all sorts of junk to make them taste better, have longer shelf life, have
better mouth feel, etc.

My kids and I eat a far healthier diet than most other kids I know
subsiting on Goldfish crackers, Go-gurt and PB&J sandwiches.  It's a
matter of convenience for the PARENTS to be able to make up a box of Mac
& Cheese, feed it to them and call it dinner in this rushed society.
Mine get real food with fresh, wholesome ingredients, salads and raw
veggies, pasta with a light sauce that is not laced with sugars, grains
and legumes.  Yes, it does take me longer to prepare a meal, but it also
shows my kids what is involved.  My daughter loves to bake bread and
cakes and even cookies with me.  She loves to help me in the garden
seeing food grow, picking radishes or whatever she can.  We do use some
processed foods, but they are less processed than some out there.  I
don't particularly care for the same level of sweetness in foods that
manufacturers go for in America, so I'd rather use herbs to liven up my
foods anyway.

I wish I could debunk this myth of not being able to maintian a healthy
diet without certain foods - it is a source of conflict with my MIL that
just never ends.  She feels the kids will have to grow up in a bubble to
be protected from all this stuff around them they can't have.  I rather
like that our lives don't revolve around food as treats.

Kathy P.

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