bratbrey

I guess it is about the same. My mom is an excellent cook (and although she can't cook anymore since her stroke she directs my Dad through every dinner and he is now an excellent cook too with her guidance Before he could not even boil water.) Anyway, she was always big on veggies and fruit and balanced meals. We never drank much soda at home or candy. We did have cookies and ice creamin the house at all times.

I try to cook a good balanced dinner for the girls every night and they have fruit every night after dinner. I also pack their lunches so they get fruit everyday and veggies somedays.

They do eat popsicles and cookies, but normally no sugar cereal (sometimes dry as snack treat) and limited candy.

They LOVE fruit and it is not uncommon for the three of them to go thru a quart of strawberries and pint of blueberries in one sitting and still be looking for more.

lizzydo

They're about the same...my mom was a good cook, but had a budget. We'd have canned fruit and bread to supplement our meals. Dessert other than ice cream was rare. My dad went through a healthy phase in the early 70's...whole wheat bread and no salt! That was awful, but I think we adjusted eventually.

We don't do a lot of carryout or fast food...a Steak and Shake run every once in a while is a treat for the kids. We eat a lot of fruit and veggies...the boys have fruit with breakfast and lunch. Katie has trouble with textures due to her cerebral palsy...she has an awful diet and is very stubborn. She'll eat blueberries and applesauce, but that's about it for fruits and veggies. Ugh. Bill used to be picky, but now will eat most veggies I fix and has started to like salmon and shrimp (when I wrap it in prosciutto!).

The big difference is that I make a lot of desserts. None of us are overweight...I figure they are healthier than what I could buy, and are usually eaten in moderation.

bls05

We ate really well growing up. Not much of any refined foods. We always had a big garden. Pop and "junk-cereal" were big time treats. As were chips. I think I eat healthier than a lot of people I know, however we could do with less fast food. It's a goal I'm working towards. DH also is king of junk-food. He brings it home and I eat it.

baseballmama

We eat differently. Not necessarily better or worse, but different. I grew up on my grandparent's farm. We always had fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. We don't have as much of that now because we don't live on the farm anymore and its very expensive to buy. My grandparents also raise cattle, so we ate a lot of beef growing up. DH and I still eat a good amount of beef (courtesy of my grandparents), but we eat more chicken now too (neither one of us really like fish very much, but we will eat seafood). I'm from the south too, and so we had a lot of fried foods growing up, and I rarely fry anything anymore (although I do love a good chicken fried steak). My grandmother and great-grandmother also baked, so there was dessert at every meal. I don't bake very often, but we do have ice cream and often store-bought cookies instead. My mom always had lots of soda and junk food around the house and we still do that.

JenR

I eat better in some ways and not as well in some ways. My mom did a lot of canned veggies, and I can't stand them. She cooked a lot of fatty meat and potatoes, which we never eat. BUT, we NEVER had pop or chips or anything like that in the house, and now we do somewhat, and we eat a lot of frozen food and convenience items (but healthier versions). She made all our food and desserts from scratch. I just don't have time, and it makes me sad. I remember a can of pop for school outings was such a treat. DH is much more lax than I am about eating, he is always giving the kids sugary stuff. He calls me the "sugar police"

hotgogobot

Well, I'm the "sugar nazi" around here!

Eleni

My diet is somehow different but not too different. Growing up we ate home cooked meals every day and night. Everything was made from scratch (even mayonnaise for example). No prepackaged cake mixes and such. We ate a balanced greek diet that my mom made sure included everything: meat, fish, veggies, carbs, dairy and plenty of olive oil. My mom is an excellent cook. Coke was never on the table. It was a treat during the holidays and even then my aunt used to bring it to us. We never ate burgers outside (McD's didn't make it here until I was 20!), mom made burgers, pizza, souvlaki...anything.

Now DH eats very differently. Mainly meat, eggs, yogurt, nuts veggies and salads with the addition of fruit but never following a meal. Occasionally he'll have carbs and something sweet but he usually won't consume a lot of it. He hates fish/seafood so I never have it at home. I've noticed I've cut down in my carb intake and there's barely ever bread at home (a greek home staple) because I cook none of the stuff that it accompanies...Basically I don't cook greek because it's a more complicated cuisine to me and I never learned and besides I lived in the US for most of my cooking years. But I do have it at my mom's every lunchtime. I only have dinner with DH because he comes home late. While DH finds greek cuisine delicious he thinks it is not the proper way to eat (well any cuisine for that matter) and he would rather I didn't cook the way my mom does on a daily basis. He is a protein and greens guy...and even though it gets to me sometimes, looking at the results I can't complain

symesa

Better now.

My mom is a very good cook, but she used to be a "home-cookin'" kind of cook. Fried chicken was a weekly meal. We always ate vegetables (and grew many in our own garden) but sometimes from a can (yuck). We had some junk food, though not a lot. Junk is cheaper than good quality, fresh produce and we were always very poor. I remember having Swiss Cake Rolls and frozen donuts that you would microwave

When my parents divorced, my mom started cooking differently. But then, we all left home and now she doesn't cook very much. Meanwhile, I've crossed over into a much healthier way to cook and eat. So yes, MUCH better now.

Carol in Maryland

The vegetables were canned & overcooked, and nothing ever contained garlic, onion or herbs. Rice or noodles was a major treat. In her defense, it may well have been that it was the only thing my father would eat. She was a good baker, and we always had dessert, ice cream, cookies, pies, and junk cereal. The bread was always white, and I begged for whole wheat or rye. As a result, my sister and I are both really great, creative, and healthful, cooks.

bugginsmom

Definitely! My mother was not a bad cook but we were dirt poor (literally) and the only food she could afford was the cheapest, stretch your dollar stuff....lots of potatoes, government cheese, powdered milk, white bread, canned vegetables... Not much fresh produce or fruit at all. Fruit was a HUGE treat in our house. She did the best she could to keep five stomachs from going hungry, and I remember her not eating herself on many occasions. Sweets were non-existent in our house and a trip to grandma's was huge because she *always* cookies and we each got one. We had tomatoes, rhubarb, and strawberries from the garden in the summer, but my mom wasn't much of a gardener and only grew what my grandpa gave her.

There's a reason I hold the title of "food nazi" in high regard. I think my mama would be proud!