I almost didn’t do this video.
I honestly thought it would be too wacky and out of the box for some readers to handle.
My change of heart occurred when one of my children said, “Mom, you HAVE to do that video”.
Out of the mouths of babes.
So here I am posting a video about the best trick I know for teaching your kids about the dangers of fast food and hopefully keeping them far far away from it forever – even once they are out of the house and making their own decisions.
While this trick won’t work for older children, if your kids are still quite young, it should work well.  My three kids want absolutely nothing to do with fast food and that includes my teenager who has more freedom away from his parents and has the opportunity to indulge if he chose to.
So here it is.   What do you think? Too wacky or totally on target?
Mom Versus Fast Food (Mom Wins)
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Great video Sarah! Not wacky at all! and so sorry that so many are missing the real point. There will always be naysayers and extremists in every faction and most people just want to be “right”. Yes China is garbage and fast food is garbage but they are not going away. We have to take a stand and if spending almost $4 is going to help us take a stand against these poison factories that are contributing to the decline in a vast majority of peoples heath then we have to do it! Hurray for you for taking that stand and sharing with us! After teaching our children this important fact we can then move on to teaching them the value of a toy if that is our concern and show them better toys, etc. But we have to hit hard because these companies won’t stop until we make a stand and everyone realizes it’s garbage and poison. The great thing is that our children will have an impact on some of their friends too which will make that almost $4 experience even more invaluable!
Tell your son thank you so much for getting you to share this! And he did an awesome job being your camera man!
I liked the video. I don’t think it was extreme to throw away a happy meal that cost $3–that is a cheap tuition for a lesson in life long health. It is something I would do w/my kids to show them you don’t have to eat something just because it is in front of you–it is better off in the trash than in their tummies.
BTW–what a handsome son. He seems like a nice kid too.
Thank you Heather. He’s a good boy and he makes his parents proud 🙂
I see the concept but in the process you have taught them that milk is not good for them! Seriously? I do see that aspect as extreme!
Hi Donna. Search the blog for “raw milk” and “pasteurized milk” and you’ll see why Sarah threw that nasty pasteurized stuff right where it belongs!
Yep! The McD’s milk is NOT good for them- in the trash it goes. REAL milk comes from a family farm (or your own cow/goat) not from a plastic bottle at a drive-thru window. Plus, I’m surprised it was even WHITE milk and not chocolate or berry. Ick!
What about those who do not have access to a family farm? I agree that farm fresh milk is the best, but I personally would not drink raw milk. I will boil it before I drink it at home. But it seems to be common to see arrogant snobbery on this blog. Looking down at people who do not follow the WAPF diets to the letter.
Ummmm. Pasteurized pus milk from confinement cows? Throwing that away was part of the lesson!. I don’t want my kids drinking that either! We drink only raw, grassfed clean wholesome milk directly from the farm not processed pus milk from a fast food or grocery store. YUCK!
bravo! You put your finger on the pulse of the problem. We cannot convince our children that McDonalds serves poison if we feast on it….even occassionally. I used a slightly different approach. I used the money that I would have spent at McDonalds and took them to a toy store to let them choose something that they truly would like not what McDonalds marketing crew told them that they could not live without.
You are so AWESOME!!! I wish I had your support back in the 70’s & 80’s when I was the odd ball keeping my girls “clean”. But they are living the healthy life still. My 28 yr old told me this morning that even though she could never have fast food, she always wanted it in her teens – so this video just makes sense to kill that desire in a visual, experiential way!!! I’ve sent it to all the young moms I know, and posted it on FB. You da bomb!!! Thanks xoxo
After watching Supersize Me and Food Nation, among others and learning how inhumane and filthy factory farms are, I just told my kids there’s poop in the meat. That fast food companies don’t treat their animals well and don’t care that they’re poop and sick bodies are turned into their burgers that we can choose to eat, or choose to not eat. That pretty much ended their appetite for it!
Nice advice too … love it!
i hope the parents that need to see this will watch it. when my daughter was young i would go thru the drive thru and order just the toy. they sell it for $1.00. telling her the same thing you told your kids, yet never having to buy or throw the food away. SHe is 19 now and although her friends eat fast food, she knows it is garbage!
Wow, I think that it is not that big a deal to spend $3 to teach a lesson. Some children might not need it; others would benefit. Why be hard on Sarah?
My children never needed this type of lesson, even though at one time we did eat from fast food places for lunch once a week. We transitioned in a different way, one that worked for us.
Each parent has to determine the best way to teach her children what is best for their bodies when it comes to nutrition. As long as it’s done in a legal/moral/ethical way, we should not care if someone does it differently than we would.
We already have to fight the government, media, and other entities that are pushing to keep us ignorant/take away our choices.
At our local McDonald’s, (in NW FL) Happy Meals are $1.98 on Tues and Thurs. Same lesson for less money! : )
Sarah,
This method is tried and true! We have had our 3 yo on GAPS for several months now because of some digestive problems. We started telling him that certain foods have been making his belly hurt and that was all it took. He knew he didn’t like the pain he was suffering so he has no desire to experience it again.
We drive by fast food places and he sees people pulling in and he says, “MOM, PEOPLE AREN’T SUPPOSED TO EAT THAT FOOD, IT WILL HURT THEIR BELLIES!” (he’s actually quite rude about it sometimes haha)
Great video, not hokey at all!