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OPINION

Food has become a very stressful topic in my life, especially now having children.

Growing up, I don't remember there being a lot of pressure on parents to conform to a standard practice for proper food habits, yet I am sure the pressure was there in some capacity. 

Of course there was the Canada Food Guide, full of helpful suggestions and options for meal planning, but you could say most people were left to their own devices (and of course professional help from doctors and nutritionists) to decide what worked best for their families.

My how things have changed.

Today, there are too many decisions, opinions and studies regarding food.

That sounds silly, because we should be happy progressing when it comes to the knowledge of what will maintain our health, but there are so many questions marks and so many people who believe they have all the answers — I find it all overwhelming.

A day doesn’t go by where I log onto my social media accounts and see at least one food-related post (and I am not talking about people taking photos of what they had for dinner).

Whether it is a warning about arsenic in commercial chicken, the dangers of red food dye or how barbecuing your meat could cause cancer down the road, there is another study or opinion waiting for me to digest (pun intended).

The problem with a lot of the information online is that A) It can be partially true but no one looks into it further to follow-up through related research; B) It can be completely false but perpetuated by continual sharing (very aggravating) or C) It is true and no one seems to care.

So now you have a large group of individuals with completely different views on what is healthy when it comes to your every day eating and then you put them altogether and the opinions just start flying — it can get nasty.

Suddenly you start to question whether or not you are making ANY correct decisions when it comes to your children and what foods they are putting into their bodies.

According to your ‘friends’ you are shopping at the wrong places for the wrong foods and clearly you need to start considering a complete overhaul.

When did it become so complicated?

And don’t get me wrong, I care about the latest trends and ideas because it’s like growing a flower or building a house — if the foundation isn’t there, nothing really lasts or runs very well.

But when you are constantly having information thrown into your face (figuratively speaking of course) that may or may not be correct, but you care enough to be concerned and in turn you are sucked into a vicious cycle of self-deprecating thoughts and feelings, you are no longer a productive parent.

So I will keep chugging along, hoping I am making mostly good decisions and paying no mind of the silent judgement I pass — limiting the French fries and hot dogs, but remembering I was also once a child and what made me happy at mealtimes were the little things.

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