Healthy eating slip-ups

Kids will almost always choose fried, greasy food over greens. Photo / Herald on Sunday

It's not like I'm raising a little fatty but kids everywhere love things like fries and ice cream. Put a plate of homemade fish and chips with some broccoli or peas in front of my little girl Mia and she'll happily eat around the green stuff.

Which is why an entrée of broccoli, peas, or carrots almost always goes out to the high chair before the main course. It's a little bit of a swindle but its gets the greens into her and she picks off those peas like they're yummie little lollies.

And then there's the inevitable answer when I ask her if she'd like some pudding: "Ice cream," she says in that cute manipulative tone two-year-olds have down pat.

Just recently her diet has been a little naughty and her mum and dad are to blame, of course.

Sitting at McDonalds in the food court the other day, Mia beaming a tomato sauce smile as she chowed down on those delicious shoe-string fries, my wife looked at me and smiled: "Parents of the year."

As well as having Maccas - she just ate the fries and bypassed the chicken nuggets - she had oven fries with her fish at home for dinner, and ice cream, for the third night in a row. Whoops. We must've felt like spoiling her. Bad mummy and daddy.

Our eating habits have changed a lot since having Mia. Apart from the odd weekend, gone are the curries and laksas made from scratch, and we always used to buy fancy cheeses, the best olives, and things like lamb rack or cutlets.

These days, because of both budget and practicality, it's lamb chops, cheddar cheese, sometimes frozen veges, and, while not very adventurous, pasta bakes because they're easy to whip up.

It's funny how people get snobby about food. I admit I used to be one of them and had not eaten frozen veges for years, or lamb chops because we'd always go for the cutlets.

But now we're back to eating simple basic food - with sporadic junk food splashouts.

And speaking of snobbery, maybe I was being paranoid, but sitting at the food court I swear some people walking by with their sushi and kebabs looked down their noses at us for being at Maccas.

Not that I care. Mia has a well-rounded diet, and almost always eats her entrees of green stuff.

But a kid's gotta have fun and eat the occasional bit of rubbish. They love it. It's in their blood.

And by the way, my Big Mac and chips were delicious too thanks.

- Scott Kara

Pictured above: Kids will almost always choose fried, greasy food over greens. Photo / Herald on Sunday