Families have had a double whammy of troubling headlines in recent weeks. First, we learned that couples with kids, tend to eat more fat than their counterparts without children. Then, just this week, a study found that kids gain significantly more weight during the summer, when they're off school and home with their parents. It has me thinking...what is it about the combination of parents and kids that lead to unhealthy eating?

Eating right, for me, definitely became more of a struggle when I became a parent. Not only did I experience the major life change of parenthood, I also resigned from my job. Suddenly, I was home all day with no real structure or schedule, with 24 hour access to my kitchen. A few years have passed since then, and though I still struggle with a routine, the fact that my children are old enough to need a structured meal and snack schedule helps me remember that I don't need to open the snack cupboard every time I wander through the kitchen.

I spend a large portion of my day thinking about nutrition -- what are my kids eating and how can I go about offering them more nutritious foods that they'll actually eat? That second study, the one that says kids gain weight during the summertime, concerns me. My children spend 99% of their time with me and 75% of their time with me as their sole caregiver. Essentially, because neither child is school-age, it's "summer" here all the time, and I take my responsibility very seriously. That said, days like today -- where we found ourselves at a popular fast food restaurant between our music class and our trip to the grocery store, probably happen more often than they should.
Why do we, as parents, turn to fast food and sugary snacks when we know there are better choices out there? For me, when it happens, it's three things: fatigue, convenience, and not having anything healthy on hand the kids will eat. When you haven't slept, when it's been one of "those days", when there's a bag of Chips Ahoy in the cupboard...sometimes bad food choices just happen.

I'd love to hear some of your stories -- what happens when things go wrong and what proactive steps you take to make sure that even when the going gets tough, you still manage to offer your kids the best food choices you have available. Anyone willing to share?