Treat-Free Household - Throwing Out the Junk in 2009

My son likes many healthful snacks. Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, almost any variety of fruit, cheese sticks and sunflower seeds are his favorites. But if given the choice between any of his favorite healthful snacks and his least favorite type of junk food, he'll pick the junk food every time.

I adopted my son when he was 10 years old, so many of his eating habits were already formed. With time and determination, he's learned to enjoy home-cooked meals (he only liked frozen foods when he first moved in) and understands a lot more about nutrition. But the junk food addiction has remained a problem.

I've tried instituting other rules, such as having healthful "anytime foods" that he can snack on whenever he likes and in any quantity he desires. The treat foods were left for desserts and small treats each day. It's a good idea in theory, but it led to my son trying to sneak those foods up to his room. When they became hands-off foods, they were more desirable than ever.

So we're instituting a new rule in my household. We're now a treat-free household. We've been doing it for about a week now and so far so good. Here's what I've learned so far:

• Ability to understand. My son is 11 now and has a decent grasp on the concept of nutrition. I talked to him about this before, and he's on board with the idea. It was a decision we made as a family. It may be harder to make the switch with younger kids who don't understand the reasons for it.
  
• Out of sight, out of mind. When there are no sugary or salty snacks to choose from, it's easier to make the choice for a more healthful option. I have noticed my son spending more time in front of the fridge and cupboard as if he's mentally willing a tube of Pringles to appear, but he seems to opt for veggies without any fuss.
• Drawing the line. The other night, I snacked on half a dozen whole-wheat crackers topped with cream cheese and jalapeno pepper jelly. As I was eating, I realized it was essentially junk food. But I'm allowing those types of snacks because they aren't foods that tempt us to go overboard. (My son won't touch jalapeno pepper jelly with a 10-foot pole, but he likes the same snack with 100% fruit spread.)
• Treat-free household doesn't mean a treat-free life. I still splurge on treats from time to time. For example, my son and I both love soda, but we don't keep it in the house. When we go grocery shopping, however, I'll buy one small bottle of soda for each of us. We both love ice cream, but instead of buying a half gallon for our freezer now, we'll just make a point to go out for ice cream every once in a while as a special treat. I don't want to make these foods out of bounds for my son or for me ... I just want to make them the occasional treats they should be.
  
• Cost. I had no idea how much money I was spending on snack foods. Since ditching them, my grocery bill is easily $20-$30 less each trip.

I have high hopes for our treat-free household. Though there are certainly foods my son and I will miss or crave from time to time, so far it's been relatively smooth sailing.