to let dd have chocolate every day?

[missmoopy]

dd is 5. She loves chocolate and would eat it all day if allowed!
She has healthy diet and is a healthy weight, and she is very active.
I let her have a chocolate treat every day. Am I a terrible human being?

A square of chocolate or a whole bar!?!?

A small milky way or small bag of buttons.

You're her mum, you make those decision!

Mine are allowed a chocolate treat every Saturday, purely because I don't want them to see chocolate as an everyday thing. Also have seen 3 yos having all their teeth out (I kid you not) due to poor diet/poor hygiene.

I don't think it's healthy for anyone to be eating chocolate every day. But really it's up to you.

I wouldn't let my dc's have it every day, or even every week. Too many potential weight / teeth problems.

However, I eat it everyday when they are not around (no fillings).

I'm torn. It's quite a chunk of her daily diet at that age. I wouldn't but if everything else she eats is healthy, then maybe. If she drank soft drinks, ate processed food and had ketchup on everything,she would probably eat/drink much more sugar than this in a day!

But equally, to restrict something so rigidly is to make it more attractive?

I dont see this as a big deal at all.

I wouldn't do it either. Far too high a proportion of their daily intake wasted on processed fat and sugar. Not on, really.

Personally, I wouldn't give it every day. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to have chocolate every day. Mine have it at weekends and maybe at one other time in the week (they are 6 and 4). However, as has been said, you are her mother and it's entirely up to you!

I don't think it's a problem. If she is eating healthy stuff 95% of the time and the 5% is the chocolate then that sounds like a balanced diet.

No worse than allowing sugary drinks I suppose.
But, my DD has minor teeth problems (not caused by chocolate ) and I live in hope that she will lose the four affected front teeth before they need work. I wouldn't take any potential, preventable, dental problems lightly.
I have found that limiting the amount of sweets by giving a few in an eggcup, not a bag, and brushing teeth after every snack helps.

How is it a large chunk of her diet?
She eats no other refined sugar, has a low fat diet which is high in fibre and frsh fruit.

She is active, her weight is fine and her teeth are healthy.

Not a big deal.
As long as she has good dental hygiene and no fizzy drinks, fine.

My dd has loves to have fruit as her snack / treat - I try to get her to take in more calories by offering toast / chocolate / muffin / biscuit along with all the healthy stuff. Dd is skinny as a rake. But I do feed her, honestly!

What I dont like is the sugary 'lollies' that some children suck all day - sustained, constant acid attack for teeth - and without any added bonus of calories other than from the sugar! Dd's best friend is obsessed with them though...

It depends on her diet.
My DCs eat plenty of fruit and veg, wholemeal bread, meat and fish etc etc. I cook from scratch. No processed food, no coke etc. They have chocolate or chocolate cake I made or fruit cake every day for pudding.

Sweets are part of life. Of course sugar is not very good for you if you over indulge, but one small chunk of chocolate is not equal to 4 mars bars.

you obviously think it's fine, so I'm not even sure why you're asking...
do you want people to tell you you're terrible?
OK: you're terrible

We don't have lollies or sweets, as they are very bad for teeth. She hates fizzy pop, and we don't but it anyway.
A dietician said her diet was balanced and healthy.Seeing chocolate as 'treats' is actually more damaging as it teaches children that some foods are restricted as 'treats' to make us feel good - thereby the danger of 'comfort eating', where as to normalise chocolate etc is to make it as other foods - part of a balanced diet.

Food is habit forming and some habits can stay with you for life. My FIL is very overweight and has just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He's convinced it's because he developed a sweet tooth as a child. I wouldn't do it for this reason.

I think it's fine to give DCs treats, etc, and to teach them moderation, but when it establishes a regular pattern, it can become difficult to break (for life).

I like chocolate, I tend to have it around, or chocolate biscuits etc., so DS who is also 5 often gets a square or two of chocolate or something with chocolate in it, like a biscuit. Probably not every day, but it's normal. He also eats most other things and has a healthy diet, uses up loads of energy and is skinny as a bean. I think it's fine.

I wouldn't feel the same way about sweets - they're a more occasional treat. They are worse for your teeth because they stick to them. (As are raisins FWIW).

Catissleepy, I am interested in others opinions and healthy debate. Sorry if you aren't.

BTW it doesn't make you a terrible human being though

but will it change your mind at all if someone tells you you're terrible?

see, I am interested in healthy debate

Not sure why you are asking. It's common sense really. If she doesn't have any other refined sugar and you have been told by a dietician that her diet is balanced and healthy (presumably you mentioned the chocolate), then I don't see what the problem is.

I also think people have a weird over-reaction to chocolate as if it's this terribly sinful food. OK it's not a bag of healthfulness but it's just a sugary food - no worse than jam, sweet drinks, puddings etc. (And is thought to have some health benefits too.) Plus you tend to have a small bit so it's less sugar than if you have a whole pudding for example.

I doubt it would change my mind - as my mind is not 100% made up - but I do find all opinions food for thought. (excuse the pun)