08/26/2026
Whether you pack Oreos in your child’s lunchbox or you don’t is not the thing that determines whether your child will be “healthy.”
What matters is the relationship we help them build with food over YEARS.
Here’s my take 👇
1️⃣ Don’t judge
You have no idea what happens outside that lunchbox.
Maybe they’re learning to eat new foods.
Maybe Oreos are one of the few foods they reliably eat at school.
2️⃣ Respect family decisions—including when they differ from yours.
Want to pack Oreos? That's okay.
Don't want to pack Oreos? That's okay too.
Families have different food cultures, budgets, beliefs, preferences, and approaches to feeding.
3️⃣ If your child asks for an Oreo, you can serve it. 🍪
They can be served alongside them.
Think:
🍪 Oreo
🥪 sandwich
🍓 fruit
🥕 veggie
🥛 milk
The goal isn't to make the Oreo disappear.
The goal is to help kids learn:
“I can eat sweets AND eat foods that nourish my body.”
4️⃣ Check in with YOUR food anxiety.
Sometimes our desire to control what our children eat comes from our own fear around food.
And here's something important:
Heavy restriction can sometimes make highly restricted foods MORE interesting.
When kids eventually gain access outside parental control, they may have little experience navigating those foods independently.
That doesn't mean “restriction always causes binge eating.”
It means we should consider whether our approach is teaching skills or simply teaching avoidance.
5️⃣ Teach kids how to navigate sweets. 🧠
Kids are eventually going to encounter:
🍪 cookies
🍭 candy
🍰 birthday cake
🍦 ice cream
🍩 donuts
🍫 chocolate
Our job isn't to create a world where these foods don't exist.
Our job is to help them learn:
“These foods can be part of eating.”
They can enjoy them.
They can stop when satisfied.
They can eat them alongside other foods.
They can experience them without guilt.
6️⃣ Think BIG picture.
Your child's health isn't determined by whether they ate an Oreo on Tuesday.
Think about the YEARS ahead.
Are we teaching them to:
✨ Try foods without fear?
✨ Listen to hunger and fullness cues?
✨ Enjoy cultural and social eating?
✨ Feed themselves independently?
✨ Include a variety of foods?
✨ Eat sweets without shame?
✨ Trust their body?
✨ Feel safe around food?
That's the bigger win.
Because eventually, you won't be there to control every bite they eat.
