Day 4 Nothin' but Nuggets

Unbelievable, but one British teen makes these guys look like Jamie Oliver and Marion Nestle's love children.

Hooked on Chicken Nuggets: A 17-year-old British gal since age two has eaten little else but McDonald's chicken nuggets.

Let that sink in a moment. Nothin' but nuggets for fifteen years. And, that 'little else' in her diet consists of chips and fries. She has never tasted a fresh strawberry in summer or enjoyed a crisp salad. Like most of you, my first thought was of her parents. Okay, to be honest, I really thought of her mom. What mother drives a toddler every day to McDonalds and then complains that their child won't eat anything else? The mom defends herself saying she tried to deprive her daughter of the deep fried mystery meat until she agreed to eating healthy, real foods. Mom also says her other two children have a varied and healthy diet.

Before I pull out the pitch fork and declare this woman a parental failure for condemning her daughter to dietary misfortune and lifelong bad health, I have to stop and think of my own girls. Dear Baby Jesus, I can't cast the first stone.

My oldest girl is thirteen today. In those thirteen years, she has never asked for broccoli or salivated over a bowl of creamed spinach. You will not catch her or her younger sister eating fresh tomatoes off the vine and you certainly won't have to worry about either of them gorging themselves on salad greens. Why? Because I've never made those things a priority. We do better than the average family at dinner time. My girls eat at home more often than not and, although I can't always get a veggie on their plate, I can usually get some fruits into their diet.

Shouldn't that be good enough? It wouldn't be child abuse to say yes. For most of us though, 'good enough' is never good enough for our kids. For that matter, it shouldn't be good enough for anyone. I'm not advocating perfection. I don't think anyone really knows what a perfect diet is, but we are all somewhere between nugget addiction and obsessively weighing every organic portion. Stop and think about where you are on that spectrum. What small change can you make today to be healthier tomorrow?

As for me, I'm committed to eliminating all the Candida from my system over the next few months and keeping it at bay permanently. It was a little tough tonight as I watched my family split a gluten-free Chocolate Thunder from Down Under at Outback. I couldn't join in, but I smiled through it all. During dinner, my youngest for the first time ate steamed broccoli with her meal instead of fries and my birthday girl? Well, she didn't eat the entire loaf of Outback bread. Small improvements I hope they build on for a lifetime.

*Photo by Daniel Knight of Studio B Photography

Happy Birthday, Sweetie! You bring your dad and me so much happiness. We love you more than you can know and are so grateful we were blessed to be your parents.

As always, take care

-Melie

Day 4 Eats

• Arbucks Modified Arbonne Protein Shake
• Squealer's 9 oz. sirloin with green beans and sweet potato with butter
• Citrus Fizz Energy Drink
• 2 cubes Almond Coconut Protein Fudge
• Outback Grilled Salmon with steamed green beans