I would like to give a little shout out to all the parents working in the medical field. If you raised your kids anything like my nutritionist mom did, you probably have deprived your children of some of the most tasty and unhealthy foods available and made sure they knew the food pyramid by heart. As I like to tell my mom, “Congratulations, you deprived me of my childhood.”
Twinkies
Photo by Christian Cable
My friends forced me to eat my first Twinkie a couple of months ago. My mom might have brainwashed me on this one since I felt like I could literally taste all the fat and sugar and it kind of grossed me out.
Pop Tarts/Sugary Cereal
Photo by Kevin Dang
According to my mom, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So eating something high in sugar was never really an option. It was all Multigrain Cheerios and oatmeal for me.
Fried Chicken
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
I didn’t even know what KFC or Chick-fil-A was when I was little. All I knew was the low in fat but nutrient filled grilled chicken breasts my mom would make.
Anything Fried
Photo by Victoria Georgetti
Going to the county fair meant my mom spent the entire time trying to steer us clear and avoid the deep fried Oreos and funnel cake.
White Rice
Photo by Kevin Dang
Now when ordering Chipotle, I don’t think it’s physically possible for me to say I want white rice. The health benefits of brown rice and quinoa are too engrained (ha, grain, get it?) in my mind.
Real Butter
Photo by Kevin Dang
Smart Balance and I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter are the only butter we had in our fridge. None of that full of fat stuff.
White Bread
Photo by Kevin Dang
Our sandwiches were made with love and care on 100% wheat bread, and our healthy wraps were strictly made with whole wheat tortilla wraps.
Bacon
Gif courtesy of giphy.com
The best part of my mom leaving for a weekend was that our dad would fry us up some of the most greasy and fattening bacon. Although, now it looks like mom was just trying to save me from getting cancer.
Soda
Photo by Kevin Dang
It was always a rare day when we would have anything but low fat milk or water for dinner. Sodas were for special occasions ONLY.
McDonald’s
Photo by Izzi Clark
While all the other kids got to go eat their happy meals after a win for their soccer team, I watched sadly from the car window as my mom drove me right past the golden arches and fed me only apple slices.
Even though my childhood was taken away from me, I can now thank my mom for brainwashing me into not eating these foods. She has been that voice in my head when I almost give in to temptation. My slowing metabolism thanks you, mom.