I’m not talking about having a mom who simply didn’t keep the Little Debbies or Hostess cakes in the house. I’m talking about a mom, or dad, or maybe both, who lives and breathes organic, whole foods. Oh, the things you have experienced where food is concerned..
1. You know weird words and phrases.
Sure, most people have heard of things like gluten and GMOs. But can they explain them? Could they explain them in middle school? Probably not. But you could. Along with other words like paleo, good fats, whole foods. The list goes on and on. You knew what the Blood Type Diet was before you knew how to do algebra.
2. You've had to explain those words.
Because you knew those words early on, at some point, you had to painstakingly explain which of those things your diet does or does not consist of to friends who had no idea WTF you were talking about.
3. You've skipped the explanation.
But everyone gets sick of the repetitious conversation about food, diets and allergies once in awhile. So, instead, you've had a moment of weakness where you decided to keep your silence and accept that gluten-filled piece of cake. Your mom wasn't there and one slice didn't kill you, right? It only felt like it would, for a short while, to your advanced gastrointestinal system.
4. You've been taught the uncommon skill of reading labels.
It starts with your mom refusing, point blank, to buy products with high fructose corn syrup. You started out young making sure whatever snack you picked up in the grocery store didn't have it listed as an ingredient. From there, your knowledge of unhealthy or allergy-causing ingredients only grew. You now know alternative words to milk, gluten, soy and more. Of course more.
5. But sometimes, you ignore them and hide unhealthy snacks from your mom.
You and your siblings have been known to smuggle foods with said ingredients into the house, i.e., that one time your mom caught you, your brother and your dad rendezvousing in the basement for Nutty Bars. No, seriously -- your mom's always been serious about that processed food. But you were once a kid and needed your sugar fix, even though you knew better.
6. Your lunches weren't enviable.
Sure, you always had a nice selection of raw veggies and in-season fruits, but you were also packing gluten-free bread. As already mentioned, the other kids still didn't get WTF that was. And carrots and hummus isn't a snack that most people recognize as good until closer to adulthood; six graders wanted to trade for that Cosmic Brownie. Trading would've been nice if you'd had anything anyone else wanted.
7. You were the kid who hadn't tried that kind of candy.
There were some treats you sneaked on occasion, but when you were at a friend's house or at school for lunch, you were that kid who hadn't tried something your friends were all raving about, like deep-fried Oreos. Or maybe just plain old Oreos. Or Skittles or Milk Duds or Sour Patch Kids. It really just depends on your availability and knowledge of those contraband items, despite your mom (or dad's) best efforts. Obviously they succeeded for the most part though, if the first time you tried Sour Patch Kids was in middle or high school.
Honestly, it might have been a struggle sometimes having a mom who bought you organic veggies instead of Zebra Cakes, but you're better for it. She showed you how much she cares about you by caring for your health. More importantly, she showed you that your body is worth taking excellent care of. That's a lesson everyone should learn.
