Trying to Raise Healthy Eaters!

I am wrestling with something, and right now I welcome a friendly discussion on the matter of kids eating healthfully.

For the most part, Jason and I are healthy eaters. Since Kaelyn was a baby I was pretty set on the fact that I was going to raise my child (and future children) to eat healthy foods. This is not to say that I NEVER feed them "junk." I will occasionally cook up a "blue box" (Kraft Macaroni N' Cheese) for lunch. I will occasionally feed them chicken rings out of the freezer. But, these times are always balanced with ham and cheese sandwiches (with nothing else on them like butter or mayo), and other healthful options. Usually my kids eat what we eat for dinner, but sometimes if I know they won't like it (as in it would be too spicy) I will prepare one of the above. Since becoming vegetarian I have gotten the question quite often, "Are your kids vegetarian too?" The answer is, no, they are not, but for the most part they end up eating what I prepare for dinner. Breakfast always includes fresh fruit. Lunch always includes raw carrots, and sometimes more fresh fruit. Dinner almost always has some sort of vegetable with it. My kids never drink juice (ok, MAYBE at a birthday party) or chocolate milk, always white milk, and candy is given out very rarely.

So, where does the friendly discussion come in. Here it is. How much is too much? Today Kaelyn has seemed almost obsessed with healthful eating. It seems like too much for a 4-year-old to worry about. Sometimes we will have discussions with her about why we don't eat candy all that often, but it seems she has taken these discussions a bit too far. Today she informed me that she hates McDonalds, because it makes you sick. (We had a discussion about how certain foods if you eat them all the time can make you sick, and she has linked this to McDonalds.) She used to LOVE the rare occasion that we would go to McDonalds after getting shots or on her birthday. She is always asking if there is meat in things. And she is very concerned about getting sick.

How do we teach our kids to eat healthfully in moderation (again, I am ok with the rare treat of McDonalds, or other indulgences)? I feel so bad that as a 4-year-old she is so concerned about what is going to make her sick and what is going to make her big and strong.

I am proud of my kids and their eating habits. Quite often Jason and I will get stopped in restaurants by total strangers who are impressed at how well our kids eat and the things they eat. I would like to think this is because we have modeled good eating, as well as provided healthful options, as opposed to junk. And we have had our battles with our kids, but they know if they refuse to eat something they will not get another tastier option later. They know if they refuse dinner, it will show up again when they come to us saying they are hungry. I'm not saying I have it all figured out, obviously, since my daughter seems crazy obsessed with this area right now. I'm just trying to figure out where the moderation point is and how much is too much.

Also, I am not attacking parents who don't choose to be as strict with eating as we are. Please don't hear that from me. Every parent chooses what works best within their system, and for us this is what works best, mainly because we prefer healthful eating. So, please don't see this as an attack on someone else's parenting!!!