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“Coming from dairy country, it’s a well-established fact that farmers milk the darker cows last, just to make em suffer longer. They don’t know if they’re in line to get milked or get turned into steaks and burgers. (sarc)”

When I was 4 or 5, my friendly, neighbor dairy farmer told us chocolate milk came from the brown cows. Even at that age, I wasn’t that ignorant. Kids are going to see this for what it is- being manipulated. They may not have the words to articulate it, but they’ll know. I’ve got a drawer full of candy that is so old it should be pitched, a bag of potato chips that I think have been opened for at least 3 months, old crackers galore, orange soda, cola that must be at least a year old...! Basic psychology- if you’re told you can’t have something, you want it all the more. My 17 year old is skinny as a rail and her favorite foods are beef and pork. I learned in nutrition class that studies showed in the long term, if the junk food isn’t denied, they’ll actually naturally eat a healthy diet. Sorry I can’t site the studies as they were back in about the ‘70s. Junk food has alway been available for my daughter but her first choice- very rare beef.

I was never denied any foods as a kid and became a junk food addict for a long time. I literally could not stop myself from eating the most fatty, sugary foods until the day I fainted and then woke up with chest pains in my early 20s. Luckily no damage was done but I never wanted to be there again. I'm now 100lbs lighter with several times more muscle.

Some people I know can eat practically unlimited amounts, do very little activity and not gain a millimeter of fat. Other people with very slow metabolisms (like me) can't eat any junk at all and need to sweat every day if they intend to be fit.

If your kid is staying at a healthy weight, let them eat whatever they want. But if your kid starts ballooning like I did, it's wise to start watching out for them. Nomatter what BS anyone says, it greatly diminishes your social life and general well being. Obesity during puberty also causes hormone imbalances that could result in development issues in nearly every part of the body, especially in boys. After puberty, there is not much that can be done to correct it.

I really really wish my parents taught me better eating and exercise habits when I was younger. I'll naturally never be as developed and fit as I could have been.