18/10/2026
Unpopular opinion: We need to stop using junk food as a way to show kids we love them. 👏🏼
And before someone takes this the wrong way, I’m not talking about birthday cake, ice cream on a summer night, or making Christmas cookies during the family traditions.
I’m talking about the adults who intentionally offer children candy, artificially dyed drinks, and sugar-loaded snacks simply because “they’re kids” or “it’s fun to spoil them.”
As a Registered Dietitian AND a mom, here’s what I wish more people understood:
Children don’t need ultra-processed food to have a magical childhood. And no, my kids aren’t missing out or having a life that’s “less than” because we’ve made this choice.
Their bodies are growing.
Their brains are developing.
Their taste preferences are forming.
And the habits we help them build now can influence their relationship with food for years to come.
A few things worth considering:
🥛 Added sugar: Excessive added sugar can displace nutrient-dense foods that provide the protein, iron, calcium, fiber, and other nutrients growing bodies need.
🌈 Artificial food dyes: Certain synthetic food dyes have been associated with increased hyperactivity or behavioral symptoms in some susceptible children. Not every child reacts the same way, but it’s a reasonable ingredient for parents to choose to limit. This one is incredibly relevant in our home so please know, you’re not alone in dealing with the 12-hour withdrawal behavior period in your child(ren) too.
🧠 Food rewards: When we consistently use candy and sweets as rewards, bribes, or expressions of affection, we can unintentionally teach children to associate these foods with approval, comfort, and celebration.
🥩 Nutrient density: Kids have relatively small stomachs and significant nutritional needs.
What we feed them regularly matters.
But here’s the part I feel most strongly about:
🚨When a parent tells you what they do or don’t want their child eating, you don’t have to agree with their decision. But you do need to respect it.🚨
It doesn’t matter if you raised your own children differently.
It doesn’t matter if you think the parents are being too strict. In fact, it doesn’t matter what you think about it at all.
And it certainly doesn’t matter if “we ate that growing up and turned out fine.”
Parents are allowed to make intentional decisions about what goes into their children’s bodies without having to defend those decisions to everyone around them.
And grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends? You have SO many opportunities to make memories that have absolutely nothing to do with food.
Take them outside.
Let them help you bake something.
Read them a book.
Teach them something.
Go feed the calves.
Get your hands dirty.
Spend time together.
Show them how to build something.
Be the reason they remember feeling loved, not just the person who always handed them candy.
I’m not raising my children to fear food. I’m raising them to understand that food is fuel, nourishment, culture, and sometimes just plain enjoyment.
My almost 4 year old can identify her protein, carbs & antioxidants on her plate because we’ve talked about how they fuel her body.
She can also tell you how crazy/silly/naughty her brain and body feel after she eats something that “might not be the best choice for our body.”
There’s room for birthday cake.
There’s room for special treats.
But there’s also room for boundaries, intentional nutrition, and respecting the parents who are trying to raise healthy kids. Chances are, they’re trying to do a little better by their kids for a reason.
Childhood should absolutely be sweet.
But sweetness doesn’t always have to come from sugar. 🤎
— A dietitian who’s also a mama, and cares deeply about both.
If you’re struggling to have this conversation with people who might need to understand this a little better, share this. I’ll do it for you 👆🏽
